Alyson Campbell

Alyson came to Brunel in September 2011, having previously lectured in Drama at Queen’s University Belfast (2007-11) and in Theatre Studies at The University of Melbourne, Australia, (2005-6). She also completed her practice-based PhD on Sarah Kane’s ‘experiential theatre’ at the University of Melbourne (2009). Alyson is a director, and has worked in a broad range of situations: from the four-stage Los Angeles Theatre Center, through Fringe, independent and community theatre, to making forum theatre with secondary students. Her work with Melbourne company Red Stitch Actors Theatre includes Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis (2007) and the Australian premieres of Martin Crimp’s Fewer Emergencies (2006) and Don DeLillo’s The Day Room (2004).

 
Alyson has worked on the development of much new writing and directing as a director, mentor and dramaturg. In Melbourne, she developed new writing through her partnership with Sydney playwright Lachlan Philpott and their independent ensemble wreckedAllproductions. Alyson is co-convenor of the new Queer Futures Working Group for the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) and a member of the Directing and Dramaturgy Working Group for the Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA). She was founder and Director of the Queer at Queen’s research and performance programme which ran annually as part of the OUTburst Queer Arts Festival in Belfast, 2008-10. 

Research Interests

Alyson is currently working on the area of lesbian representation and the performance of queer/crip subjectivities. Recent research has focused on queer dramaturgies, affect and performance, cultural translation and HIV/AIDS representation in performance. She has also published on Sarah Kane’s ‘experiential theatre’ and the curtain call in performance.

Alyson continues to work as a director and merges practice and research in Practice as Research projects such as her PhD on Sarah Kane’s theatre in performance and the work of Sydney playwright Lachlan Philpott. She directed Philpott’s Bison for OUTburst Queer Arts Festival in Belfast 2009) and the Oval House Theatre, London (2010). She is currently in development with Philpott on his latest play The Trouble with Harry, looking at hidden lesbian desire and ‘passing’ in 1920s Sydney. She has written about Philpott’s dramaturgy in articles in Theatre Research International and Australasian Drama Studies.

Publications

(2011) Campbell, A., ‘From Bogeyman to Bison: a herd-like amnesia of HIV?’ Theatre Research International 36 (3): 196-212.

(2011) Campbell, A., ‘Translating ‘gaytown’: the collision of global and local in bringing Australian queer play Bison to Belfast ’ Journal article; Focus Issue:
Transcultural. Transnational. Transformation: seeing and writing across cultures, Australasian Drama Studies 59: 141-155.

(2011) Campbell, A., ‘Adapting musicology’s use of affect theories to contemporary theatre making: directing Martin Crimp’s Attempts on Her Life’, in ‘Mediations and Correlations’; A Special Edition of the Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance 4 (3): 303-18.

(2010) Campbell, A., Introductory essay to Bison and Colder, by Lachlan Philpott, Playlab Press, Brisbane, Australia.

(2009/2010) Bison, by Lachlan Philpott. Oval House Theatre, London (2010), Drama and Film Centre, Belfast for OUTburst Queer Arts Festival(2009). PaR creative work - performance.

(2007) 4.48 Psychosis, by Sarah Kane. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, Melbourne. PaR creative work – performance (PhD thesis).

(2006) Campbell, A., ‘It ain’t over ’til’, Traffic, The University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association, 8: 31-48.

(2005) Campbell, A., ‘Experiencing Kane: an affective analysis of Sarah Kane’s ‘experiential’ theatre in performance’, Australasian Drama Studies 46: 80-97.

Forthcoming:

‘The lesbian queerzine in Northern Ireland: an interview with Ruth McCarthy.’ Chapter for edited collection, Performing Feminisms in Ireland; editor Lisa Fitzpatrick, Carysfort Press.

The Trouble with Harry, by Lachlan Philpott. PaR project, 2011-12.

 

 

 

Teaching Activity

Teaching, research and practice are very much intertwined in Alyson’s approach to performance. Her main areas of teaching and research are in directing and dramaturgy, gender and queer theory/performance, Practice-led Research, phenomenological approaches to performance and the application of affect theories to theatre practice and criticism, postdramatic theatre and postmodern theories.

She has been supervising postgraduate work on queer vocal phenomenologies in performance, the role of queer performance in the North of Ireland and lesbian representation in performance.

Alyson regularly gives papers at international and national conferences.
As a PhD student Alyson was winner of the Veronica Kelly Award at the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies (ADSA) conference, Wellington, NZ 2004.

