Staff Profile
Career Summary
Biography
Originally from New Zealand, I relocated to Sydney to do undergraduate studies at the University of New South Wales and a subsequent three-year Diploma of Acting (1984). I spent many years working as a performance collaborator and performer including a decade with the Sydney-based performance group, The Cahoots Company whose creative output included theatre works as well as indoor and outdoor performance works for museums, festivals, public authorities, and high school audiences. My interest in dance led me to Spain where I studied Flamenco dance (1985) and upon returning to Australia I continued dance studies and performance for a further decade. My practical experience of contemporary live performance and industry practice also extends to the music industry where I worked for almost seven years developing an understanding of all aspects of the contemporary music industry. During that time I worked for six years as editor of the AustralAsian Music Industry Directory and three years as the editor of the Australian Sports Industry Directory. In 2003 I completed a practie-led-research Master of Creative Arts that focussed on the neutral mask and its pedagogical worth to performers, and in 2007 I completed a PhD thesis about the FitzGerald Brothers' Circus, the largest circus working throughout Australasia at the close of the nineteenth century. My contribution to the emerging field of Circus Studies is demonstrated through journal articles, conference presentations, and book chapters whilst my contribution to the newly emerging field of Popular Entertainments is demonstrated in my co-editorship of the peer reviewed academic journal Popular Entertainment Studies, contribution to related conferences (both as convenor and as presenter), and the recently published book A World of Popular Entertainments (Cambridge Scholars, 2012) which I co-edited. In 2008 I received a Strategic Pilot Grant to investigate the role of children in the entertainment industry. That research trajectory has drawn me into a global network of researchers currently contributing to an edited volume for release in 2014 by Palgrave Macmillan, Children and Entertainment: the participation of youth in the entertainment industry (G. Arrighi and V. Emeljanow, eds.). A subsequent external ARC grant for the e-Research project AusStage: Gateway to the Australian Performing Arts has enabled me to develop research in the e-Humanities within a research network that includes researchers from 18 different Australian Universities. In 2011 I was invited to join the prestigious Emerging Research Leaders Programme at UoN (2011-2012). My current publishing project is the book, Shaping Nationhood, concerning circus in Australasia in the late-nineteenth century, which will be released in March 2014.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Newcastle, 18/12/2007
- Master of Creative Arts, University of Newcastle, 05/03/2004
Research
Research keywords
- Animals and performance
- Children in entertainment
- Circus studies
- Performer pedagogies
- Popular entertainments
- Social circus and community health
Research expertise
Circus Studies; Popular Entertainment Studies (Victorian and Edwardian eras, particularly in Australia and New Zealand); Childhood Studies.
Whilst much of my work is grounded in archival research it also extends to the cultural and political contexts for the cultural productions at the centre of my investigations. This research interest led to my PhD thesis concerning the largest circus working in Australia and New Zealand during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, from which subsequent research into the use of animals in performance, and into the contribution of children to the entertainment industry has since developed.
Role play and simulation education in interdisciplinary education contexts; improvisation and play as pedagogical paradigms for creative production; masks as a pedagogical paradigm for the gestural and physical training of performers.
Languages
- English
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 190404 | Drama, Theatre And Performance Studies | 80 |
| 080799 | Library And Information Studies Not Elsewhere Classified | 20 |
Memberships
Committee/Associations (relevant to research).
- Member - Australasian Association for Theatre Drama and Performance Studies
- Member - International Federation for Theatre Research
- Member - Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association
- Member - American Society For Theatre Research
Editorial Board.
- Member - Associate editor, Popular Entertainment Studies e-Journal
Appointments
| RHD Convenor, Creative and Performing Arts University of Newcastle (Australia) | 01/01/2013 |
| Conference Co-Convenor 'Another World of Popular Entertainments' International Conference (Australia) | 01/01/2012 - 01/06/2013 |
| RHD and Hons convenor, Creative and Performing Arts (Callaghan and Ourimbah) University of Newcastle (Australia) | 01/02/2012 - 01/03/2013 |
| Discipline Convenor, Drama (Callaghan) University of Newcastle (Australia) | 01/07/2011 - 01/12/2011 |
| Visiting Fellow, University of Warwick, UK Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Warwick, UK (Australia) | 01/05/2011 - 01/07/2011 |
| Chair, Research Training Committee, School of Drama, Fine Art and Music University of Newcastle (Australia) | 01/06/2010 - 01/12/2010 |
| ADSA Secretary Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama, and Performance Studies (Australia) | 01/07/2010 - 01/07/2012 |
| Executive Board Member Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies (Australia) | 01/07/2009 |
| Conference Co-Convenor 'A World of Popular Entertainments' International Conference (Australia) | 01/09/2008 - 01/06/2009 |
Awards
Research Award.
