Professor Elizabeth Tomlin

  • Professor in Theatre and Performance (Theatre, Film & Television Studies)

Biography

I joined the team at Glasgow in 2017 from the University of Birmingham where I’d worked in the Department of Drama since 2006. My first academic post was at Manchester Metropolitan University where I held the post of Research Fellow in Performing Arts from 1997-2006. From 1999 – 2009, in tandem with my post at MMU, I was the co-artistic director of Point Blank Theatre where I wrote and directed the nationally touring productions Dead Causes 2000, Nothing to Declare 2001/2 (in which I also performed), Operation Wonderland (2004) and Roses and Morphine 2005. During my time with Point Blank I also led education projects with children and adults across South Yorkshire, and directed community and youth theatre productions.

Research interests

I specialise in the analysis of British and European contemporary theatre and performance (post-1990) through the lens of political and cultural theory. My latest monograph, Political Dramaturgies and Theatre Spectatorship: Provocations for Change, is now available.

This research is supported by the School’s Research Hub, Dramaturgy as Critical Practice.

Growing out of this body of research I am in the early stages of exploring questions of class identity and notions of ‘the people’ as they influence dramaturgies of ideological address and response within and beyond the theatre. As part of this wider project, I am interested in the figuration of the working-class subject on the UK stage, and within UK arts policy, and the political implications of the prevalence of autobiography and the practice of staging non-professional performers in theatres of real people.  

My second field of research concerns the politics of cultural production, with an emphasis on the British theatre industry and British arts funding and policy developments. I was PI on the AHRC-funded research network, Incubate- Propagate, which examined, in partnership with Arts funding bodies, emerging artists and independent producers, how platforms for artist development might be extended and diversified to increase access routes into the profession for non-graduate theatre-makers. Following the workshops that took place in Leeds, London and Glasgow (2018-19) I co-edited the special journal issue, Artist Development: Class, Diversity and Exclusion (2020), with contributions from the project participants and beyond.

The open access issue is available here.

I continue, on occasion, to develop my research-led practice in writing for performance and contemporary dramaturgies of theatre-making. Most recently I have written and performed two spoken-word texts: The Cassandra Commission (2014-15), and Medusa’s Lament (2020) which form two parts of an eventual trilogy exploring ideological interpellation of the spectator in the context of climate crisis.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1995
Number of items: 36.

2021

Tomlin, L. (2021) Political dramaturgies of affect: Anthony Neilson’s God in Ruins and The Wonderful World of Dissocia. In: Aragay, M., Delgado-García, C. and Middeke, M. (eds.) Affects in 21st-Century British Theatre: Exploring Feeling on Page and Stage. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, pp. 85-104. ISBN 9783030584856 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-58486-3_5)

2020

Tomlin, E. (2020) Incubate Propagate Project Report. Project Report. Incubate-Propogate Project.

McKinney, J. and Tomlin, L. (2020) Introduction to special issue: artist development: class, diversity and exclusion. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 40(3), pp. 231-241. (doi: 10.1080/14682761.2020.1807215)

Tomlin, L. (2020) Why we still need to talk about class. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 40(3), pp. 251-264. (doi: 10.1080/14682761.2020.1807213)

2019

Tomlin, L. (2019) Political Dramaturgies and Theatre Spectatorship: Provocations for Change. Series: Methuen drama engage. Methuen Drama: London. ISBN 9781474295604

2018

Tomlin, E. (2018) Elargir la participation : L’impact de la politique du Nouveau Parti travailliste sur les pratiques des compagnies théâtrales anglaises de 1997 à 2010. In: Hamidi-Kim, B. and Russet, S. (eds.) Troupes, companies, collectifs dan les arts vivants: Organisation du travial processus de création et conjonctures. Series: Les Voies de l'acteur. Editions l'Entretemps: Paris. ISBN 9782355392337

Tomlin, L. (2018) A victory for real people: dangers in the discourse of democratisation. Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, 6(1), pp. 234-248. (doi: 10.1515/jcde-2018-0023)

2017

Tomlin, L. (2017) Incubate: Propagate. Networked Ecologies of New Performance-Making. Other. Liz Tomlin. (Unpublished)

2015

Tomlin, L. (2015) 'Constellations of singularities': the rejection of representative democracy in Coney's Early Days (of a better nation). Studies in Theatre and Performance, 36(1), pp. 27-34. (doi: 10.1080/14682761.2015.1111014)

Tomlin, L. (2015) Gareth White: Audience Participation in Theatre: Aesthetics of the Invitation. Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, 3(1), pp. 212-215. (doi: 10.1515/jcde-2015-0018)[Book Review]

