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Emeritus Professor Joanne Tompkins
Emeritus Professor

Joanne Tompkins

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+61 7 336 54935

Overview

Background

Professor Joanne Tompkins is currently seconded to the Australian Research Council as Executive Director of the Humanities and Creative Arts panel, for a period of three years (until 2019).

Her research interests include spatial theories and virtual reality; post-colonial, intercultural, and multicultural drama, literature, and theory; performance theories; and feminist performance.

Her current research includes 3D visualisation and modelling of theatre spaces; the spatial theory of heterotopia; space in Australian and Canadian theatre; database of Australian performance; multicultural theories and drama, and intercultural performance.

She is the author of articles on: Spatial theory and virtual reality; post-colonial, multicultural, and intercultural drama and theory; Australian drama and literature and Canadian drama;

She is author of: Theatre’s Heterotopias: Space and the Analysis of Performance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014; and Unsettling Space: Contestations in Contemporary Australian Theatre. Basingstoke: Palgrave/Macmillan, 2006.

She is co-author of: A Global Doll's House: Ibsen and Distant Visions. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016 (with Julie Holledge, Frode Helland and Jonathan Bollen); Women's Intercultural Performance, Routledge, 2000 (with Julie Holledge); and Post-colonial Drama: Theory, Practice, Politics, Routledge, 1996 (with Helen Gilbert).

She is editor of: Theatre Journal, "Space and the Geographics of Theatre," a special issue of Modern Drama, 2004; "Theatre and the Canadian Imaginary," a special issue of Australasian Drama Studies, 1996.

She is co-editor of: Performing Site-Specific Theatre: Politics, Place, Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012 (with Anna Birch); Site-Specificity and Mobility, a Special Issue of Contemporary Theatre Review 2012 (with Anna Birch); Performance and Design, a special issue of Australasian Drama Studies (with Andrew Filmer and Miranda Heckenberg) 2012;Modern Drama: Defining the Field, University of Toronto Press, 2003 (with Ric Knowles and WB Worthen); Modern Drama 1999-2005; Performing Women / Performing Feminisms: Interviews with International Women Playwrights (with Julie Holledge).

Availability

Emeritus Professor Joanne Tompkins is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, University of Toronto
  • Masters (Coursework), University of Waterloo
  • Doctoral Diploma, Queen Mary University of London

Research interests

  • Theatre and Spatiality

    I am interested in the creation and manipulation of imaginative space/locations on stage, and the ways in which architecture contributes to imaginative stage space. I am also interested in the relationship between space on stage and space in the cultural context outside a theatre venue. I describe this through the concept of heterotopia, a development of Kevin Hetherington's formulation of Foucault's version of the term.

  • Theatre and Virtual Reality

    I research the ways in which theatre might engage with virtual reality. I explore this primarily through the redevelopment of historical theatre venues, virtually. These venues are useful to explore architectural structure, how special effects worked, how actors moved and performed on such stages, and how stage properties functioned then.

Research impacts

Professor Tompkins has made a research impact in terms of the development of cultural spaces for theatres, galleries, and museums. Through the Ortelia project (www.ortelia.com), she, in conjunction with two Virtual Reality modellers, has developed tools for managing contemporary cultural venues. There is also the capacity for curating and archiving gallery and museum exhibitions and designing theatre productions. There is also a historical component to the theatre projects: this aspect of Ortelia models early modern theatres from London to investigate how performance was staged then. Ortelia has also developed the capacity to provide the curation of 3D mobile objects for museum exhibitions and for greater investigation by the museum community and by the cultural community from which the objects have emerged.

She is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Queen Mary, University of London (2015).

Works

Search Professor Joanne Tompkins’s works on UQ eSpace

74 works between 1999 and 2021

1 - 20 of 74 works

2021

Journal Article

Putting virtual theatre models to work: ‘virtual praxis’ for performance research in theatre history

Bollen, Jonathan, Holledge, Julie and Tompkins, Joanne (2021). Putting virtual theatre models to work: ‘virtual praxis’ for performance research in theatre history. Theatre and Performance Design, 7 (1-2), 6-23. doi: 10.1080/23322551.2021.1925469

Putting virtual theatre models to work: ‘virtual praxis’ for performance research in theatre history

2020

Journal Article

Roger Clegg, principal investigator, and Eric Tatham, developer. Reconstructing the Rose: 3D Computer Modelling Philip Henslowe’s Playhouse. Other

Tompkins, Joanne (2020). Roger Clegg, principal investigator, and Eric Tatham, developer. Reconstructing the Rose: 3D Computer Modelling Philip Henslowe’s Playhouse. Other. Renaissance and Reformation, 43 (1), 177-180.

