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Staff Profile

Dr Helen Freshwater

Reader in Theatre & Performance

Background

I took my PhD, MRes and undergraduate degrees at Edinburgh University, and taught at Nottingham University and Birkbeck College, London, before joining Newcastle University in 2011. 


My research focuses upon twentieth century British theatre and contemporary performance. My publications include Theatre & Audience and Theatre Censorship in Britain: Silencing, Censure and Suppression (which were both published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2009). My new book, Theatre and its Audiences: Reimagining the Relationship in Times of Crisis (co-authored with Kate Craddock) will be published by Bloomsbury in January 2024.


I was Co-Investigator on 'Understanding Audiences for the Contemporary Arts', an AHRC-funded research project which concluded in 2020.


Research
Research Interests

My research focuses upon twentieth century British theatre and contemporary performance. I have published on audiences, participation and interactivity; censorship; archive theory and historiography; and British physical theatres. I continue to track the evolution of our understanding of audiences, and have an ongoing interest in contemporary British performance made for, with, and about children.


My new book, Theatre and its Audiences: Reimagining the Relationship in Times of Crisis (co-authored with Kate Craddock) will be published by Bloomsbury in January 2024.


Postgraduate Supervision

I welcome applications from postgraduate students interested in working in any of the above fields.


Current PhD Supervisions

Hannah Wilkin – ‘Contemporary Playwriting: Respect, Responsibility and Representation: Negotiating Distance and Experience’ (co-supervised with Dr Zoe Cooper)

Tamsin Rees – ‘The Possibilities of Silence: Negotiating Power in Contemporary Narratives’ (co-supervised with Dr Zoe Cooper)


Past PhD Supervisions

Amelia Joicey – ‘Glitter and Glue: Examining the Role of Young People’s Participation at Northern Stage, 1967-2017’ (co-supervised with Dr Andrew Law)

Andrew Latimer – ‘Beyond 'Geordie-rama': Contemporary Performance in North East England, 2017-18’ (co-supervised with Dr Alex Niven)

Jamie Harper – ‘Play and cultural transformation : designing for reflexive agency in participatory performance’ (co-supervised with Dr James Ash)

Tracy Gillman – ‘The Fugitive Archive, the creative writer in the archive’ (co-supervised with Prof Sean O’Brien)

Fiona Evans – ‘Radaptation : adapting ancient Greek tragedy in the twenty-first century’ (co-supervised with Dr Margaret Wilkinson)

Ella Paremain – ‘A History of the Tricycle Theatre: Audience, Identity and Agency’ (co-supervised with Dr Aoife Monks and Dr Kate Dorney)

Maggie Inchley – ‘Inclusion and betrayal: voice in British new theatre writing and performance, 1997-2007’ (co-supervised with Dr Aoife Monks)



Teaching

In Semester 1 2023-24 I will be on research leave.


In Semester 2 will I be convening and teaching on SEL1031 'Drama, Theatre, Performance'.







Publications