Tomlin, L. (2015) The academy and the marketplace: avant-garde performance in neoliberal times. In: Jannarone, K. (ed.) Vanguard Performance Beyond Left and Right. University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor, MI, pp. 264-282. ISBN 9780472119677

Tomlin, L. (2015) British Theatre Companies : 1995-2014 : Mind the Gap, Kneehigh Theatre, Suspect Culture, Stan's Cafe, Blast Theory, Punchdrunk. Series: British theatre companies: from fringe to mainstream, 3. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama: London. ISBN 9781408177273

2014

Tomlin, L. (2014) Citational theory in practice: a performance analysis of characterisation and identity in Katie Mitchell’s staging of Martin Crimp’s texts. Contemporary Theatre Review, 24(3), pp. 373-377. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2014.921057)

Tomlin, L. (2014) Laura Cull: Theatres of Immanence: Deleuze and the Ethics of Performance. New Theatre Quarterly, 30(2), pp. 197-198. (doi: 10.1017/S0266464X1400030X)[Book Review]

Tomlin, L. (2014) Theatre of the Real by Carol Martin. Modern Drama, 57(2), pp. 280-282. [Book Review]

2013

Tomlin, L. (2013) Acts and Apparitions: Discourses on the Real in Performance Practice and Theory, 1990-2010. Manchester University Press: Manchester. ISBN 9780719083723

Tomlin, L. (2013) Foreword: dramatic developments. In: Agelaki, V. (ed.) Contemporary British Theatre: Breaking New Ground. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke, viii-xxvi. ISBN 9781137010131

Tomlin, L. (2013) ‘Make a map, not a tracing’: from pedagogy to dramaturgy. Contemporary Theatre Review, 23(2), pp. 120-127. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2013.777059)

2012

Tomlin, L. (2012) The Pool Game. [Performance]

2011

Tomlin, L. (2011) A 'political suspension of the ethical': to be straight with you (2007) and an evening with psychosis (2009). Performing Ethos, 1(2), pp. 167-180. (doi: 10.1386/peet.1.2.167_1)

2010

Tomlin, L. (2010) Beyond representation: re-membering the 'ghosts' of recent history in contemporary performance. Critical Stages, 2,

2009

Tomlin, L. (2009) 'And their stories fell apart even as I was telling them': poststructuralist performance and the no-longer-dramatic text. Performance Research, 14(1), pp. 57-64. (doi: 10.1080/13528160903113205)

Tomlin, L. (2009) Making Trouble. Project Report. AIAA.

2008

Tomlin, L. (2008) Beyond cynicism: the sceptical imperative and (future) contemporary performance. Contemporary Theatre Review, 18(3), pp. 355-369.

2007

Tomlin, L. (2007) Point Blank: Nothing to Declare, Operation Wonderland, and Roses and Morphine. Intellect: Bristol. ISBN 9781841501697

2006

Tomlin, L. (2006) A new tremendous aristocracy: tragedy and the meta-tragic in Barker's theatre of catastrophe. In: Gritzner, K. and Rabey, D. I. (eds.) Theatre of Catastrophe: New Essays on Howard Barker. Oberon: London. ISBN 9781840026726

Tomlin, L. and Jackson, S. (2006) Innocent tourists? Neo-colonialist narratives in contemporary performance. Contemporary Theatre Review, 16(1), pp. 23-30. (doi: 10.1080/10486800500450940)

2005

Tomlin, L. (2005) Roses & Morphine. [Performance]

2004

Tomlin, L. (2004) English theatre in the 1990s and beyond. In: Kershaw, B. (ed.) Cambridge History of British Theatre, Volume 3. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, pp. 498-512. ISBN 9780521651325 (doi: 10.1017/CHOL9780521651325.024)

Tomlin, L. (2004) Operation Wonderland. [Performance]

2002

Tomlin, L. and Jackson, S. (2002) Accessibility. In: Arrowsmith, K. (ed.) The Methuen Amateur Theatre Handbook. Methuen: London, pp. 186-196. ISBN 9780413755704

2001

Tomlin, L. (2001) Howard Barker. In: Bull, J. (ed.) British and Irish dramatists since World War II: Second Series. Series: Dictionary of literary biography, 233. Gale Group: Detroit, pp. 9-21. ISBN 9780787646509

Tomlin, L. (2001) Nothing to Declare. [Performance]

2000

Tomlin, L. (2000) The politics of catastrophe: confrontation or confirmation in Howard Barker's theatre. Modern Drama, 43(1), pp. 66-77. (doi: 10.1353/mdr.2000.0052)

1999

Tomlin, L. (1999) Transgressing bounaries: postmodern performance and the tourist trap. TDR, 43(T162), pp. 136-149. (doi: 10.1162/105420499760265244)

1995

Tomlin, L. (1995) Building a Barker character: a methodology from the last supper. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 12(1), pp. 47-53.

