Dr Stephen Greer

  • Senior Lecturer (Theatre, Film & Television Studies)

telephone: 01413306354
email: Stephen.Greer@glasgow.ac.uk

Theatre Film & Television, Studies

Import to contacts

ORCID iDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9722-3643

Research interests

My research is centred on the intersection of contemporary theatre and performance, cultural politics and queer theory.

I am the author of Contemporary British Queer Performance (Palgrave Macmillan 2012) and Queer exceptions: solo performance in neoliberal times (Manchester University Press 2018) as well as a range of essays and articles about British and European theatre. I most often write about live performance and the politics of sexuality and gender, but have broad interests in the cultural politics of visual art, TV, film and video-games.

My current projects focus on the contentious relationship between contemporary performance and neoliberalism. These include a new history of Live Art in Scotland, alongside a special issue of Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance on the politics of resilience and resourcefulness.

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the editorial board for the journal RiDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance and the advisory board for Contemporary Theatre Review

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
Number of items: 29.

2024

Greer, S. (2024) From the ‘miraculous’ to the radical: towards a methodology for researching live art and performance art in Scotland. In: Gebhardt Fink, S., Gusman, T. and Mircev, A. (eds.) Revolving Documents—Narrations of Beginnings, Recent Methods and Cross-Mappings of Performance Art. Series: 745. Kunst Design Medienkultu. Diaphanes AG. ISBN 9783035806830

2023

Greer, S. (2023) Live and Now - Live Art in Scotland podcast. [Audio]

Greer, S. (2023) Ten years of The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven: reflections on the history of trans and non-binary performance in Scotland. Contemporary Theatre Review, 33(1-2), pp. 165-170. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2023.2182079)

2022

Greer, S. and White, B. (Eds.) (2022) Now / Not Now. University of Glasgow.

Greer, S. and White, B. (2022) Live Art Scotland Practitioner Directory. Finding Aid. Live Art in Scotland, University of Glasgow. (doi: 10.36399/gla.pubs.265874).

Greer, S. (2022) Live Art in Scotland - Research Resources. Finding Aid. University of Glasgow. (doi: 10.36399/gla.pubs.276220).

2021

Greer, S. (2021) Absent histories: working with the archival traces of live art in Scotland. In: Wolfsteiner, A., Trachsel, E., Bachmann, M. and Heinrich, A. (eds.) Live Art Data: New Strategies in Theatre Archiving. Neue Strategien der Theaterarchivierung Scotland // Niedersachsen. Universitätsverlag Hildesheim: Hildesheim, pp. 74-79. ISBN 9783964240590

Greer, S. (2021) Funding resilience: market rationalism and the UK's "mixed economy" for the arts. Cultural Trends, 30(3), pp. 222-240. (doi: 10.1080/09548963.2020.1852875)

Ames, M. and Greer, S. (2021) Renegotiating resilience, redefining resourcefulness. Research in Drama Education, 26(1), pp. 1-8. (doi: 10.1080/13569783.2020.1863143)

2020

Greer, S. (2020) Training for live art: process pedagogies and New Moves International's Winter Schools. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 11(2), pp. 214-228. (doi: 10.1080/19443927.2020.1748100)

2018

Greer, S. (2018) Queer Exceptions. Manchester University Press: Manchester, UK. ISBN 9781526113696

Greer, S. (2018) The Writer [Programme Note]. In: Hickson, E. (ed.) The Writer. Almedia.

Greer, S. (2018) Between care and self-care: dramaturgies of mindfulness in the work of the vacuum cleaner. Scottish Journal of Performance, 5(1), pp. 25-47. (doi: 10.14439/sjop.2018.0501.04)

Greer, S. (2018) Gender drift: Testo Junkie, queer performativity and molecular becoming. Performance Research, 23(7), pp. 63-71. (doi: 10.1080/13528165.2018.1557450)

Shah, S. and Greer, S. (2018) Polio Monologues: translating ethnographic text into verbatim theatre. Qualitative Research, 18(1), pp. 53-69. (doi: 10.1177/1468794117696141)

2017

Greer, S. (2017) The Contemporary American Monologue: Performance and Politics by Eddie Paterson. Contemporary Theatre Review, 27(2), pp. 287-288. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2017.1311085)[Book Review]

2016

Greer, S. (2016) ‘King of the ring, and Queen of it too’: the exotic masculinity of Adrian Street. In: Chow, B., Laine, E. and Warden, C. (eds.) Performance and Professional Wrestling. Routledge: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, pp. 118-126. ISBN 9781138937222

