Postgraduate research in Drama
Whether your research interest concerns performance analysis, ethnographic methods, historical research or theatre practice, our supportive research environment, academic expertise and state of the art facilities are on hand to support you successfully throughout your PhD. As a doctoral candidate you will be a vital member of our research community, participating in research centres as well as department-level seminars and university-wide training that is tailored specifically to your stage in the research process.
As one of the largest Drama departments in the UK, our cross-disciplinary research covers a diverse range of topics and themes.
We offer a pathway through practice-as-research, as well as standard scholarly models. You will be offered supervision from our world-leading experts and will be supported by a technical team and impressive range of practice spaces. Our excellent facilities include eleven flexible studio spaces equipped with lighting rigs, digital technology and a range of flooring for differing movement needs; sound and media editing studios; bespoke seminar spaces; and a costume and prop store — all supported by a team of specialist technicians. Why not take the tour?
Whether your research interest is theatre and performance practice, directing, theory, writing for performance, dramaturgy, criticism, new media, analysis or historiography our department provides a stimulating environment for postgraduate research and practice, welcoming students from across the world.
Our department is part of a wider performance and creative industries landscape. Many of our staff are professional practitioners embedded within the local and national performance ecology. This allows us to also foster creative partnerships with industry to produce and support research-based theatre and performance. Students benefit from collaborations with organisations such as the Globe Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Institute, local and national theatre companies, and public sector bodies such as hospitals, prisons and schools.
Should you wish to follow an academic research and teaching career, we also offer you the opportunity to gain a range of teaching experience across both theory and practice. This is supported within the department and by accredited training from the University’s LTHE team.
For more information on how to become part of our enriching research community see the how to apply and funding pages.
Our current PhD students
We're proud of the research carried out by our PhD students. Follow the links below to find out more about our PhD students and their research projects.
| Student | Research title | First supervisor | Second supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qaisar Abbas | From protest to entertainment and streets to halls: Decline of Political Theatre in Punjab | Professor Jerri Daboo | Professor Jane Milling |
| Ohood s. Alaqeel | The Female Playwrights in Saudi Arabia | Professor Jane Milling | Dr Adrian Curtin |
| Manal Saleh A Alghamdi | Live and Mediated Acts of Reading Aloud to Children | Professor Heike Roms | Dr Katie Beswick |
| Helen Ayres | (MA by Research) The cognitive and psychological effects of dance on the Practitioner | Dr Sarah Goldingay | Dr. Rebecca Hillman |
| Francesco Bentivegna | The human-cyborg dialogue | Dr Konstantinos Thomaidis | Dr Bryan Brown |
| Chloe Bradwell | An exploration of the cultural value of performing arts for people living with dementia | Professor Kerrie Schaefer | Margaret Ames (Aberystwyth) |
| Lin Chen | Comparative analysis of framing in theatre/performance studies | Dr. Michael Pearce |
Professor Jane Milling |
| Narbort (Malavika) Chnige | Protest performances: Aesthetics and politics of visibility in public space | Dr. Rebecca Hillman | Carol Upadhya (NIAS, India) |
| Yingnan Chu | Comedy, ethnicity and gender: what happens when Chinese perform stand-up comedy in Britain? | Professor Kate Newey | Dr. Rebecca Hillman |
| Giorgia Ciampi | Practicing affectivity: a phenomenological study of the contemporary actor’s affective expression | Professor Rebecca Loukes |
Professor Giovanna Colombetti |
| Bojana Daw Srdanovic | How does the production of professional theatre affect the wellbeing and community participation of artists living with learning disabilities? | Professor Kerrie Schaefer | Professor Manuela Barreto, Professor Martin Levinson |
| Sophia Edlund | Voicing Thelxis | Dr Konstantinos Thomaidis Dr Adrian Curtin |
|
| Roger Farrell | Rules, roles, relationships: exploring creative pathways between imaginary play and structured drama in late childhood and the implications for creativity in education and society. | Professor Kerrie Schaefer | Dr Rebecca Hillman |
| Elaine Faull | Theatre Alibi project | Professor Cathy Turner | |