| 2013 | Mid Career Research Fellowship University of Newcastle (Australia) Faculty of Education and Arts, Research Fellowship |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Australian Post Graduate Award, PhD Scholarship University of Newcastle (Australia) APA Doctoral Scholarship |
Invitations
| Macquarie University Macquarie University, Australia (External Examiner.) | 2012 |
| New Directions in Circus Research, Cente for Creative Arts, La Trobe University La Trobe University and ACAPTA, Australia (Invited Presenter) | 2011 |
| University of Toronto, Faculty of Physical Education and Health Univesity of Toronto, Canada (Invited Presenter) | 2011 |
| University of British Columbia, Dept of Theatre and Film University of British Columbia, Canada (Invited Presenter) | 2011 |
| American Society for Theatre Research ASTR, United States (Conference Presentation - non published.) | 2011 |
| Victorian Arts Centre: Entertaining children; children's employment in the entertainment industry, Australia, Britain and New Zealand, 1885-1920 Victorian Arts Centre, Australia (Keynote Address) | 2011 |
| IFTR, Osaka, Japan IFTR, Japan (Conference Presentation - non published.) | 2011 |
| Politics, Performance and Popular Culture in Nineteenth-Century Britain Lancaster and Birmingham Universities, United Kingdom (Conference Presentation - non published.) | 2011 |
| University of Warwick, UK, Theatre and Performance Studies University of Warwick, UK, United Kingdom (Invited Presenter) | 2011 |
Collaboration
My collaborative research interests span performance history and historiography (Circus studies, Childhood studies, Popular Entertainments); the application of performance within interdisciplinary contexts; and e-research.
Performance histories: A research initiative into the contribution of children to the transnational entertainment industries of the UK and Australasia was commenced in late-2008 with Emeritus Professor Victor Emeljanow and is ongoing.
Applied performance: Two UoN Teaching and Learning Research Project Grants (2012, $10,000 and 2013 $10,000) are funding creative practice-led research into role-play simulation and professional communication with an interdisciplinary team of researchers drawn from Creative and Performing Arts, Pharmacy, Nursing and Midwifery, Communications, Occupational Therapy, and Physiotherapy.
E-Research: AusStage: Gateway to the Australian Performing Arts. During the current ARC LIEF-funded phase four, researchers in Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Newcastle (Callaghan) are trialling visualisation and mapping outcomes for their research into live performance in the greater Hunter region (with Assoc Prof David Watt).
Administrative
Administrative expertise
RHD convenor, Creative and Performing Arts, 2013
Hons and RHD convenor, Creative and Performing Arts, Callaghan and Ourimbah, 2012
Discipline convenor, Drama, Callaghan, 2011
Honours and RHD convenor, Drama, 2010-2011
Chair, Research Training Committee, School of Drama, Fine Art and Music, 2010
Teaching
Teaching keywords
- Australian performance histories
- Contemporary performance practice
- Devising performances
- Masks in training and performance
- Performance and intermediality
- Performer pedagogies (Meyerhold, Lecoq, Copeau, Leigh, Stanislavski)
- Popular entertainments
- Theatre, Drama and Peformance Studies
Teaching expertise
Contemporary performance and new media technologies.
Devising performance.
Contemporary performance practice.
Popular entertainments.
Australian performance histories.
Performer pedagogies (Stanislavski, Meyerhold, Lecoq, Copeau, Leigh).
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 11 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $75,566 |
For project grants received where the lead institution is other than the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics.
