dance

Department of Drama, Dance and Performance Studies

Overview

In a challenging and supportive environment at the Creative Campus, you will find academic and support staff dedicated to your development in your chosen art form. Students can take Single Honours degrees in either Creative & Performing Arts or Drama. Dance and Drama & Theatre Studies are available as pathways in the BA (Combined Honours) programme.

We offer an MA in Contemporary Popular Theatres and contribute to the MA by Creative Practice. Visiting Professors include multi-award winning playwright, John Godber; internationally-renowned theatre and opera director, Patrick Mason; Professor of Theatre Development (University of Winchester), Tim Prentki; Professor of English and Comparative Studies (University of Southern California), David Lloyd; and Director of The Pinter Centre, Robert Gordon.

 

  Undergraduate Postgraduate
Subject BA Creative and Performing Arts MA Contemporary Popular Theatres
  BA Dance  
  BA Drama and Theatre Studies  

 

 

Research

Lecturers in the Department are published authorities in their fields and bring an in-depth knowledge to bear on postgraduate teaching and research. Popular theatre is an emerging research field at the University and there are PhD students working on various aspects of performance analysis in the department. A feature of the Department is the use of the 'Moodle' Virtual Learning Environment which will facilitate communication and the dissemination of specialist research materials.

The Department plays host to the UK’s only postgraduate course in the field of contemporary popular theatre. If you have an interest in the plays of established writers such as John Godber, Willy Russell or Jim Cartwright or the emerging work of Richard Bean, Amanda Whittington or Roy Williams then the Contemporary Popular Theatres course will provide a suitably rigorous academic framework for further study.

The Department builds on established undergraduate provision in Popular and Mainstream Theatre, balancing programmes of study providing opportunities for academic and practical analysis of the field of contemporary popular theatre. The Department is based at the Creative Campus near Liverpool city centre and makes effective use of the proximity of the Everyman Archive and the Royal Court popular theatre season. The Artistic Director of the Hull Truck Theatre, John Godber, is currently Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at the University and has strong links with the university; Godber’s SOLD (2007) played a sell-out run on campus as part of the Cornerstone Festival.

Partnerships

Milapfest is the UK’s South Asian Arts Development Trust, run by national charity Milap Festival Trust. Milapfest works to promote and support the performance, development and appreciation of Indian arts internationally. Since March 2010, Milapfest’s home has been Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus, with whom a strategic partnership has been formed to develop all aspects of Indian arts performance and education – from training to world-class performances. Milap’s presence exposes Hope’s students to the very best in eastern culture particularly in dance, music and art.

Collective Encounters Theatre for Social Change is also based at the Creative Campus. The company works with the homeless, the young, the elderly and those with mental illness and is funded by the Arts Council, the Primary Care Trust and Primary Support Services. They provide our students with insight and experience of real-life theatre. 

Our relationship with the Limon Institute has facilitated the development of staff with Hope dancers going to New York and Limon dancers such as Alan Danielson teaching a residency to Hope students.

Academic Staff

0019 Dr John Bennett

Dr John Bennett

Head of Drama, Dance and Performance Studies

bennetj@hope.ac.uk

 0010 Dr Gary Anderson

Dr Gary Anderson

Lecturer in Drama

andersg@hope.ac.uk

 Dr Claudia Brazzale

Dr Claudia Brazzale

Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in Dance

brazzac@hope.ac.uk

 0053 Ms Carmel Cleary

Carmel Cleary

Lecturer in Drama

clearyc@hope.ac.uk

 0058 Dr David Crilly

Dr David Crilly

Senior Lecturer in Creative and Performing Arts

crillyd@hope.ac.uk

 0066 Dr Brian Desmond

Dr Brian Desmond

Lecturer in Drama

desmonb@hope.ac.uk

 Niamh Malone

Dr Niamh Malone

Lecturer in Drama

malonen@hope.ac.uk

Dr Declan Patrick

Dr Declan Patrick

Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in Dance

patricd@hope.ac.uk

 0217 Dr Lena Simic

Dr Lena Simic

Lecturer in Drama

simicl@hope.ac.uk

 

Dr Rachel Sweeney

Lecturer in Dance 

sweener@hope.ac.uk 

 Zoe Zontou

Dr Zoe Zontou

Lecturer in Drama

zontouz@hope.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

Contact us

For further information, please contact the Department Administrator: 

 

Helen Conroy

Department of Drama, Dance and Performance Studies 

Tel: 0151 291 3912 

Email: conroyh@hope.ac.uk