This list was generated on Tue Dec 10 08:05:06 2024 GMT.
Number of items: 36.

Articles

McKinney, J. and Tomlin, L. (2020) Introduction to special issue: artist development: class, diversity and exclusion. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 40(3), pp. 231-241. (doi: 10.1080/14682761.2020.1807215)

Tomlin, L. (2020) Why we still need to talk about class. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 40(3), pp. 251-264. (doi: 10.1080/14682761.2020.1807213)

Tomlin, L. (2018) A victory for real people: dangers in the discourse of democratisation. Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, 6(1), pp. 234-248. (doi: 10.1515/jcde-2018-0023)

Tomlin, L. (2015) 'Constellations of singularities': the rejection of representative democracy in Coney's Early Days (of a better nation). Studies in Theatre and Performance, 36(1), pp. 27-34. (doi: 10.1080/14682761.2015.1111014)

Tomlin, L. (2014) Citational theory in practice: a performance analysis of characterisation and identity in Katie Mitchell’s staging of Martin Crimp’s texts. Contemporary Theatre Review, 24(3), pp. 373-377. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2014.921057)

Tomlin, L. (2013) ‘Make a map, not a tracing’: from pedagogy to dramaturgy. Contemporary Theatre Review, 23(2), pp. 120-127. (doi: 10.1080/10486801.2013.777059)

Tomlin, L. (2011) A 'political suspension of the ethical': to be straight with you (2007) and an evening with psychosis (2009). Performing Ethos, 1(2), pp. 167-180. (doi: 10.1386/peet.1.2.167_1)

Tomlin, L. (2010) Beyond representation: re-membering the 'ghosts' of recent history in contemporary performance. Critical Stages, 2,

Tomlin, L. (2009) 'And their stories fell apart even as I was telling them': poststructuralist performance and the no-longer-dramatic text. Performance Research, 14(1), pp. 57-64. (doi: 10.1080/13528160903113205)

Tomlin, L. (2008) Beyond cynicism: the sceptical imperative and (future) contemporary performance. Contemporary Theatre Review, 18(3), pp. 355-369.

Tomlin, L. and Jackson, S. (2006) Innocent tourists? Neo-colonialist narratives in contemporary performance. Contemporary Theatre Review, 16(1), pp. 23-30. (doi: 10.1080/10486800500450940)

Tomlin, L. (2000) The politics of catastrophe: confrontation or confirmation in Howard Barker's theatre. Modern Drama, 43(1), pp. 66-77. (doi: 10.1353/mdr.2000.0052)

Tomlin, L. (1999) Transgressing bounaries: postmodern performance and the tourist trap. TDR, 43(T162), pp. 136-149. (doi: 10.1162/105420499760265244)

Tomlin, L. (1995) Building a Barker character: a methodology from the last supper. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 12(1), pp. 47-53.

Books

Tomlin, L. (2019) Political Dramaturgies and Theatre Spectatorship: Provocations for Change. Series: Methuen drama engage. Methuen Drama: London. ISBN 9781474295604

Tomlin, L. (2015) British Theatre Companies : 1995-2014 : Mind the Gap, Kneehigh Theatre, Suspect Culture, Stan's Cafe, Blast Theory, Punchdrunk. Series: British theatre companies: from fringe to mainstream, 3. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama: London. ISBN 9781408177273

Tomlin, L. (2013) Acts and Apparitions: Discourses on the Real in Performance Practice and Theory, 1990-2010. Manchester University Press: Manchester. ISBN 9780719083723

Tomlin, L. (2007) Point Blank: Nothing to Declare, Operation Wonderland, and Roses and Morphine. Intellect: Bristol. ISBN 9781841501697

Book Sections

Tomlin, L. (2021) Political dramaturgies of affect: Anthony Neilson’s God in Ruins and The Wonderful World of Dissocia. In: Aragay, M., Delgado-García, C. and Middeke, M. (eds.) Affects in 21st-Century British Theatre: Exploring Feeling on Page and Stage. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, pp. 85-104. ISBN 9783030584856 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-58486-3_5)

Tomlin, E. (2018) Elargir la participation : L’impact de la politique du Nouveau Parti travailliste sur les pratiques des compagnies théâtrales anglaises de 1997 à 2010. In: Hamidi-Kim, B. and Russet, S. (eds.) Troupes, companies, collectifs dan les arts vivants: Organisation du travial processus de création et conjonctures. Series: Les Voies de l'acteur. Editions l'Entretemps: Paris. ISBN 9782355392337

