Theatre and Performance PhD

The Department of Theatre offers supervisory expertise in a wide range of subject areas, including early modern theatre and performance practices; 18th, 19th- and 20th-century theatre and performance histories and practices; contemporary British theatre; adaptation and translation of theatre and performance; contemporary performance practices; performance archives; dance histories and practices; the role of the body in performance; philosophy and performance; virtual and augmented reality; immersive theatre and audience studies.<br/><br/>The department has particular strengths in historical research, digital and immersive theatre, and practice-as-research. We offer the opportunity for practice-based projects as well as projects based in the archives of the Theatre Collection (https://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/), an accredited museum and archive service housed in the department. The Theatre Collection is the second-largest theatre archive collection in the UK with particular strengths in theatre in the South West, 19th-century theatre, post-Second World War theatre, live and performance art, scenery and costume design, and theatrical or related artwork.<br/><br/>Should research proposals span various disciplines, a supervisory team will be assembled across departments and faculties to meet the needs of the project. <br/><br/>Possible start dates are September 2026 and January 2027. Please see the programme page on our website for more information.