Wickham Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Wickham Theatre is a studio theatre
owned by Bristol University in Bristol
, England
. It was named after Professor Glynne Wickham
, founder of the Department of Drama at the university and of university theatre studies
in Britain and is used for a wide range of activities.
The exploration of live performance is an important part of the department's approach the understanding of theatre. Students in all years engage in performances exploring forms and expressions in several theatrical traditions including experimental contemporary practice. The theatre is home to a regular programme of visiting performers and companies working at the forefront of live performance practice internationally.
The theatre is also used extensively for research projects in a range of forms and media. One example is its use for the reconstruction of a Jacobean
playhouse. Developed by Professor Martin White and theatre designer Jennie Norman from original drawings by the celebrated Jacobean architect, Inigo Jones
, a full-scale reconstruction of a 17th century Jacobean indoor playhouse, lit by candles, provides a venue for an ongoing research project, public performances, a programme of teaching, and public lectures. The department aims, whenever possible, to combine teaching and research activities. Second and final year students studying early modern drama with Martin White have full access to the reconstruction, to deepen their seminar study of indoor plays from the period, and as a site for their own practical exploration.
A second example is its use for a ‘Preconstruction’ of human survival in Bristol following the worst ravages of global warming some time in the near future. Developed by Professor Baz Kershaw (University of Bristol Chair of Drama 1998-2006) with environmental movement artist Sandra Reeve as co-director, plus costume designer Pam Tate, set designer Jennie Norman, and lighting/technical designer Rod Terry, a 2004 production called Green Shade stripped the Wickham Theatre back to its bare walls - it was originally a printing workshop - to create an environmental installation modelled on Cornwall’s celebrated Eden Project. Integrated with the department’s teaching programme for both second and third year students, the nine hour durational performances were part of a longer-term research project investigating theatre and performance ecology.
Studio Theatre
A studio theatre is a 20th-century term that describes a small theatre space. Studio theatres often have a flexible auditorium whose stage and seating may be re-arranged to suit the specific requirements of a production...
owned by Bristol University in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was named after Professor Glynne Wickham
Glynne Wickham
-Life:Appointed in 1948 to the department of drama at Bristol University , he convened a 1951 symposium on "the responsibility of universities to the theatre" to endorse the policy of studying drama in the context of theatre and a 1954 symposium on "the relationship between universities and radio,...
, founder of the Department of Drama at the university and of university theatre studies
Theatre studies
Theatre studies is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psycho-biological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also encompasses the study of theatrical aesthetics and semiotics...
in Britain and is used for a wide range of activities.
The exploration of live performance is an important part of the department's approach the understanding of theatre. Students in all years engage in performances exploring forms and expressions in several theatrical traditions including experimental contemporary practice. The theatre is home to a regular programme of visiting performers and companies working at the forefront of live performance practice internationally.
The theatre is also used extensively for research projects in a range of forms and media. One example is its use for the reconstruction of a Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
playhouse. Developed by Professor Martin White and theatre designer Jennie Norman from original drawings by the celebrated Jacobean architect, Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
, a full-scale reconstruction of a 17th century Jacobean indoor playhouse, lit by candles, provides a venue for an ongoing research project, public performances, a programme of teaching, and public lectures. The department aims, whenever possible, to combine teaching and research activities. Second and final year students studying early modern drama with Martin White have full access to the reconstruction, to deepen their seminar study of indoor plays from the period, and as a site for their own practical exploration.
A second example is its use for a ‘Preconstruction’ of human survival in Bristol following the worst ravages of global warming some time in the near future. Developed by Professor Baz Kershaw (University of Bristol Chair of Drama 1998-2006) with environmental movement artist Sandra Reeve as co-director, plus costume designer Pam Tate, set designer Jennie Norman, and lighting/technical designer Rod Terry, a 2004 production called Green Shade stripped the Wickham Theatre back to its bare walls - it was originally a printing workshop - to create an environmental installation modelled on Cornwall’s celebrated Eden Project. Integrated with the department’s teaching programme for both second and third year students, the nine hour durational performances were part of a longer-term research project investigating theatre and performance ecology.
External links
- Wickham Theatre, University of Bristol Drama Dept, University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
- University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...