Tomlin, L. (2015) The academy and the marketplace: avant-garde performance in neoliberal times. In: Jannarone, K. (ed.) Vanguard Performance Beyond Left and Right. University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor, MI, pp. 264-282. ISBN 9780472119677

Tomlin, L. (2013) Foreword: dramatic developments. In: Agelaki, V. (ed.) Contemporary British Theatre: Breaking New Ground. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke, viii-xxvi. ISBN 9781137010131

Tomlin, L. (2006) A new tremendous aristocracy: tragedy and the meta-tragic in Barker's theatre of catastrophe. In: Gritzner, K. and Rabey, D. I. (eds.) Theatre of Catastrophe: New Essays on Howard Barker. Oberon: London. ISBN 9781840026726

Tomlin, L. (2004) English theatre in the 1990s and beyond. In: Kershaw, B. (ed.) Cambridge History of British Theatre, Volume 3. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, pp. 498-512. ISBN 9780521651325 (doi: 10.1017/CHOL9780521651325.024)

Tomlin, L. and Jackson, S. (2002) Accessibility. In: Arrowsmith, K. (ed.) The Methuen Amateur Theatre Handbook. Methuen: London, pp. 186-196. ISBN 9780413755704

Tomlin, L. (2001) Howard Barker. In: Bull, J. (ed.) British and Irish dramatists since World War II: Second Series. Series: Dictionary of literary biography, 233. Gale Group: Detroit, pp. 9-21. ISBN 9780787646509

Book Reviews

Tomlin, L. (2015) Gareth White: Audience Participation in Theatre: Aesthetics of the Invitation. Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, 3(1), pp. 212-215. (doi: 10.1515/jcde-2015-0018)[Book Review]

Tomlin, L. (2014) Laura Cull: Theatres of Immanence: Deleuze and the Ethics of Performance. New Theatre Quarterly, 30(2), pp. 197-198. (doi: 10.1017/S0266464X1400030X)[Book Review]

Tomlin, L. (2014) Theatre of the Real by Carol Martin. Modern Drama, 57(2), pp. 280-282. [Book Review]

Research Reports or Papers

Tomlin, E. (2020) Incubate Propagate Project Report. Project Report. Incubate-Propogate Project.

Tomlin, L. (2017) Incubate: Propagate. Networked Ecologies of New Performance-Making. Other. Liz Tomlin. (Unpublished)

Tomlin, L. (2009) Making Trouble. Project Report. AIAA.

Performance

Tomlin, L. (2012) The Pool Game. [Performance]

Tomlin, L. (2005) Roses & Morphine. [Performance]

Tomlin, L. (2004) Operation Wonderland. [Performance]

Tomlin, L. (2001) Nothing to Declare. [Performance]

This list was generated on Tue Dec 10 08:05:06 2024 GMT.

Grants

  • 2018, Incubate-Propagate, AHRC Research Network Grant (PI), £36,345
  • 2012, The Pool Game, Arts Council England, £17,900
  • 2011, Acts and Apparitions, AHRC research fellowship (PI), £33,140
  • 2010, The Pool Game, Arts Council England, £5,000
  • 2005, Roses & Morphine, Arts Council England, £25,000 
  • 2004, Operation Wonderland, Arts Council England, £18,000

Supervision

I welcome PhD and Masters by Research applications from students in the areas of performance and political theory, performance and class, contemporary European theatre and dramaturgical experimentation in new writing and ensemble practice.

Current doctoral students (at previous institution)

  • Shifting Circumstances and Documentary Practices

Doctoral projects supervised to completion

  • Tell me it’s real’: The Practices and Possibilities of a Writer-Driven Experiential Theatre (practice-based PhD)
  • ‘Contemporary Antigones, Medeas and Trojan Women Perform on the World Stage’ (Now published as: Hypertheatre: Contemporary Radical Adaptation of Greek Tragedy, (London and New York: Routledge, 2020))
  • Female Representation in Contemporary Performance (practice-based PhD)

Current students 

  • Zhang, Nannan (Translation Studies), 'Theatre Translation under the Social Change: A Study on the Xianfeng Xiju (Avant-garde theatre) in Contemporary China (1980-2016)'
  • Lapid Mashall, Kfir
    Introducing “Judicial Theatre” as the Performance of Theatrical Mock Trials

Teaching

  • I regularly teach Performing Character and Advanced Theatre Making, and contribute to courses such as Shaping Futures, Research Methods and Contemporary Devising Practices.
  • I lecture on acting, postmodernism and the postdramatic.

Additional information

  • I am co-editor of the Cambridge University Press series Elements in Theatre, Performance and the Political
  • I am a member of the AHRC Peer Review College and a member of the International Advisory Board for the book series Adaptation in Theatre and Performance (Palgrave Macmillan)
  • I am the external examiner for the BA Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Warwick