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
2013 (3 grants)
AusStage, Phase 5: researching Australian live performance - global markets, national culture, aesthetic transmission and living archives$20,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Professor Julie Holledge, Bollen, Jonathan, McGillivray, glen, Kiernander, Adrian, Carlin, David, D'Cruz, Glenn, Hassall, Nanette, Erskine, Shona, Tait, Peta, Milne, Geoffrey, Casey, Maryrose, Grehan, Helena, Hadley, Bree, Gattenhof, Sandra, Varney, Genise, Doctor Gillian Arrighi, Associate Professor David Watt, Mumford, Meg, Trezise, Bryoni, Tompkins, Joanne, Kelly, Veronica, Trenos, Helen, Hamilton, Margaret, Ryan, Delyse, Stephenson, Peter, O'Sullivan, Sandy, Morgan, Allan, Morgillo, Antonietta, Stone, Richard, Lush, shelley | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Equipment Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $20,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1200135 | ||
American Society for Theatre Research Annual Conference: "The Post Thematic Conference", Dallas Texas, 7-10 November 2013 (Support for Faculty MCR Fellowship)$1,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,500 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1301070 | ||
Re-Routing Performance / Re-Caminant L'Escena, Barcelona 22-26 July 13.$1,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,500 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1300748 | ||
2012 (2 grants)
Emerging Research Leaders Program 2011$15,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Emerging Research Leaders Program | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $15,000 | 2012 | 2012 |
| GNo:G1101028 | ||
International Federation for Theatre Research, "Mediating Performance: Scene, Media et mediation", UC Extension Centre and the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Centre (GAM), Santiago, Chile, 22 - 28 July 201$1,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,500 | 2012 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1200656 | ||
2011 (1 grants)
International Federation for Theatre Research Annual Conference 2011, "Tradition, Innovation, Community, Osaka University, Japan, 7 - 12 August 2011$1,200
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,200 | 2011 | 2012 |
| GNo:G1100654 | ||
2010 (2 grants)
AusStage Phase 4: Harnessing collective intelligence and pioneering new visual methodologies for innovative research into Australian live performance$24,000
Funding Body: ARC (Australian Research Council)
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Professor Julie Holledge, Doctor Gillian Arrighi, Associate Professor David Watt | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF) | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $24,000 | 2010 | 2010 |
| GNo:G1000483 | ||
International Federation for Theatre Research, World Congress "Cultures of Modernity", Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munich, Germany, 25 - 31 July 2010$1,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,500 | 2010 | 2011 |
| GNo:G1000518 | ||
2009 (1 grants)
International Federation for Theatre Research, University of Lisbon, Portugal, 13-17 July 2009$1,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,000 | 2009 | 2009 |
| GNo:G0190329 | ||
2008 (2 grants)
Entertaining children: a fundamental investigation into children's employment in the entertainment industry in Australia, Britain and New Zealand 1885-1920$6,666
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Professor Victor Emeljanow, Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Pilot Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $6,666 | 2008 | 2008 |
| GNo:G0189011 | ||
International Feferation for Theatre Research: 'Re-constructing Asion-ness(es) in the Global Age', Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea, 14/7/2008 - 19/7/2008$1,700
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Gillian Arrighi | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,700 | 2008 | 2008 |
| GNo:G0189138 | ||
Research Supervision
| Number of current supervisions | 4 |
|---|---|
| Total current UoN Masters EFTSL | 1.25 |
| Total current UoN PhD EFTSL | 0.5 |
For supervisions undertaken at an institution other that the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics, and the institution name is listed below the program name.
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Proposed Completion | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2015 | M Philosophy (Drama) | Principal Supervisor | The Actor's Presence: An Investigation into some of the Processes of Screen and Stage Performance |
| 2013 | 2015 | M Philosophy (Drama) | Principal Supervisor | Puppets, Masks and Performing Objects, and the Notion of 'Play' for Young People with Intellectual Disabilities |
| 2012 | 2016 | M Philosophy (Drama) | Principal Supervisor | Nicolai Evreinov and the Investigation of Theatricality |
| 2011 | 2016 | PhD (Drama) | Principal Supervisor | Australian Physical Theatre |
Dr Gillian Arrighi
| Work Phone | (02) 4921 5007 |
|---|---|
| Fax | (02) 4921 6927 |
| Gillian.Arrighi@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Position | Senior Lecturer School of Creative Arts Faculty of Education and Arts |
| Focus Area | Drama |
| Office | SRR212, Social Sciences, Callaghan University Drive Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia |
| URL: | www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/gillian-arrighi |
