11/24/11

Evernote Web

Royal Holloway, University of London

Thursday, November 24 2011, 10:56 AM
Dramatic launch for new Drama and Theatre research centre : 22/09/2009 More News >

Dramatic launch for new Drama and Theatre research centre A new international research centre has been launched by the Department of Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, which will provide intellectual and structural support for research projects. The Centre for International Theatre and Performance Research was launched on 18 September with a sell-out guest lecture by Professor Joseph Roach, from Yale University, followed by theatrical demonstrations and performance poetry in the Colleges unique Boilerhouse Theatre. The Centre will help both staff and PhD students develop critical thinking around topics focused on theatre and performance with an international slant. It will also provide domestic and international collaboration with research centres, projects, local performing arts bodies and their interpretive communities. Professor Helen Gilbert will lead the new Centres flagship project, Indigeneity in the Contemporary World: Performance, Politics, Belonging, which has received !2.36 million in funding from the European Research Council (ERC) for the next five years. The projects research team will explore the various meanings of indigeneity, focusing on Australia, the Pacific Islands, the Americas and South Africa. Researchers will examine cultural representations and social practices in modes of performance across a broad range of media, from film and theatre to political protests and festivals. They will also host yearly symposia and conference events and develop an educational DVD and an international exhibition. Professor Roachs public lecture, The Return of the Last of the Pequots: Disappearance as Heritage, was a major success. Attended by a diverse local audience as well as leading scholars from around the world who were gathered for a symposium on Indigeneity the following day, it sparked engaging discussions on subjects as diverse as mythology, philosophy and sociology. Professor Roach is Sterling Professor of Theatre and English, as well as Director of the World Performance Project at Yale University. The lecture was chaired by Professor Helen Gilbert and recorded on podcast. Professor Katie Normington, Royal Holloways Dean of Arts, comments, The Centre is an important strategic innovation for the College. It brings together strands of work at Royal Holloway, such as performance, ethnomusicology and post-colonial studies, and has the potential to bring together scholars and practitioners from around the world. The Centres launch was concluded with a selection of performances, which featured a demonstration of Core Training techniques; the chanting and dancing of Noh Theatre by Royal Holloway PhD student Diego Pellecchia and performance poetry from award-winning Aboriginal writer Dr Romaine Moreton. Alison Hodges practice-based research into Eastern European-influenced Core Training techniques helps actors to develop physical processes. Alison, who is a Reader in Theatre Practice, has been successfully running her research group at Royal Holloway since 2005.

https://www.evernote.com/view/754c07f1-831f-4e6c-a327-dc6121fd2a59?locale=en_US#n=754c0

1/2

11/24/11

Evernote Web

To view the podcast of Professor Roach's talk, visit: http://backdoorbroadcasting.net/2009/09/joseph-roachthe-return-of-the-last-of-the-pequots-disappearance-as-heritage/

Back

https://www.evernote.com/view/754c07f1-831f-4e6c-a327-dc6121fd2a59?locale=en_US#n=754c0

2/2