The Department is pleased to offer a number of awards and studentships to applicants who are accepted for the MPhil/PhD degree to commence in 2021. The AHRC studentships (stipend and fee waiver) are offered through the technē Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP).
The Department
The Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance at Royal Holloway is one of the major research departments in the UK. We have a large cohort of research students who create a vibrant academic community and take a leading role in the research culture of the Department - managing and contributing to the editorial team of the in-house, peer-reviewed journal Platform, organising conferences and events, and collaborating in the activities of our two research centres (in Asian Theatre and Dance, and Contemporary British Theatre).
We have a large number of academic staff who offer supervision on a remarkably varied geographical and historical range of theatre practices and disciplines. We also have some distinctive areas of specialist expertise – for example, in world dance and performance training; contemporary British and European theatre; playwriting and theatre criticism; Black British theatre; the performance of protest, demonstration and dissent; transnational theatre and performance; migration, indigeneity, and postcolonial politics; heritage, museums and theatre historiography; Shakespeare and early modern theatre; amateur, socially engaged and participatory arts; and practice-as-research.
The Department values its collaborations with several major national and international arts and cultural institutions including the National Theatre (London), the Barbican, Tate Modern, and the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Our performance spaces include the Boilerhouse, a post-industrial space; the Caryl Churchill theatre, a versatile 200+ seat space, and we host the annual international Noh training workshop.
Awards:
The Department invites applications for AHRC studentships from applicants who are accepted for the MPhil/PhD degree to commence in 2021. The AHRC studentships (stipend and fee waiver) are offered through the technē Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). Please see the technē website and the College’s AHRC-related webpages for full details.
The technē consortium is led by Royal Holloway. The other member institutions are: Brighton, Kingston, Roehampton, University of the Arts London, Westminster, Loughborough London, Brunel and Surrey. The consortium also has 15 organisational partners which include the National Archives, Natural History Museum, Heathrow, Kew and UNICEF, who will provide training and development opportunities for students.
technē’s vision is to produce scholars who are highly motivated and prepared for academic, public or professional life: its students benefit from an exceptional range of training workshops and opportunities to engage with partners in the arts and cultural sector. technē is committed to developing cross-member supervision and therefore welcomes and encourages cross institutional and/or cross disciplinary supervisory teams. The training programme is enhanced by engagement with technē’s partner organisations in the cultural sector (including the Barbican, Natural History Museum, Museum of London, BFI, and Science Museum).
The technē competition is now open to all international students who can apply for a full fees and stipend award (please note that students may be responsible for the difference between home fees and international fees).
Students who are unsuccessful in their application for a technē scholarship may have the opportunity to apply for the award of College scholarships: further details on these will be circulated as appropriate.
How to apply
Prospective doctoral applicants who are interested in applying for a studentship should proceed as follows:
Contact one or more prospective supervisors directly to discuss your project at the earliest opportunity. Please check here for details of core areas of research within the Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance, and here for details of the research expertise of academic staff in the Department. Alternatively, contact Dr Sophie Nield, Postgraduate Research Lead for the Department, who can advise you on supervision and put you in touch with relevant staff.
If you and your supervisor/s agree that the proposal may be suitable for a technē or College studentship, applications must be submitted online through the technē Application Portal, FlexiGrant. The online application form has sections to be completed by the applicant, lead supervisor, referees and Royal Holloway technē administrator. Please note that you will also need to complete a College application form.
Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Monday 11 January 2021.
Your application is first considered by internal panels of subject experts at Royal Holloway. You should hear in March whether the College will forward your application for consideration by the technē Peer Review College. If your application does go forward, you will hear in April whether it has been successful.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch directly if you have any questions about postgraduate study at Royal Holloway.
Dr Sophie Nield (sophie.nield@rhul.ac.uk)
