New Paradigms for Researching Theatre Audiences
The University of Manchester in partnershipwith Contact Theatre, Manchester The closing date for applications is
16 June 2008Interviews will be held on Tuesday 2 July 2008.
Start date of the award: 1st October 2008 (please note thatthe award holder will be expected to be in Manchester from22 September 2008).
A three year (full-time only) project studentship has beenawarded under the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award scheme,to work on a project entitled ‘New Paradigms forResearching Theatre Audiences at the Contact Theatre,Manchester'. Collaborative Doctoral Awards are intendedto encourage and develop collaboration between highereducation departments and non-academic bodies. This Awardoffers an exciting opportunity to pursue a fully funded
PhDwith the pioneering Contact theatre in collaboration withresearchers at The University of Manchester. The awardholder will be registered for a
PhD at the University ofManchester, and will be jointly supervised by Professor DeeReynolds (School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures),Dr Rajinder Dudrah (School of Arts, Histories and Cultures)and Dr John McGrath (Artistic Director, Contact Theatre).
Contact is a theatre for young people, whose wide range ofaudiences and participants reflects Manchester's urbanmulti-cultural mix, and provides an ideal investigativesetting for this project. As a result of greaterinvolvement of a range of communities as participants inperformance, moves towards personalised and interactiveperformance, and the ever-developing role of new media, thequestion ‘what is an audience?' is currently atthe cutting edge of critical enquiry. The proposed projectwill move these debates forward by exploring the role ofaudiences and the methods and ethos of participatoryactivities using Contact Theatre as an investigative baseand key example.
The Studentship
The successful candidate will benefit frominterdisciplinary supervision and training in bothuniversity and theatre environments. The award will providea maintenance stipend (at the standard AHRC rate) andpayment of tuition fees. The terms and conditions of theaward are those of the AHRC's postgraduatestudentships, with an extra sum of £3000 over 3 yearsto cover costs associated with the project and an extra£1000 over 3 years to supplement the maintenancegrant.
Applicants should have a 1st class or upper 2nd classHonours degree in an appropriate humanities or socialsciences discipline. They should normally hold, or bestudying for, a Masters degree in an area relevant to theproject, although applicants who do not hold a mastersdegree will be considered if they can demonstrate sustainedand relevant experience and meet the criteria outlined inthe AHRC guidelines. They should have an interest in youngaudiences and audience research.
All applicants should meet the AHRC's academic criteriaand residency requirements, and there are differenteligibility criteria for UK and EU residents. Please see:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/apply/postgrad/postgrad_details_d/eligibility.asp
How to Apply
Further details of the award and the applicationprocess can be found at
http://llc.stage.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding/documents/Fileuploadmax10Mb,136220,en.doc
Applicants should first complete the University'sonline application form for the PhD programme. For furtherdetails please visit the following website:
http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/
In addition, applicants should supply:
• A full CV including details of the Master'scourse completed or to be completed.
• A statement of no more than 500 words, explaininghow their current academic interests relate to the proposedthesis, and indicating how they might refine the project inorder to achieve their own research aims.
• A piece of written work (an essay, chapter, or anextract from a dissertation) or a portfolio of reviews orinterviews of not more than 5,000 words in support of theapplication.
Theses should be sent to:
Michelle Fenlon,
School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures,
The University of Manchester,
Samuel Alexander,
Oxford Road,
Manchester M13 9PL.
For further information please contact Professor DeeReynolds, email:
Dee.Reynolds@manchester.ac.uk (
http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/french/staff/dee-reynolds/)
Dr Rajinder Dudrah (email:
Rajinder.Dudrah@manchester.ac.uk (
www.manchester.ac.uk/arts/rajinderdudrah) or
Dr John McGrath (email:
johnemcgrath@contact-theatre.org)