Roger Clegg, principal investigator, and Eric Tatham, developer. Reconstructing the Rose: 3D Computer Modelling Philip Henslowe’s Playhouse. Other

2017

Book Chapter

Teaching spatial theory and theatre ‘site-specifically’

Tompkins, Joanne (2017). Teaching spatial theory and theatre ‘site-specifically’. International Performance Research Pedagogies: Towards an Unconditional Discipline?. (pp. 163-174) edited by Sruti Bala, Milija Gluhovic, Hanna Korsberg and Kati Röttger. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-53943-0_12

Teaching spatial theory and theatre ‘site-specifically’

2017

Journal Article

Staging supernatural creatures in a computer-based visualisation of London’s sixteenth-century Rose Theatre

Tompkins, Joanne and Kastanis, Lazaros (2017). Staging supernatural creatures in a computer-based visualisation of London’s sixteenth-century Rose Theatre. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 13 (1), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/14794713.2017.1280306

Staging supernatural creatures in a computer-based visualisation of London’s sixteenth-century Rose Theatre

2016

Book

A global doll's house: Ibsen and distant visions

Holledge, Julie, Bollen, Jonathan, Helland, Frode and Tompkins, Joanne (2016). A global doll's house: Ibsen and distant visions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/978-1-137-43899-7

A global doll's house: Ibsen and distant visions

2015

Journal Article

Editorial comment: possible worlds

Tompkins, Joanne (2015). Editorial comment: possible worlds. Theatre Journal, 67 (2), ix-xi. doi: 10.1353/tj.2015.0036

Editorial comment: possible worlds

2015

Edited Outputs

Contemporary Theatre Review

Contemporary Theatre Review. (2015). 25 (1)

Contemporary Theatre Review

2015

Journal Article

Editing matters: an editorial

Delgado, Maria M. and Tompkins, Joanne (2015). Editing matters: an editorial. Contemporary Theatre Review, 25 (1), 11-16. doi: 10.1080/10486801.2015.1007759

Editing matters: an editorial

2014

Book Chapter

Making the invisible visible: virtual stage props and Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus

Tompkins, Joanne (2014). Making the invisible visible: virtual stage props and Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus. Performing objects and theatrical things. (pp. 161-172) edited by Marlis Schweitzer and Joanne Zerdy. Basingstoke, Hampshire, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9781137402455

Making the invisible visible: virtual stage props and Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus

2014

Book

Theatre's heterotopias: performance and the cultural politics of space

Tompkins, Joanne (2014). Theatre's heterotopias: performance and the cultural politics of space. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9781137362124

Theatre's heterotopias: performance and the cultural politics of space

2013

Journal Article

Ros Merkin, ed. "Liverpool Playhouse: A Theatre and Its City"

Tompkins, Joanne (2013). Ros Merkin, ed. "Liverpool Playhouse: A Theatre and Its City". Modern Drama, 56 (3), 416-417. doi: 10.1353/mdr.2013.0034

Ros Merkin, ed. "Liverpool Playhouse: A Theatre and Its City"

2013

Book Chapter

Noëlle Janaczewska’s twenty-first-century theatre: explorations of Australian cultural constructs and theatrical form

Tompkins, Joanne (2013). Noëlle Janaczewska’s twenty-first-century theatre: explorations of Australian cultural constructs and theatrical form. Catching Australian theatre in the 2000s. (pp. 207-220) edited by Richard Fotheringham and James Smith. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Rodopi.

Noëlle Janaczewska’s twenty-first-century theatre: explorations of Australian cultural constructs and theatrical form

2013

Journal Article

National Performance: Representing Quebec from Expo 67 to Celine Dion. By Erin Hurley.

Tompkins, Joanne (2013). National Performance: Representing Quebec from Expo 67 to Celine Dion. By Erin Hurley.. Theatre Survey, 54 (1), 141-143. doi: 10.1017/S0040557412000452

National Performance: Representing Quebec from Expo 67 to Celine Dion. By Erin Hurley.

2013

Journal Article

Performing ghosts in Australia: Ibsen and an example of Australian cultural translation

Tompkins, Joanne (2013). Performing ghosts in Australia: Ibsen and an example of Australian cultural translation. Ibsen Studies, 13 (1), 2-27. doi: 10.1080/15021866.2013.792663

Performing ghosts in Australia: Ibsen and an example of Australian cultural translation

2012

Journal Article

Theatre's heterotopia and the site-specific production of Suitcase

Tompkins, Joanne (2012). Theatre's heterotopia and the site-specific production of Suitcase. TDR, 56 (2), 101-112. doi: 10.1162/DRAM_a_00169

Theatre's heterotopia and the site-specific production of Suitcase

2012

Edited Outputs

Contemporary Theatre Review

Contemporary Theatre Review. (2012). 22 (2)

Contemporary Theatre Review

2012

Book

Performing site-specific theatre: politics, place, practice

Anna Birch and Joanne Tompkins eds. (2012). Performing site-specific theatre: politics, place, practice. Performance Interventions, Hampshire, U. K.: Palgrave Macmillan.

Performing site-specific theatre: politics, place, practice

2012

Book Chapter

The 'Place' and practice of site-specific theatre and performance

Tompkins, Joanne (2012). The 'Place' and practice of site-specific theatre and performance. Performing site-specific theatre: politics, place, practice. (pp. 1-17) edited by Anna Birch and Joanne Tompkins. Houndmills, Basingstoke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9781137283498

The 'Place' and practice of site-specific theatre and performance

2012

Book Chapter

Reproduction, mediation, and experience : virtual reality, motion capture and early modern theatre

Delbridge, Matthew and Tompkins, Joanne (2012). Reproduction, mediation, and experience : virtual reality, motion capture and early modern theatre. SPACE–EVENT–AGENCY–EXPERIENCE: open access epublication of the DREX Project Centre for Practice as Research in Theatre. (pp. 56-65) Tampere, Finland: University of Tampere.

