I have been awarded a grant for a project with the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry to begin on completion of my doctorate. This is a highly competative staff fund, for large-scale projects which support the university’s teaching and learning strategy. I obtained this grant with the support of Cath Lambert.
The title of the project is:
A retrospective study to ascertain the pedagogic benefits of research-led teaching
‘Bearing witness to marginalised groups’
My research interest
The Belgrade Theatre’s ‘bearing witness to marginalised groups’ programme aims to work with young people from diverse backgrounds. Each group works closely with a trained dramaturge (a crafter of stories for the stage), sharing and shaping experiences into dramatic form. This offers young people an opportunity to reflect, share, rethink, and transform their stories. As post-war Coventry was rebuilt so was a theatre for the community (the Belgrade). The Council Statute stated that the theatre was obliged to build links between drama and young people. 50 years later, the Belgrade has continued to work with groups of young people, from primary to secondary school age, in the theatre, in the community, and in schools in Coventry. The theatre’s 14 regular groups meet weekly during term-time, and in addition there are holiday camps and summer schools. Our project is a retrospective study with previous participants of the ‘bearing witness’ programme.
From IATL’s perspective
This project is an exciting opportunity to assess Warwick undergraduates through a research-led teaching experience. I therefore proposed that the study would hire two undergraduates to receive paid research experience and training to improve their employability. The students’ progress will be supported and assessed by the research assistant throughout the study in order to inform the aims and objectives of a research-led teaching module.
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