Emeritus Professor

Learning and Teaching Specialisms
Staging Histories with particular focus upon mid 17th to mid 19th century.
Places of performance – theatre architecture and scenography
Scenography: Practice and Theory.

Postgraduate supervision
I currently supervise PhD students in the areas of scenographic theory and practice, computer visualization and theatre architecture and the place of performance.

Research Interests
My research has been split between my practice as a scenographer, my writing
about contemporary scenography and my interests in its history and theory. My work has therefore included practice as research projects (the Terezin operas for example), and traditionally published books, essays and chapters. I am currently exploring the ways in which computer visualisation, as a research methodology, can give us a distinctively new insight into ideas of sensation, sensibility, technology and spectacular effects in the late 18th century using reconstructions of Loutherbourg’s extant scenic models.

Knowledge Transfer
Advisor to the exhibition ‘Sensation, Sensibility and the Eighteenth Century Cult of Special Effects’, The Huntington/ Yale Centre for British Art, 2006.
Consultant to A Picture of Britain, David Dimbleby & BBC Television Part 4 “The Heart of England” – the Eidophusikon, Coalbrookdale and the spectacle of Philippe de Loutherbourg, September, 2005.
Lost Buildings of Britain, Part 1, ‘Drury Lane Theatre’. Programme consultant and presenter with Simon Thurleigh (English Heritage), Darlow-Smithson Productions, Channel 4, 26 July 2004.
Ferrara Arte in collaboration with Dulwich Picture Gallery: Shakespeare in Art picture research and catalogue contributor, Ferrara, February 2003, London, July 2003.

Awards and Grants
AHRC Research Leave 2004.
Co-Director (with Prof. David Thomas, University of Warwick) of HEFCE FDTL3 project ANNIE, Accessing and Networking with National and International Expertise (£150K). Using new technologies to bring distant expertise to enhance student learning.
New York Drama Critics – TONY – Award – with the Abbey Theatre Dublin, 1968
The Prudential Award for Opera 1991 – with Mecklenburgh Opera

Recent Publications Include
Theatre, Performance and Technology: the Development of Scenography in the 20th Century, Basingstoke & New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Garrick and Loutherbourg for “Theatre in Focus”, Cave, R.A. (series ed.) Cambridge: Chadwyck-Healey, 1990.
 “Stage Design from Loutherbourg to Poel”, in Donohue, J (ed.) The Cambridge History of British Theatre, Vol. 2, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
 “’Our divine Shakespeare, fitly illustrated’: the staging of Shakespeare, 1660-1900”, in Martineau, J, (ed.) Shakespeare and Art, Ferrara and London: 2003.
“Scenography, lighting and theatre architecture of the English theatre, 1880-1995”, in Clarke, R (ed) Annotated Bibliography of English Studies (ABES), chap. 311, “English Twentieth Century Drama”,  CD-Rom,  Swets & Zeitlinger, April 1997.
“Brecht and Stage Design; the Bühnenbildner and the Bühnenbauer”, in Thomson, P. & Sacks, G. (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Brecht, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994, (2nd edition forthcoming 2006).
“Loutherbourg’s ambition and the view from the wings: Craig, Svoboda and the stage as place in 20th century scenography” in La scene comme tableau: figures et figurines dramatiques, for the Centre de la litérature anciènne et moderne (CLAM) Université de Paris VII Denis Diderot, in La Licorne, UFR Langues Littératures Poitiers, 2004.

In Press
“And People, Gazing with Surprise, Cry Monsieur Loutherbourg is most amazing”, in The Huntington Quarterly, 2007.
“Scenography and Technology 1737-1843” in Moody, J & O’Quinn, D (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre, 1737-1843, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006

Conference papers
Keynote paper: “Loutherbourg, spectacle, technology and the re-functioning of theatre” for the conference Sensation: Viewing Gainsborough’s ‘Cottage Door’ Huntington, California, 2006.
“Josef Svoboda and Material Reality’”, International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR), Scenography Conference, Amsterdam, 2005.
Keynote paper: “Edward Gordon Craig’” at Appia & Craig – CPR Pastmasters, Centre for Performance Research, Aberystwyth, 2003.
“Edward Gordon Craig and the ‘quiddity’ of the stage”, for the Craig Colloquium, London Central School of Speech and Drama, 2002.
“Loutherbourg’s ambition and the view from the wings: Craig, Svoboda and the stage as place in 20th century scenography”, in La scene comme tableau: figures et figurines dramatiques, for Centre de la litérature anciènne et moderne (CLAM) Université de Paris VII Denis Diderot, 2001.
 “Edward Gordon Craig and the necessity of Imagination”, the Gordon Craig Lecture, XIIth World Congress, International Federation for Theatre Research, Canterbury,1998.

