I joined 私房俱乐部 as Associate Professor in Drama in July 2019. My teaching and research focus on Popular Performance and the various ways in which comedy functions in both society and performance, especially in clown theatre, commedia dell'arte, slapstick, comedy on the post war British stage and farce.
I am Head of Drama and teach modules in Popular Performance and Performance Production. I also supervise traditional and practice as research projects.
I am currently working on a number of research projects including editing A Cultural History of Comedy in The Modern Age for Bloomsbury Methuen. I am also beginning a new research projects which explores the history, development and impact of British Radio Comedy.
I am also an experienced theatre director, specialising in directing comedies. Previously I was Full Professor in Theatre Practice (Comedic Acting) at USC where I was Head of Critical Studies and Head of Comedy and where I taught modules in Comedy and Performance, Clown and Commedia dell 'Arte and textual analysis. Prior to moving to California in December 2015 I was a Senior Lecturer in the School of Drama, Music and Screen at the University of Hull where I was Programme Leader for the BA Drama and Theatre Practice degree (and before that, Director of Undergraduate Studies).