Conference Papers (include):

2011 ‘Beyond signification but not beyond ‘significance:’ an ‘affective approach’ to Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis in performance’. Postdramatic Theatre as/or Political Theatre’ Conference, Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies, University of London.

2011 ‘Translating ‘gaytown’: the collision of global and local in bringing Australian queer play Bison to Belfast.’ Invisible Presences: Translation, Dramaturgy and Performance Conference, Queen’s University Belfast.

2010 ‘International gaytown: the unlikely cultural benefits of translating Australian thongs and speedos to Belfast (in winter)’, International Federation of Theatre Research (IFTR), Munich.

2010 ‘From Bogeyman to Bison: a herd-like amnesia of HIV?’ Invited speaker, Research seminar series, Central School of Speech and Drama; Irish Society for Theatre Research Conference, Trinity College Dublin

2009 ‘The fragile nature of a dramaturgy of affect: Martin Crimp’s Fewer Emergencies and Attempts on her Life in performance’. International Federation of Theatre Research (IFTR), Lisbon.

2008 ‘It ain’t over ’til…’ On the phenomenology of the curtain call. Irish Society for Theatre Research Conference, University College Dublin.

2004 ‘Experiencing Kane: Sarah Kane’s ‘experiential’ theatre in performance’. Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance (ADSA) Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.
 
Other research activities

PhD ‘Experiencing Kane: an ‘affective approach’ to Sarah Kane’s experiential theatre in performance, The University of Melbourne, 2009, http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/8816

Co-convenor Queer Futures Working Group, International Federation of Theatre Research (IFTR), 2010- present.

Co-convenor of the international conference  ’Invisible Presences: Translation, Dramaturgy and Performance’, Drama Studies and Translation Studies,  (April 2011). Alyson also directed a new translation of Lorca’s Blood Wedding for the conference.

Convenor, ‘Pedagogies of Dramaturgy’, PALATINE-funded one-day symposium, Drama, Queen’s University Belfast (January 2011).

Convenor, ‘Dramaturgy on the Edge: a dialogue between Australia and Northern Ireland’. One-day symposium, Drama, QUB. (July 2010)

Panellist, public post-show discussions on  ‘HIV/AIDS and theatre’ and ‘Queer theatre in Northern Ireland’, Oval House Theatre, London. (July 2010)

Directing (includes)

2011, Blood Wedding, Federico García Lorca, new translation by David Johnston, Brian Friel Theatre, Queen’s University Belfast.

2010, Terminating, Tony Kushner, Various sites, Belfast.

2010/2009 Bison, Lachlan Philpott. The Oval House Theatre, London, June 2010; Queen’s University Belfast, Nov 2009.

2009 Attempts on her Life, Martin Crimp. Brian Friel Theatre, QUB.

2007 4.48 Psychosis, Sarah Kane, Red Stitch Actors Theatre (Melbourne, Australia)

2006 Fewer Emergencies, Martin Crimp, Australian Premiere, Red Stitch Actors Theatre (Melbourne, Australia)

2004, The Day Room, Don Delillo, Australian Premiere, Red Stitch Actors Theatre (Melbourne, Australia)

2003, Catapult, Lachlan Philpott, wreckedAllprods, Melbourne Fringe Festival, 96F

2001 The Maids, Jean Genet, wreckedAllProds, Mechanics’ Institute, Brunswick, Melbourne.

2001 Bison, Lachlan Philpott, wreckedAllprods, Midsumma Festival, Melbourne.
 

 

Publications

Journal Papers

(2012) Campbell, A., Adapting musicology's use of affect theories to contemporary theatre making: directing Martin Crimp's Attempts on Her Life, Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance 4 (3) : 303- 318

(2011) Campbell, A., Translating 'gaytown': the collision of global and local in bringing Australian queer play Bison to Belfast, Australasian Drama Studies 59 141- 155

(2011) Campbell, A., From Bogeyman to Bison: a herd-like amnesia of HIV?, Theatre Research International 36 (3) : 196- 212

(2006) Campbell, A., It ain't over 'til, Traffic (Univeristy of Melbourne) 8 31- 48

(2005) Campbell, A., Experiencing Kane: an affective analysis of Sarah Kane's 'experiential' theatre in performance, Australasian Drama Studies 46 80- 97

Book Chapters

(2010) Campbell, A., Introduction. In: Bison and Colder by Lachlan Philpott. Brisbane, Australia : Playlab Press