Greer, S. (2016) The economies of Adrian Howells. In: Heddon, D. and Johnson, D. (eds.) It's All Allowed: The Performances of Adrian Howells. Series: Intellect Live. Intellect: London, UK. ISBN 9781783205899

Greer, S. (2016) Queer/Welsh and Welsh/queer: performing hybrid Wales. In: Osborne, H. (ed.) Queer Wales: The History, Culture and Politics of Queer Life in Wales. Series: Gender studies in Wales. University of Wales Press: Cardiff. ISBN 9781783168637

2015

Greer, S. (2015) Queer (mis)recognition in the BBC’s Sherlock. Adaptation, 8(1), pp. 50-67. (doi: 10.1093/adaptation/apu039)

Greer, S. (2015) Queer exceptions. Theatre Research International, 40(1), pp. 92-95. (doi: 10.1017/S0307883314000625)

Greer, S. (2015) After documentary theatre: exceptionality in National Theatre Wales ' The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning. In: Campbell, A. and Farrier, S. (eds.) Queer Dramaturgies: International Perspectives on Where Performance Leads Queer. Series: Contemporary Performance InterActions. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 116-130. ISBN 9781137411853

2014

Greer, S. (2014) 'Even if we do not take things seriously… we are still doing them': Disidentification, ideology, and queer performance. In: Chow, B. and Mangold, A. (eds.) Žižek and Performance. Series: Performance philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137410900

2013

Greer, S. (2013) Playing queer: affordances for sexuality in fable and dragon age. Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 5(1), pp. 3-21. (doi: 10.1386/jgvw.5.1.3_1)

Greer, S. (2013) Review of: Martin Sherman: Skipping over Quicksand, Trish Dace (2012). Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance, 7(1), p. 121. (doi: 10.1386/jafp.7.1.121_5)[Book Review]

Greer, S. (2013) Temporary legitimacy: queer possibilities in digital performance. In: Causey, M. and Walsh, F. (eds.) Performance, Identity, and the Neo-Political Subject. Series: Routledge advances in theatre and performance studies (28). Routledge, pp. 185-200. ISBN 9780415509657

2012

Greer, S. (2012) Contemporary British Queer Performance. Series: Performance interventions. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke. ISBN 9780230304420

2011

Greer, S. (2011) Collaborative performance and asynchronous action: world without oil's fragmented forum. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 7(1), pp. 61-76. (doi: 10.1386/padm.7.1.61_1)

Greer, S. (2011) Staging legitimacy: theorising identity claims in anti-homophobia theatre-in-education. Research in Drama Education, 16(1), pp. 55-74. (doi: 10.1080/13569783.2011.541608)

This list was generated on Sat Apr 20 07:59:02 2024 BST.
Number of items: 29.

Articles

Greer, S. (2023) Ten years of The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven: reflections on the history of trans and non-binary performance in Scotland. Contemporary Theatre Review, 33(1-2), pp. 165-170. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2023.2182079)

Greer, S. (2021) Funding resilience: market rationalism and the UK's "mixed economy" for the arts. Cultural Trends, 30(3), pp. 222-240. (doi: 10.1080/09548963.2020.1852875)

Ames, M. and Greer, S. (2021) Renegotiating resilience, redefining resourcefulness. Research in Drama Education, 26(1), pp. 1-8. (doi: 10.1080/13569783.2020.1863143)

Greer, S. (2020) Training for live art: process pedagogies and New Moves International's Winter Schools. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 11(2), pp. 214-228. (doi: 10.1080/19443927.2020.1748100)

Greer, S. (2018) Between care and self-care: dramaturgies of mindfulness in the work of the vacuum cleaner. Scottish Journal of Performance, 5(1), pp. 25-47. (doi: 10.14439/sjop.2018.0501.04)

Greer, S. (2018) Gender drift: Testo Junkie, queer performativity and molecular becoming. Performance Research, 23(7), pp. 63-71. (doi: 10.1080/13528165.2018.1557450)

Shah, S. and Greer, S. (2018) Polio Monologues: translating ethnographic text into verbatim theatre. Qualitative Research, 18(1), pp. 53-69. (doi: 10.1177/1468794117696141)

Greer, S. (2015) Queer (mis)recognition in the BBC’s Sherlock. Adaptation, 8(1), pp. 50-67. (doi: 10.1093/adaptation/apu039)