| Giselle Garcia | Translation, Adaptation and Flanerie: the Fate of Shakespearean Performance in Manila's Urban Forms | Dr Kara Reilly | Professor Cathy Turner |
| Aldith Gauci | A Living Masquerade: A study of Jola’s Kumpo in Senegambia (Working Title) | Professor Heike Roms | Prof Jerri Daboo |
| Howard Gayton | The Esoteric Art of the Fool: mapping Antoine Faivre's core principles of the esoteric onto the modern theatrical Fool | Dr Bryan Brown | |
| Sarah Holden Boyd | Ripped and Resonant: Tensions within Resistance Training and Voice Training for Actors | Dr Konstantinos Thomaidis | Dr Evelyn O'Malley |
| Susan Hope (Hoffman) |
What Makes Magic? Audience-Performer Creative Process |
Dr Adrian Curtin | Dr Evelyn O'Malley |
| Zhiyue Hu |
Representing East Asian identities in 21st Century British Theatre |
Dr Rebecca Loukes | Dr Michael Pearce |
| Helen Keen | On Adult Autism, Social Isolation and Performance | Professor Kerrie Schaefer | Manuela Barreto (Psychology) |
| Alexandra MacKenzie | When you're here, we are here also. An examination of how contemporary sacred re-enactments reveal Mormon faith and strengthen Mormon Identity in the 21st century. | Dr Sarah Goldingay | Dr Rebecca Loukes |
| Aparna Mahiyaria | Understanding Politics, Aesthetics and Performance: A Study of the Development of Street Theatre in Delhi, India | Professor Cathy Turner | Shivali Tukdeo |
| Josip Martincic |
Cultural Authority of Theatre Critics in Late 19th Century London |
Professor Kate Newey | Dr. Adrian Curtin |
| Kate Massey-Chase | How can my Applied Drama practice support young people in the transition between Child and Adolescent and Adult Mental Health Services? | Professor Jane Milling | |
| Sophia New Belasco | Examining the everyday through plan b's works created with endotic data | Professor Heike Roms | Professor Cathy Turner |
| Tom Nicholas | Representations of regional English cities in contemporary drama | Professor Cathy Turner | Dr Katie Beswick |
| Elizabeth Philps | Parents Performing Walking: how can understandings of walking performance be enhanced through participatory live art works which include children? | Professor Cathy Turner | Dr Rebecca Loukes |
| Effrosyni Rigopoulou | 'May we entertain you?': Ageing Female Vocality in Musical Theatre | Dr Konstantinos Thomaidis | Professor Jerri Daboo |
| Alison Rockbrand | Rite of Performance: Identity Construction in Contemporary Esoteric Performances. | Dr Sarah Goldingay | |
| Navadee (Dif) Sethamateekul | Devising and Directing theatre for blind and visually impaired children | Professor Jane Milling | Professor Kerrie Schaefer |
| James Woodhams | Dr Katie Beswick | ||
| Cheng-Po (Howl) Yuan | The transformation of ‘dweller’ to tourist in one’s own locale | Professor Stephen Hodge | Dr Konstantinos Thomaidis |
Supervisors - all students have a primary and a secondary supervisor who provide regular, high quality advice, support and direction in their academic endeavours. You will work closely with your supervisors over three to four years (full time PhD) or six to seven (part-time PhD) to develop, investigate and write-up a project at the cutting edge of theological research.
Visit our staff profiles for more information about individual research interests or use the search box on the right of this page to find a supervisor.
Mentor - each student will also be assigned a mentor who will take on a pastoral role and mediate on any problems that arise during the period of study. Your mentor will keep in regular contact and will provide background stability and support.
Graduate School Office - the College of Humanities has a dedicated Graduate School Office that supports our postgraduate research students during their study with us. The Office promotes intellectual and social contact between research students in all our disciplines to foster a vibrant research community within the College.
A number of funding routes are open to students on our research degree programmes in Drama.
Please also look at further information on how to apply.
We are committed to making your PhD a rewarding experience that will develop your skills and expertise. Undertaking a postgraduate degree with us also provides you with access to the wide range of support offered by our Career Zone. In addition, postgraduate research students can access our Postgraduate Researchers' Programme, which covers a range of topics to help you to succeed during your research degree and to act as a springboard for your research career.
Graduate destinations
Below are some examples of initial employment titles and employers of Drama postgraduates who have studied with us in recent years. Please note that, due to data protection, the job titles and organisations are listed independently and do not necessarily correspond.
| Initial Job Titles of Drama Postgraduates |
|---|
|
Lecturer |
| Initial Employers of Drama Postgraduates |
|---|
|
University of Exeter |