Research Centres

We currently host three Research Centres in the Drama Department.

Centre for Contemporary Performance Practices

The Centre for Contemporary Performance Practices embraces an exciting range of international research concerned with interdisciplinary and intercultural processes of devising, directing, dramaturgy, performing, training and writing in a diverse array of performance spaces and architectures. Practice as Research (PaR) is at the heart of much of the Centre’s activities.  Researchers are currently working in partnership with many international organizations, including Sideways Festival, Belgium, Freie University, Berlin, Intercultural Institute Singapore, Beijing Dance Academy, National University of Singapore and Taipei National University of the Arts.
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Centre for Performance, Sciences and Community

The Centre for Performance, Sciences, and Community embraces a dynamic range of research and practice. The centre fosters scholarly, inter-disciplinary innovation in a diverse range of subjects including biology, medicine, neurophysiology, and quantum physics. The group is particularly concerned with the multivalent cultural conversations currently taking place between the arts and sciences as well as the place of theatre and performance practice within both scientific and community contexts. We are concerned to investigate what particular light performance as a methodology might shed on areas including health, society, the brain, anthropomorphism, addiction and concepts of 'life' and 'death’'.
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Centre for Performance Histories and Cultures

The Centre for Performance Histories and Cultures embraces a wide range of areas, not only producing historical research but also examining theatre in relation to specific cultural contexts. The group has a particular interest in intercultural, Asian and British-Asian performance, linking to practical research within the Centre for Performance Practices. Other aspects of our work include the examination of performance in relation to identities and beliefs; the history of the relationship between performance and science or medicine; the history of performance in relation to other fields, such as music/sound, architecture and technology.
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Interdisciplinary research

The Centre for Intermedia promotes advanced interdisciplinary research in performance and the arts through collaborations between artists, academics and scientists from a range of disciplines.