Claire French

Claire French is a performance maker and researcher, specialising in multilingual, applied and autobiographical performance.

Biography

Born in Australia, she has a degree in Arts Management from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University, a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Notre Dame, an MA in Applied Theatre (distinction), Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London and a PhD in Theatre Studies , University of Warwick from the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies and the Centre for Applied Linguistics.

Currently an early career Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Warwick, Coventry, her professional career has previously included stints as Programme Director at bamBOO Mainstage Amphitheatre, Perth; Communications Director of events and outreach for emerging filmmakers, FilmFestivalLife, Berlin (in partnership with Berlinale Film Festival); Researcher on the Annual Report for participatory video organisation, InsightShare, Oxford; Project Facilitator for the community performance company "Housed" by David Watson, Old Vic New Voices, The Old Vic, London; Research Administrator to Professor Jakelin Troy at the University of Sydney, Department of Linguistics, School of Literature, Art and Media, Sydney and Programme Director at Visible Theatre Ensemble, London.

She has created/published a number of pieces in her field, including projects and articles on the conflux of creative writing and language diversity.

Contribution to South African theatre and performance

Her PhD in Theatre Studies (2015-2019), entitled Methodologies for mobilising languaging: Facilitating dynamic linguistic resources in applied performance praxis (University of Warwick, 2019) is an interdisciplinary methodological investigation into (collaborative) theatremaking in multilingual/multicultural contexts, aimed at examining the role of the collaborating actor’s body in improvisational exercises to disrupt dominant languages. To this end the study utilizes in depth studies of South African examples, notably the work of playwright/creators H.I.E. Dhlomo, Barney Simon, Mandla Mbothwe and Micia de Wet.