Professional Scenography
Royal Albert Hall
Mahagonny Songspiel and Die 7 Todsünden (Weill/Brecht) dir., John Abulafia, cond., Ann Manson, Mecklenburgh Opera, Symphonia 21, BBC.

Television
Hans Krása Brundibár!, the Terezín children's opera. BBC2, director Simon Broughton, Cond. Anne Manson, Stage Dir. John Abulafia, with Mecklenburgh Opera and the New London Children’s choir, director Richard Cork.    
     
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
The ‘Terezin opera’ Brundibar!, Hans Krasa, British première production. Cond. Anne Manson, Dir. John Abulafia, (for Mecklenburgh Opera)
Medea, Jiri Benda, British première production of the 1775 melodrama with Harriet Walter as Medea. Cond. Ivan Fischer, Dir. John Abulafia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Zaide Mozart, Cond. Ivan Fischer, Dir. John Abulafia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Ariadne Auf Naxos, Jiri Benda, British première production of the 1776 melodrama, with Cathy Tyson as Ariadne. Cond. Ivan Fischer, Dir. John Abulafia.
The Almeida Theatre, London
The  Soldier’s Tale, Ramuz/Stravinsky, Cond. Anne Manson, Dir. John Abulafia, Mecklenburgh Opera.
The Place Theatre, London
Petrified, (Skameneny), Juraj Benes, British Première production. Cond. Anne Manson, Dir., John Abulafia, Mecklenburgh Opera.
Mannequins, Zbigniew Rudzinski, British première production. Cond. Anne Manson, Dir. John Abulafia, Mecklenburgh Opera.
The White Rose, Udo Zimmerman, British première production. Cond. Anne Manson, Dir. John Abulafia, Mecklenburgh Opera.
Donmar Warehouse, Covent Garden
The Emperor of Atlantis, Victor Ullman/ Peter Kien. British première production of the Terezin opera. Cond. Anne Manson, Dir. John Abulafia, Mecklenburgh Opera.
Britten Opera Theatre RCM, London
Sister Aimée, Odaline de la Martinez, British première production. Cond. Anne Manson, Dir. John Abulafia.
Young Vic Studio, London
Waterloo Road, Robert Gordon, Dir. Vera Gottlieb.
Derby Playhouse
Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen, Dir. John Morgan.
A Taste of Honey, Shelagh Delaney, Dir. Patrick Lau
Library Theatre Manchester
The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov, Dir. Paul Hellyer.
The Way to Keep Him, Arthur Murphy, Dir. John Scarborough.
Abbey Theatre Dublin
The Enchanted Land, George Fitzmaurice, Dir. Hugh Hunt.
The Pie-Dish, George Fitzmaurice, Dir. Hugh Hunt.
The Hostage, Brendan Behan, Dir. Hugh Hunt.
The Subject Was Roses, Frank Gilroy. Dir. Frank Dermody.
The Borstal Boy, Brendan Behan, Dir. Tomas McAnna.
Theatre Royal, Bristol Old Vic
The Slave of Truth, Molière/Malleson, Dir. Nat Brenner.

 External Appointments
RAE2008: Member Main Panel O, Chair Sub-Panel UoA65.
International Panel Member: Tertiary Education Commission (TEC New Zealand), Creative & Performing Arts Panel.
Member: AHRC Research Panel 7.
Member: Architectural Advisory Committee. International Shakespeare Globe Centre, Bankside, London.
QAA Chair – Subject Benchmarking Panel – Dance, Drama & Performance.
HEFCE/QAA specialist subject TQA assessor.
SHEFC Lead Assessor.