Marginalised theatre practices in Brazil and United Kingdom

Despite distant geographical positions, Brazil and Britain share similarities in how theatre and performance are historically categorised. Cultural and academic attention has privileged Shakespeare and traditional theatre in the UK at risk of undervaluing genres such as street theatre, music hall and musical theatre, fringe and alternative theatre.

Dominant theatre categories in Brazil, established largely under European influence, similarly overlook performance practices and influences intersecting with diasporic postcolonial legacies including indigenous practices, circus, music theatre, and burlettas.

The aim of this cross-Atlantic research project is to identify common gaps, share historiographical methods, and expand current knowledge of previously marginalised performance practices and traditions. Outcomes benefiting students, staff and the general public include a series of lectures and seminars, research meetings and workshops, open-access reports, as well as academic publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Dr Grant Peterson - Since joining Brunel University in 2013, Dr. Grant Peterson has served in roles ranging from Programme Lead and Admissions Tutor to Associate Dean (Student Experience) for the College of Business, Arts, and Social Sciences. He is a co-leader of the Human Rights, Arts, and Society Research Group, and his academic interests span British alternative theatre histories, interventionist street theatre, musical theatre studies, intersections of gender and sexuality, and pedagogy in the creative arts. Dr. Peterson is an active researcher and supervisor, guiding postgraduate students in innovative areas of performance and politics. His current projects include a monograph on historical and contemporary interventionist street theatre practices in England and an article for Contemporary Theatre Review titled ‘AI Will Reprise Us: Performance and Recasting the Academy’, exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on theatre and academia. Recently, he was the first supervisor to Ariel Whitfield Sobel, whose thesis, ‘The Actor, The Audience, and The Spy: Tracing Actor Training Methodologies within Twentieth-Century Espionage Practice and Performance’, received the Vice Chancellor's Prize for Excellent Research. He has also co-authored articles with undergraduate students, including ‘Harmonising Neurodiversity in Musical Theatre Training: A Teacher-Student Dialogue’ for Theatre, Dance and Performance Training. Dr. Peterson co-founded and led the development of Brunel’s musical theatre subject strand and degree pathway courses where graduates have progressed to advanced training at prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Several have also established successful careers in acting and musical theatre on professional stages and the West End as well as in the education sector. Prior to academia, Dr. Peterson enjoyed a two-decade career as a performer across theatre, musical theatre, television, and commercials in Southern California. His accolades include the Los Angeles Backstage Garland Award for Best Actor for his performance in the West Coast premiere of Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun (2003) which also received LA Weekly awards for best production. Dr. Peterson's autobiographical one-man show, Performing Cancer (2011-12), chronicled his personal experience with a stage IV rare cancer and his journey through the healthcare systems of both the UK and US. The performance was showcased at the Bath Fringe Festival and academic conferences, demonstrating arts practice as a means of exploring resilience during the challenges of complex medical care. Dr. Peterson’s teaching and research focus on: British alternative theatre histories Interventionist street theatre Performance and politics Gender and sexuality Digital humanities and AI Pedagogy, inclusion and the creative arts Musical theatre studies

Partnering with confidence

Organisations interested in our research can partner with us with confidence backed by an external and independent benchmark: The Knowledge Exchange Framework. Read more.

Project last modified 28/11/2023