Since its opening in 1965, the University of Warwick has quickly developed a rich history for theatre and performance around its campus, supporting the development of highly acclaimed work that has toured nationally and internationally. As of 2015 the campus boasts several fully-equipped studio spaces, numerous funding opportunities for the development of projects, and of course the Warwick Arts Centre. However, the campus was not always so well equipped, meaning that students often had to use alternative spaces in the early days of the University. Our research provides a brief insight into which venues around the campus have been used as venues for performance, what types of performances have taken place in them, and how their uses have changed over the first 50 years of the University’s development.

The data presented in our research has been obtained from questionnaires and interviews, as well as material found in the Modern Records Centre archive. Venues are presented as being one of three different categories: theatrical venues, non-theatrical venues, and performance environments. The results of this project will be used to create a new map of campus for exhibition at Emerge 2015 in the Warwick Arts Centre, as illustrated by Clem Garritty. It is hoped that this research will act as a retrospective to allow reflection on the history of student performance at the university, but also to inspire and influence use of campus spaces in the future.

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Research by Oliver Higgins (Chemistry, 2015)