Catalysts for Change and Collaborations in New Writing for the Stage: Theatre Underground, University of Essex and Mercury Theatre 1979-96

This project explores the history of Theatre Underground (1979-96), University of Essex campus theatre, and the relationships it forged between 'town and gown'. New writing for the stage brought to life significant events in local history and new drama in translation brought world theatre to Essex.

Research will focus on the Theatre Underground archive at the University of Essex. At the Mercury Theatre Colchester, interpretations of the production materials will be explored with theatre practitioners; and public engagement workshops, led by the student, will seek interviews with alumni and audience members of Theatre Underground.

Applicants with backgrounds in literature, drama, theatre history, modern languages (especially German), experience of interviewing and/or archival research (although training will be provided) will be especially suited to this research. This studentship will focus on the ways in which Theatre Underground was involved in:

the collaboration between 'town and gown', the university's mission for outreach, the university and theatre, how it worked, the challenges and outcome, inclusivity and representation, and legacy;

writers in residence, new writing for the stage in translation and/or in English, students and/as theatre practitioners, tensions arising from constraints of funding;

place-making through local and regional histories and writing for the stage and how this engaged in an inclusive way with under-represented groups in the university campus and local and regional communities. Three specific plays were produced at Mercury Theatre. The first play, by Roger Howard, predated Theatre Underground.

Roger Howard, The Great Tide (1976) about the floods of 1953 Roger Howard, The Siege (1981) about the English Civil war and the siege of Colchester Michele Roberts, The Journeywoman: A Play for Colchester (1988 )

Theatre Underground's new drama included plays produced in translation and brought insights into world drama, often with a focus on revolutionary politics (in USSR, People's Republic of China, and German Democratic Republic). The works of East German dramatist, Heine Muller, in particular, could be a potential focus of research for this studentship.

The student will have space and resources available to support the research project at both the University of Essex, Dept of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, and at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester. Supportive networks of researchers are available at the University of Essex through the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Literary Studies and the Centre for Theatre Research.

Cross-university networks of researchers include clusters on digital humanities, medical humanities, law and literature, which may be relevant at some points in the project. Proficio training resources and funds for postgraduate research students at the University of Essex will be available. The dept research seminar series and the postgraduate conference events are regular features of research discussions in the department across its five disciplines (literature, film, theatre, creative writing, and journalism).

This breadth of humanities research available in the department provides a unique environment for the student. In addition, the University of Essex is well-placed to provide support and guidance on interviewing, data handling (as home to the UKData Service), and the relationship between the arts and humanities and the political domain. The CHASE consortium networking will intersect with these embedded research infrastructures alongside the wealth of research support from the Mercury Theatre, where the student will have unique support and guidance in interpreting the archival production documents as well as testing the interpretations and analysis of the playscripts in a performance context.