Research
Academic, author and professional theatre researcher
Doctoral Research
PhD Thesis
''Radical Mischief': New Work Development at the RSC's The Other Place, 2016–2020'
Mary has conducted research for professional theatre productions, either in her role as a dramaturg or assistant director, or as an academic.
Her PhD focused on ‘Radical Mischief’ – a key phrase coined by Erica Whyman to summarise the spirit of the new The Other Place, the studio theatre belonging to the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon. Her thesis unpacked this phrase and investigated the intentions behind creating new work at the RSC from 2016–2020. Her thesis is freely available to read online.
[Link to thesis]
Supervisors
Prof. Abigail Rokison-Woodall
Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham
Erica Whyman
Former Deputy Artistic Director of the RSC
Funding
Joint scholarship funded by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham.
Focus
New work development in institutional theatre; the studio theatre as an artistic laboratory; the RSC’s relationship with contemporary writing.
Academic Writing
Publications
‘“Radical Mischief”: The Other Place Collaboration Between the Royal Shakespeare Company and the University of Birmingham’
Book chapter in Claire Hansen, Jackie Manuel, and Liam E. Semler, Reimagining Shakespeare Education: Teaching and Learning Through Collaboration (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) pp. 91–101.
‘Investigating the Role of the Dramaturg at the National Playwrights Conference, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’
Book chapter in American Dramaturgies for the 21st Century, ed. by Julie Vatain-Corfdir (Sorbonne: Sorbonne University Press) pp. 99–121.
[Link to chapter]
Other Research
Diversifying Literatures in Schools
She has also been involved in the Diversifying Literatures in Schools project led by Sarah Olive and has created bilingual resources to help teachers, librarians and relevant stakeholders to find new authors with a focus on race and ethnicity.
Key features of this project:
- Bilingual resources in English and Welsh
- Focus on authors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds
- Designed for teachers, librarians and educational stakeholders
- Broadening the literary canon in schools
