The Wickham Theatre is a

studio theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

owned by Bristol University in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was named after Professor

Glynne Wickham Glynne William Gladstone Wickham (15 May 1922–27 January 2004) was a British Shakespearean and theatre scholar. Life Wickham was born in Cape Town, and was the great-grandson of William Ewart Gladstone. He was educated at Winchester College and ...

, founder of the Department of Drama at the university and of university

theatre studies Theatre studies (sometimes referred to as theatrology or dramatics) is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psychobiological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also e ...

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 The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...

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.

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External links

*Wickham Theatre, University of Bristol Drama Dept, Magic shoes of Bristol
University of Bristol Theatre Collection

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

Theatres in Bristol Studio theatres in England University and college theatres in England {{UK-theat-struct-stub

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