Professional Associations

• Member of Theatre and Performance Research Association
• Member of the Development Studies Association
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Administrative Roles

Director MA Applied Theatre: Arts, Action, Change

Deputy Chair, SCAPVC Ethics Committee

Practice and Production Officer

Qualifications

• PhD Drama (University of Manchester)
• MA Theatre and Global Development (University of Leeds)
• BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London)

Research interests

My research and practice explores the possibilities of applied and socially engaged performance. I am particularly interested in how we might foster global networks of solidarity and collaboration through the arts. Previous and ongoing projects have investigated global partnerships in theatre and development projects, explored the climate crisis through interdisciplinary artistic approaches, and examined the challenges and limitations of theatre and peacebuilding projects in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. I currently supervise PhD students working on related topics, and welcome proposals exploring aspects of applied theatre, performance and the climate crisis, and arts and global development.

Research projects include:

The Possibilities and Limitations of Theatre and Peacebuilding in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda (2019)

I was the Principal Investigator for this project, which was funded by the Institute of Advanced Studies through the GCRF. I undertook research in Rwanda and Uganda as well as focus groups and workshops in partnership with Amani People's Theatre in Kenya. The project considered the challenges practitioners face when working on peacebuilding projects and I am collaborating with several practitioners I met with on articles and book chapters to share learning. The project fed into a successful AHRC application to establish a global network of practitioners and researchers.

With One Breath (2021)

This project was funded by the AHRC and was a collaboration between young people working with Highly Sprung Performance Company (Coventry, UK), Rafiki Theatre (Uganda) and visual artists Becky Warnock and Ashley James Brown. We explored the local and global causes and impacts of the climate crisis through physical theatre, photography, film and sound culminating in a digital 'call to action' regarding the climate crisis. You can access this here

Acting on Climate: Co-creating Performance and Digital Ethnographies for Youth Eco-Citizenship (2021-2022)

I am the Co-Investigator for this project, working with Dr Rachel Turner-King (Principal Investigator), Dr Reem Doukmak (Research Assistant) and artists including Ashley James Brown, Fluxx Theatre and Lens Change. This project is funded by the University of Warwick's ESRC Impact Acceleration Account and will involve a group of young people creating verbatim performance about the climate crisis. This feeds into a wider network of related projects in Canada, Taiwan, Colombia, Greece and India, led by researchers at Toronto University.

Stages of Violence Research Network (2021-2023)

I am the Principal Investigator for this two year AHRC-funded network, working alongside Dr Maëline Le Lay (Co Investigator) and collaborators in Northern Ireland (Derry Playhouse and Kabosh), Rwanda (Hope Azeda, Mashirika Arts and Dr Assumpta Mugiraneza, IRIBA Center) and Kenya (Maxwel Okuto, Amani People's Theatre and Dr Michael Owiso, Maseno Univerity). This project invites practitioners and scholars in each of the locations to share skills and reflect on the relationships between theatre, performance, conflict and peace.