Greer, S. (2015) Queer exceptions. Theatre Research International, 40(1), pp. 92-95. (doi: 10.1017/S0307883314000625)

Greer, S. (2013) Playing queer: affordances for sexuality in fable and dragon age. Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 5(1), pp. 3-21. (doi: 10.1386/jgvw.5.1.3_1)

Greer, S. (2011) Collaborative performance and asynchronous action: world without oil's fragmented forum. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 7(1), pp. 61-76. (doi: 10.1386/padm.7.1.61_1)

Greer, S. (2011) Staging legitimacy: theorising identity claims in anti-homophobia theatre-in-education. Research in Drama Education, 16(1), pp. 55-74. (doi: 10.1080/13569783.2011.541608)

Books

Greer, S. (2018) Queer Exceptions. Manchester University Press: Manchester, UK. ISBN 9781526113696

Greer, S. (2012) Contemporary British Queer Performance. Series: Performance interventions. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke. ISBN 9780230304420

Book Sections

Greer, S. (2024) From the ‘miraculous’ to the radical: towards a methodology for researching live art and performance art in Scotland. In: Gebhardt Fink, S., Gusman, T. and Mircev, A. (eds.) Revolving Documents—Narrations of Beginnings, Recent Methods and Cross-Mappings of Performance Art. Series: 745. Kunst Design Medienkultu. Diaphanes AG. ISBN 9783035806830

Greer, S. (2021) Absent histories: working with the archival traces of live art in Scotland. In: Wolfsteiner, A., Trachsel, E., Bachmann, M. and Heinrich, A. (eds.) Live Art Data: New Strategies in Theatre Archiving. Neue Strategien der Theaterarchivierung Scotland // Niedersachsen. Universitätsverlag Hildesheim: Hildesheim, pp. 74-79. ISBN 9783964240590

Greer, S. (2018) The Writer [Programme Note]. In: Hickson, E. (ed.) The Writer. Almedia.

Greer, S. (2016) ‘King of the ring, and Queen of it too’: the exotic masculinity of Adrian Street. In: Chow, B., Laine, E. and Warden, C. (eds.) Performance and Professional Wrestling. Routledge: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, pp. 118-126. ISBN 9781138937222

Greer, S. (2016) The economies of Adrian Howells. In: Heddon, D. and Johnson, D. (eds.) It's All Allowed: The Performances of Adrian Howells. Series: Intellect Live. Intellect: London, UK. ISBN 9781783205899

Greer, S. (2016) Queer/Welsh and Welsh/queer: performing hybrid Wales. In: Osborne, H. (ed.) Queer Wales: The History, Culture and Politics of Queer Life in Wales. Series: Gender studies in Wales. University of Wales Press: Cardiff. ISBN 9781783168637

Greer, S. (2015) After documentary theatre: exceptionality in National Theatre Wales ' The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning. In: Campbell, A. and Farrier, S. (eds.) Queer Dramaturgies: International Perspectives on Where Performance Leads Queer. Series: Contemporary Performance InterActions. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 116-130. ISBN 9781137411853

Greer, S. (2014) 'Even if we do not take things seriously… we are still doing them': Disidentification, ideology, and queer performance. In: Chow, B. and Mangold, A. (eds.) Žižek and Performance. Series: Performance philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137410900

Greer, S. (2013) Temporary legitimacy: queer possibilities in digital performance. In: Causey, M. and Walsh, F. (eds.) Performance, Identity, and the Neo-Political Subject. Series: Routledge advances in theatre and performance studies (28). Routledge, pp. 185-200. ISBN 9780415509657

Book Reviews

Greer, S. (2017) The Contemporary American Monologue: Performance and Politics by Eddie Paterson. Contemporary Theatre Review, 27(2), pp. 287-288. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2017.1311085)[Book Review]

Greer, S. (2013) Review of: Martin Sherman: Skipping over Quicksand, Trish Dace (2012). Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance, 7(1), p. 121. (doi: 10.1386/jafp.7.1.121_5)[Book Review]

Edited Books

Greer, S. and White, B. (Eds.) (2022) Now / Not Now. University of Glasgow.

Research Reports or Papers

Greer, S. and White, B. (2022) Live Art Scotland Practitioner Directory. Finding Aid. Live Art in Scotland, University of Glasgow. (doi: 10.36399/gla.pubs.265874).

