Dr Joanne Tompkins
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How Australian theatre spaces are shaped, understood and situated in historical, cultural and political contexts is being examined by Dr Joanne Tompkins.
A School of English, Media Studies and Art History senior lecturer, Dr Tomkins has been awarded $70,000 in funding from the UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards for her project entitled "Analysing Theatre Space: History, Culture, Politics".
"I am studying a number of key Australian theatre spaces, both for their individual features and for their location in the history of western theatre architecture," she said.
Australian theatres being examined include the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne's La Mama Theatre and Brisbane's Powerhouse Complex.
Dr Tompkins said because Australian theatre spaces needed to be understood in the context of their predominantly western models, she would examine several European theatres to consider any changes in the socio-political and theatrical functions of the theatres.
Some of the theatres being examined include the Globe Theatre and Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, the Teatro Olimpico Renaissance theatre in Venice and a basic model for a Roman amphitheatre.
"We can't assume that space is neutral or empty, it's laden with architectural, design, theatrical and cultural assumptions all influencing the way it is used and understood," she said.
Dr Tompkins believes the project results will benefit theatre researchers and practitioners, architects, designers, students and the public.
"I hope the results will enable people to think about the connections between the inside and outside of the theatre as well as what goes on the actual stage," Dr Tompkins said.
The project, due for completion by the end of this year (2002), will also incorporate a website providing three-dimensional models of the theatres.
"I hope the website will eventually enable the manipulation of the performance of a specific play in several different theatres so viewers can see how the theatre space changes it," she said.
Dr Tompkins said the project funding would be spent on travel costs, website construction and employing a research assistant.
Since joining The University of Queensland five-and-a-half years ago, Dr Tompkins has received two Australian Research Council (ARC) grants and an ARC Research, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (RIEF) grant for collaborative work on an online Australian theatre database.
Prior to this she taught at Latrobe University after completing a PhD in Australian drama at York University in Toronto, Canada.
Dr Tompkins' other tertiary qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Toronto and masters from the University of Waterloo.
In addition to this project, Dr Tompkins is also analysing the socio-political context of Australian and Canadian theatre.
- Dr Joanne Tompkins www.uq.edu.au/uqresearchers/researcher/tompkinsje.html
