Amy Bonsall writes :
CULTURAL ISSUES IN THE EXCHANGE OF SHAKESPEAREAN THEATRE BETWEEN THE UK AND MALAWI
This is the name of my PhD thesis. I am hoping to start my PhD AT Roehampton University in January 2014, with the support of Bilimankhwe Arts UK and Nanzikambe Arts in Malawi. It is really a whole new area of research and we aim to create a new international theatre research branch for form part of the work of Bilimankhwe Arts. The idea has developed from the very successful production of Romeo and Juliet in 2012, I felt that there was much more to discover in the text than the 3 weeks we had for rehearsal would allow, and we wanted to create a genuinely cross cultural experience for both UK and Malawi audiences. As a director it will be a big shift in my thinking and practise to go back to academia, but it will have a substantial practical element too and the aim is to develop our discoveries into further productions and collaborations as well as writing papers for academic journals and attending conferences.
It is an exciting time for us at Bilimankhwe, while we don’t have any major productions planned for 2013 in particular showcasing the amazing work of South African writer Mike Van Graan, we have smaller projects and we are doing the groundwork for some very exciting productions and co-productions over the next 3 year. Keep checking the website for more details.
We are also beginning the process of adding to our board of trustees, because we are developing and expanding it is very important to have a board who can support us in our work fully and who are diverse in their skill set. Details of new members to be announced soon.
