Theatre, performing arts and music research

Home to a diverse group of collaborative researchers and an energetic and creative community of doctoral students

A dynamic and ‘Internationally Excellent’ research environment producing ‘World Leading’ Impact (100% 4&3* REF 2021) and with expertise in computer music and composition, actor and performer training, applied theatre, creative computing and emergent technologies, immersive play and production. We are interested transformative research that redefines fields and changes lives for the better.

Home to a diverse group of collaborative researchers and an energetic and creative community of doctoral students, this group conducts research together with major partners including Theatre Royal Plymouth and Spotify as well as national organisations and charities such as St Luke’s Hospice and The Alzheimer’s Society and receives project-funded from councils including the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Research highlights

Music of the mind
VIDEO: Making music with brain signals to improve the quality of life of severely motor-impaired individuals, Professor Eduardo Miranda.

Mythogeography
VIDEO: Dr Phil Smith re-imagining spaces and changing perspectives through performance practices

Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR)
ICCMR develops research combining music, science and technology with research expertise ranging from musicology and composition, to biomedical applications of music and development of new technologies for musical creativity

Florentis
VIDEO: A new artistic research screen dance by Ruth Way and Russell Frampton, arising from intergenerational somatic movement practice.

Training for performance
VIDEO: Dr John Matthews talks about his interest in training for performance; the philosophy and ideology of training and generating a philosophical account of what performance training is

Unconventional computing
VIDEO: Dr Ed Braund talks about his research interests in developing new types of computing systems to work with audio and music.

Our researchers

Dr Nuria Bonet

Lecturer in Music
Dr Edward Braund

Deputy Head of School
Dr Alex Cahill

Lecturer in Theatre and Performance
Dr Alexis Kirke

Senior Research Fellow
Dr John Matthews

Associate Head of School for Theatre, Dance, Music, Creative Writing, English
Professor Eduardo Miranda

Professor in Computer Music
Mr Jon Nash

Associate Lecturer
Dr Phil Smith

Associate Professor (Reader)
Mrs Ruth Way

Associate Professor in Theatre and Performance