Greer, S. (2022) Live Art in Scotland - Research Resources. Finding Aid. University of Glasgow. (doi: 10.36399/gla.pubs.276220).

Audio

Greer, S. (2023) Live and Now - Live Art in Scotland podcast. [Audio]

This list was generated on Sat Apr 20 07:59:02 2024 BST.

Grants

I hold an AHRC Leadership Fellowship for the project Live Art in Scotland, beginning in January 2021.

Though Scotland has been home to some of Live Art’s most (in)famous events, existing histories of theatre and performance emphasize a literary dramatic tradition of plays and playwrights, and rarely address Live Art as a significant field of practice. This project intends to redress that omission while exploring the structures of curation, programming and funding that might enable experimental performance practices to thrive.

The broader ambition of the project is also informed by an understanding of how ‘resilience’ has become a significant concept in UK arts funding circles, often with very little regard for its consequence for individual arts practitioners, especially those who are already excluded from or marginalised within the cultural sector. This idea is especially consequential for a sector already characterized by risk and experimentation, and dominated by solo and/or freelance practitioners.

Supervision

I welcome proposals from prospective PhD or MPhil students who are interested in studying at the University of Glasgow. I am particularly able to support projects involving:

  • contemporary British / European theatre and performance
  • Live Art and solo performance
  • queer studies / sexuality, gender and feminism
  • new media and digital performance / theatre, performance and gaming
  • social and applied theatre
  • the cultural politics of neoliberalism 

For initial conversations and to discuss possible funding routes, please contact me at stephen.greer@glasgow.ac.uk.

  • Avsar, Rasim Erdem
    DRAMATURGIES OF GRIEF AND HOPE: CONTEMPORARY QUEER THEATRE IN TURKEY
  • Capaldi, Eleanor
    To what extent can the use of digitised images of artwork facilitate polyvocality of interpretation online?
  • Kitzman, Daniel Robert
    (un)Sung: An Investigation into the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Opera Singers’ Artistic Identities and Creativity

Teaching

I am the Postgraduate Taught Programme Convenor for Theatre Studies, and course convenor for MLitt Theatre Studies and MLitt Playwriting & Dramaturgy.

I lecture widely across our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and lead specialist Honours courses including The Activist Stage and Queer Exceptions. Focusing on contemporary and c20th performance, my teaching combines traditional university formats – lectures and seminars – with practice-based workshops. This approach is grounded in the belief that theory, history and practice can inform each other, and that performance can be used to ask and answer questions in the same moment. My areas of expertise include LGBTQ performance, political theatre, documentary and verbatim practices, as well as devising and improvisation.

In my previous roles as exams officer and convenor of level 1 Theatre Studies, I won an STA Award for Best Feedback and a College of Arts Individual Teaching Excellence Award.

Research datasets

Jump to: 2023
Number of items: 1.

2023

Greer, S. (2023) Live Art in Scotland Interview Collection. [Data Collection]

This list was generated on Sat Apr 20 07:59:04 2024 BST.

Additional information

Selected Conferences and Public Events

2019

  • ‘The making of an arts-based career’. Deakin Creative Arts Research Symposium.  Deakin University. Melbourne, Australia, November 2019.
  • ‘Playing with Pride’. Panel on LGBTQ+ gaming. Glasgow ComicCon. September 2019.
  • ‘Bouncing back from disaster: “adaptive resilience” and Live Art in Scotland’. PSi#25, University of Calgary, Canada, July 2019.
  • ‘Queerying Method’. Research methodology workshop for SGSAH Summer School. Glasgow, June 2019.
  • Live Art Scotland Forum and Live Art Lunches, organised as part of Take Me Somewhere festival, Glasgow, May 2019.

2018 and earlier

  • From Egypt to Scotland, across borders and genders– National Theatre Scotland’s Adam and the figure of the trans migrant”, IFTR/FIRT, University of Arts Belgrade, June 2018.
  • Optimism at the End of the World. London Theatre Seminar, London, December 2017.
  • Illegible Laughter: recognition and effacement in the work of La Ribot. TaPRA, The University of Salford, Manchester, August 2017.
  • Disgusting bodies: Martin O’Brien and the performance of (auto)immunity. Theatres of Contagion: Infectious Performance, Birkbeck University of London, May 2017.
  • Performing mindfulness: self-care and the responsible subject. The Art of Care-full Practice Symposium at Take Me Somewhere festival, Glasgow, March 2017.