The College has a vibrant, robust and inclusive research culture that reflects our institutional distinctiveness: vocational, diverse, and collaborative. Practice-based and scholarly research is the focus of all undergraduate and postgraduate training.
An international approach to research
Our perspective is international and multicultural, with the potential for intercultural performance in both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary contexts. Practice-based and scholarly research resulting in a variety of outcomes is complemented by research that informs pedagogy or interfaces reciprocally with the theatre industry.
Research activity located in six centres
- The Stanislavski Centre (see below)
- Rose Bruford International Research Centre for Voice and Speech
- Clive Barker Research Centre for Theatrical Innovation
- Multicultural and Intercultural Performance Research Centre
- New Writing Research Centre, which embraces new work, translation and adaptation
- Technology and Performance Research Centre.
- Several of the centres are connected to a number of Special Collections – for example the unique David Bolland Kathakali Film Archive, housed in the Learning Resources Centre – which serve as both primary and secondary sources for research
- The scholarly journal New Theatre Quarterly is published by Cambridge University Press in association with the College.
As a specialist college of theatre and performance, our facilities provide an extensive laboratory for practice-based research. We collaborate with artists, practitioners, scholars, cultural commentators, theatre journalists and critics, companies, venues, arts organisations, conservatoires, colleges, universities, and research networks throughout the UK, Ireland, Continental Europe (east and west), India and North America.
Research is shared through the College’s annual Symposium, annual Cultural Industries Fair, conferences, expert seminars (such as with Robert Lepage above), exhibitions, installations and performances, and outside the institution in appropriate events, venues, forums and publications.
The Stanislavski Centre
The Stanislavski Centre at Rose Bruford College is a unique initiative within the UK to create a home for both academic research and practice/performance events based upon the work of Konstantin Stanislavski. The Centre, which is located within the college’s Learning Resources Centre, houses a collection of books and other printed material (mostly in the Russian language), a photographic archive of more than 200 images and a small collection of material on video and DVD, most of which relate to Stanisla’s own productions at the Moscow Art Theatre. The Routledge/Theatre Arts Archive, core research material for Routledge’s new Stanislavski edition, is also housed in the Centre.
Originally conceived by Professor Jean Benedetti (former Principal of the College, an internationally renowned expert and author of several major books on Stanislavski’s work), the Centre has hosted a series of important lectures, workshops and other events, and is currently planning a future programme of workshops, lectures, performances and master-classes.
The Centre’s materials are available to all staff and students, and other scholars may gain access to the collection for research purposes by prior arrangement.
, Director
Advisory Board
The Stanislavski Centre’s work is guided by an Advisory Board, which includes some of the w’s most distinguished academics and practitioners working in this area.
Current board members inlude:
Prof Jean Benedetti (Hon Patron)
Prof Anatoly Smeliansky
Prof Sergei Tcherkasski
Prof Richard Hornby
Prof Laurence Senelick
Marie-Christine Autant Mathieu
Katie Mitchell
Declan Donnellan
www.stanislavskicentre.org.uk