Drama and Theatre Studies Research Focus
DTS research strengths cover the broad spectrum of performance practices including theatre, spectacle and cultural events.There are three major strands within our research program:
- Practice as Research
A strong focus within the Centre is the investigation creative-academic issues within or raised by practice based research.
- Histories and Theories of theatre
Members of the centre are involved in the study of theatrical and performance histories and the theories of practice including new directions in historical studies especially in relation to previously marginalised groups and innovation in the dissemination of research.
- Performance Cultures in Context
A substantial part of the department researches the contemporary moment and its historical precedents across multiple cultural contexts. Within this work there is a strong engagement with theoretical and practical work on identity, ethics, social justice and human rights. The research includes analytical and empirical investigations of cultural performances and movements.
- Trauma and memory,
- Therapeutic movement/practice,
- Disability discourse,
- Race/gender/identity politics,
- Feminist phenomenology
- Performance, reception and ‘race’
- Indigenous Australian performance
- Australian theatre history and criticism
- Politics and performance
- Rhetoric, social dramaturgy and public performance events
- Whiteness and critical race studies
- Acting and directing theory and practice
- Scenography
- Design
- Theatre practice
- The history of the actress
- Celebrity and performance identity
- Nineteenth and twentieth-century theatre history
- Victorian literature and culture
- Shakespeare in performance
- Feminist theatre practice
- Asian theatre
- Theatre in the Philippines
- Theatre in Singapore
- Theatre in Aotearoa/New Zealand
- Intercultural performance and transnationalism in theatre
- Religion and theatre
- Politics and theatre
- Performance Art
- Practice as research in performance
- Performance practice
- projects in directing, writing, performing, and performance making
- methodologies of making performances
- training, rehearsal and performance practices
- Philosophy of performance
- phenomenology of embodiment
- micro-details of performers in training, rehearsal and performance
- temporality and performance
- place and performance
- Contemporary Australian and European performance
- artistic practices and cultural contexts of contemporary artists and companies
- Audience research
- artist- audience relations
- spectators making sense of performance
See the Academic Staff pages for more information about the individual research interests of Centre members.
The Centre offers a lively resource for research in theatre and performance studies and is supported by a well-equipped library, by seminar and graduate studies programmes. There are postgraduate study rooms and opportunities for graduate teaching. Prospective postgraduate research candidates are invited to discuss their proposed research with members of staff at any time.
Research Projects
Trans/Dans is an exploration of cross-cultural choreography in Australian Dance.
The Centre has achieved significant Pratt Foundation funding for a range of theatre projects in 2004-2007.
Professor Peter Fitzpatrick was awarded an ARC Discovery Grant for The Two Lives of Frank Thring (2004-2006).
Dr. Rachel Fensham and Denise Varney had The Doll’s Revolution published by Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2005. In 2004, Dr. Rachel Fensham was awarded an ARC Discovery Grant for Transnational and Cross-cultural Choreographies: the politics of cultural transmission in Australian dance, 1970-2000 (2005-2007). Director and writer Jenny Kemp is an Honorary Research Fellow attached to the Centre. She and Dr. Rachel Fensham produced Shifting and Sliding: The Feminine Psyche in Performance, Contemporary Arts Media, 2004. Dr. Fensham has moved to the University of Surrey as a Research Professor in Dance Studies.
Monash Theatre Papers
The Centre produces research publications under the imprint of Monash Theatre Papers. The Dis/Orientation conference papers are available for sale from the Centre for $20.00 including GST and postage & packing.
 Dis/Orientations: Cultural Praxis in Theatre. Asia, Pacific, Australia (Conference papers), 1999. |
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 Globalisation and Live Performing Arts Conference Papers (in association with Circus Oz), 2001. |
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 Dr. Rob Baum wrote Female Absence: Women, Theatre and Other Metaphors, published by Peter Lang, 2003. |
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| Dr. Peter Snow was awarded a ARC SPIRT grant for Theatre Performs Culture (2000-2002). |