Reproduction, mediation, and experience : virtual reality, motion capture and early modern theatre

2011

Journal Article

Site-specific theatre and political engagement across space and time: The psychogeographic mapping of British Petroleum in Platform's And While London Burns

Tompkins, Joanne (2011). Site-specific theatre and political engagement across space and time: The psychogeographic mapping of British Petroleum in Platform's And While London Burns. Theatre Journal, 63 (2), 225-243. doi: 10.1353/tj.2011.0048

Site-specific theatre and political engagement across space and time: The psychogeographic mapping of British Petroleum in Platform's And While London Burns

Funding

Past funding

  • 2017 - 2018
    AusStage Phase 6 Visualising Venues in Australian Live Performance Research (ARC LIEF grant administered by Flinders University)
    Flinders University
    Open grant
  • 2015
    The Queen's theatre project: Recreating cultural heritage and reclaiming historical performance through 3D visualisation
    UQ Collaboration and Industry Engagement Fund - FirstLink
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    AusStage, Phase 5: Australian live performance and the world - global networks, national culture, aesthetic transmission (ARC LIEF Grant administered by the Flinders University of South Australia)
    Flinders University
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2014
    The AustLit Resource: supporting research in studies of Australian literary and narrative cultures
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2014
    VIMMA: Virtual, Intermedial and Mixed Reality Performance in live Production and Creative Contexts (TEKES grant administered by the University of Tampere)
    University of Tampere
    Open grant
  • 2013
    UQ Travel Awards Category 1 - Professor Maria Delgado
    UQ Travel Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Humanities in the digital age: infrastructure for Australian literary studies, publishing studies, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    The Mobile Museum: Digital 3D objects and participatory design in the Pacific
    UQ Collaboration and Industry Engagement Fund
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Digital humanities practice in Australian literary studies: data development, structural enhancement and open access innovation - Austlit phase 4
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    eResearch Infrastructure for Humanities Scholars: facilitating literary and narratives studies; children's and popular fictions and film/TV studies
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    AusStage Phase 4: Harnessing collective intelligence and pioneering new visual methodologies for innovative research into Australian live performance (ARC LIEF administered by Flinders University)
    ARC LIEF Collaborating/Partner Organisation Contributions
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2010
    AustLit Phase Three: Transforming the study of Australian Literature through a collaborative e-Research environment
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Ibsen Between Cultures: The Australian Experience (ARC Discovery Project administered by Flinders University)
    Flinders University
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2010
    The Local Spaces of Contemporary Brisbane Theatre: A Strategy for Analysing and Interpreting Theatre
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2007
    AusStage: Gateway to Australian live performance, phase 3 - enhancing collaborative research methodologies through digital networking technologies
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2006
    Theatres Online: Achieving Theoretical and Practical Solutions to Problems of Theatre Space via Virtual Reality Computational Modeling
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2001 - 2004
    Analysing Theatre Space: History, Culture, Politics
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards - DVC(R) Funding
    Open grant
  • 2001 - 2003
    An Analysis of Theatrical Space as a Contested Cultural Site in contemporary Australian & Canadian Theatre
    ARC Australian Research Council (Large grants)
    Open grant
  • 2000
    Unstable Spaces: Traces of Maralinga, Nuclear Fallout, and Contamination in Contemporary Australian Theatre.
    ARC Australian Research Council (Small grants)
    Open grant
  • 1998 - 1999
    Intercultural women's performance: crossing cultural boundaries in performance theory and practice
    ARC Australian Research Council (Large grants)
    Open grant
  • 1998
    Staging Multiculturalism: Multicultural Theory, Nationalist Discourses, and Theatre Practice in Australia and Canada
    ARC Australian Research Council (Small grants)
    Open grant
  • 1997
    Post-colonialism, interculturalism and feminist performance
    University of Queensland New Staff Research Grant
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Emeritus Professor Joanne Tompkins is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Theatre

    Among the topics I could supervise are theatre history, theatre theory, and cultural, national, spatial approaches to theatre. I am particularly interested in Australian and Canadian theatre.

  • Digital Humanities and Virtual Reality

    I am interested in topics relating to digital humanities and theatre and VR theatre.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Emeritus Professor Joanne Tompkins directly for media enquiries about:

  • Australian drama
  • Australian fiction
  • Canadian drama and fiction
  • Computer animation of theatre design
  • Cultural space as virtual reality
  • Drama
  • Fiction
  • Intercultural theatre
  • Multicultural theatre
  • Multimedia in theatre
  • Post-colonial drama/theatre
  • Spatial theory - theatre
  • Stage design
  • Theatre stage design
  • Virtual reality - stage design
  • Virtual reality modelling

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