Research degrees
Postgraduate research in Drama
We are an internationally recognised centre for research and we have a strong culture of excellence in learning and teaching provision.
We are one of the largest and best equipped Drama departments in the UK and offer a supportive and stimulating environment for postgraduate research and practice, welcoming students from all around the world. Our impressive reputation is backed up by consistently high scores for student satisfaction. Whatever your field of study – theatre, performing, directing, theory, writing for performance, dramaturgy, criticism, new media, analysis or historiography – you will have access to expert supervision, excellent practical resources and creative association with fellow students.
The department has a lively tradition of research and creative activity and many members of staff are writers and performers. We work with external artists and theatre companies to produce research-based theatre and performance.
Our research in the area of Art History and Visual Culture is interdisciplinary in scope, reaching across and beyond the Humanities disciplines.
Art History and Visual Culture staff publish on the history of art, curate exhibitions, work with a variety of arts institutions and lead major externally funded research projects on curatorial engagements with performance archives; the history of French art institutions; the history of Spanish cinema; Victorian medievalism; histories of sacred spaces; and the culture of the suburbs.
Explore our research centres and projects to find out more about our current research topics.
Visit our staff pages for details on individual staff research interests and publications.
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 |
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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.
Funding opportunities available to students on our research degree programmes in Drama:*
More information on the funding process.
Award | Value | Application deadline | Description |
---|---|---|---|
2021/22 PhD Global Excellence Studentship - College of Humanities | International tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate of £15,009 per year (2019/20 rate) | Wed 3rd Mar 2021 | Exeter’s College of Humanities is offering one fully-funded PhD Global Excellence Studentship (open to International candidates only) for study commencing in September 2021, across any of its areas of research expertise. |
University of Exeter Global Commitment Scholarship 2020/21 | £2,000 reduction in the first year tuition fee | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for students starting a postgraduate taught Masters or research degree with us in 2020/21 |
Sanctuary Scholarship | Full tuition fee waiver plus annual living cost grant | Fri 21st May 2021 | The Sanctuary Scholarship scheme enables individuals seeking asylum and refugees who are not able access student finance to study at the University of Exeter. |
Sports Scholarship Scheme | up to £3,000 plus additional support services worth £3,500 | Mon 31st May 2021 | Sports scholarships are awarded to students of outstanding sporting ability who show evidence of achievement at international level in their chosen sport. |
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship 2021/22 | 10% reduction in the first year tuition fee | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for University of Exeter alumni who start a postgraduate degree with us in 2021/22 |
University of Exeter Class of 2021 Progression Scholarship | 10% reduction in the first year tuition fee | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for current University of Exeter students completing a degree in 2021 and progressing directly to a standalone postgraduate programme with us in 2021/22 |
Fulbright Scholarships: Postgraduate Student Awards - 2021/22 competition | Full tuition fee waiver for one year of Masters / PhD & living stipend | Deadline passed (Tue 13th Oct 2020) |
Our UK Partnership award with Fulbright is available for Masters or Doctoral students who are USA or dual USA:UK citizens wishing to study at the University. The award takes the form of a tuition fee waiver for the first year of graduate study (either Masters or PhD) and a living stipend. We also accept scholars in receipt of Fulbright 'Open Awards' (also referred to as the All Disciplines Award). |
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship with the Global Commitment uplift 2020/21 | 20% reduction in the first year tuition fee | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for all University of Exeter alumni who start a postgraduate degree with us in 2020/21 |
University of Exeter Class of 2020 Progression Award with the Global Commitment uplift | 20% reduction in the first year tuition fee | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for current University of Exeter students completing a full degree in 2020 and progressing directly to a standalone postgraduate programme with us in 2020/21 |
South West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership AHRC PhD Studentship | UK tuition fees for eligible students and a maintenance grant of £15,285 (2020/21) | Deadline passed (Mon 25th Jan 2021) |
UK tuition fees for eligible students and a maintenance grant of £15,285 (2020/21) |
We are committed to ensuring you receive high quality research supervision to maximise your potential and prepare you for a rewarding career.
Postgraduate students have 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.
Employers
Millennium Forum TheatreMunicipal and Regional Theatre of Veria
Oily Cart
Thammasat University
Theatre Royal
University of Exeter
University of Portsmouth
Volkstheater Wien
Yoda Press
Occupations
ActorAssistant Director
Assistant Practitioner
Associate Lecturer in Drama
Drama Facilitator
Educational Assistant
Freelance Arts Practitioner
Freelance Trainer and Applied Dramatist
General Manager
Lecturer
Publishing Trainee
Social Activities Co-Ordinator
Teacher