Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance

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    Royal Holloway, University of London Egham Hill, Egham Surrey

    TW20 0EX

    United Kingdom

Organisation profile

Organisation profile

Royal Holloway's Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance is one of the top research departments in the UK and has an international reputation for excellence. Led by principles of equity and social justice, the department produces world-leading research that changes understandings of theatres past, fosters an inclusive vision of the arts in today’s world, and leads creative innovation for a sustainable future in theatre, dance and performance.

All academic members of staff are active researchers, working at the cutting edge of drama, theatre, dance and performance studies and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations within the School of Performing and Digital Arts and beyond. The diversity and broad appeal of our work is shown in lively and wide-ranging series of books, workshops, conferences, performances, research groups, journals, papers and appearances in print, digital and broadcast media. Our work has consistently achieved top ratings in all national assessments of academic research: our Joint submission with Music was rated 2nd in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 exercise (Times Higher Education), with 73% of our overall research judged to be of four star or world-leading quality.

We attract brilliant research students from across the world. Our research students take a leading role in our active research culture, co-organising events, collaborating in research projects, and sharing their own research with staff and other peers. Research students are encouraged to participate in one or more of the department's research centres. They benefit from the breadth of staff expertise, the large interdisciplinary postgraduate community, and an extensive programme of visiting speakers, workshops, research seminars, and reading groups. Research students are also responsible for the editorship and production of Platform, a refereed electronic journal devoted to postgraduates, postdoctoral researchers, and entry-level academics in the fields of drama, theatre, dance and the performing arts. Platform is published twice a year, with each edition covering a broad range of topics, making it possible for diverse research interests to be covered in each volume.

Academic staff and postgraduate researchers are committed to engaging with the latest debates in the discipline and shaping the methodological developments that continually transform academic writing and performance practices on dance, theatre and performance. We foster strong relationships with cultural, heritage and creative industries sectors, and our research has a positive impact on the policies and practices of theatres and other civic institutions. We are committed to publishing our research through both written and creative outputs, and view Practice-as-Research to be equally valuable as written research.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Our work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 15 - Life on Land
  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
  • A particular act of survival

    Skanberg Dahlstedt, A. (Recipient), 15 Mar 2015

    Prize: Other distinction

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  • Arches Brick Award

    Jarvis, Liam (Recipient), 2007

    Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)

  • Art grant

    Skanberg Dahlstedt, Ami (Recipient), 1 Oct 2014

    Prize: Other distinction