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Emeritus Professor Joanne Tompkins
Emeritus Professor

Joanne Tompkins

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Phone: 
+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

21 - 40 of 74 works

2011

Conference Publication

The use of virtual reality models in capturing the spatiality of early modern venues

Tompkins, Joanne (2011). The use of virtual reality models in capturing the spatiality of early modern venues. 9th World Shakespeare Congress 2011, Prague, Czech Republic, 17-22 July, 2011.

The use of virtual reality models in capturing the spatiality of early modern venues

2010

Journal Article

'Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar': Australian theatre blogging practice

Harvey, Neal, Grehan, Helena and Tompkins, Joanne (2010). 'Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar': Australian theatre blogging practice. Contemporary Theatre Review, 20 (1), 109-119. doi: 10.1080/10486800903225626

'Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar': Australian theatre blogging practice

2010

Book Chapter

Spatiality and contaminated land: Staging Maralinga

Tompkins, Joanne (2010). Spatiality and contaminated land: Staging Maralinga. Halfway house the poetics of Australian spaces. (pp. 310-319) edited by Jennifer Rutherford and Barbara Holloway. Crawley, W.A., Australia: UWA.

Spatiality and contaminated land: Staging Maralinga

2010

Book Chapter

Balancing the 'Local' and the 'Global' in theatre for the international stage: The stage adaptation of David Malouf's Johnno

Tompkins, Joanne (2010). Balancing the 'Local' and the 'Global' in theatre for the international stage: The stage adaptation of David Malouf's Johnno. The local meets the global in performance. (pp. 81-98) edited by Pirkko Koski and Melissa Sihra. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Balancing the 'Local' and the 'Global' in theatre for the international stage: The stage adaptation of David Malouf's Johnno

2010

Journal Article

The politics of locating Othello in Finland

Tomkins, Joanne (2010). The politics of locating Othello in Finland. Nordic Theatre Studies, 22, 20-29.

The politics of locating Othello in Finland

2009

Journal Article

Staging International Feminisms. Edited by Elaine Aston and Sue-Ellen Case

Tompkins, Joanne E. (2009). Staging International Feminisms. Edited by Elaine Aston and Sue-Ellen Case. Contemporary Theatre Review, 19 (1 Special Issue: The Broadway Musical: New Approaches), 118-119. doi: 10.1080/10486800802556444

Staging International Feminisms. Edited by Elaine Aston and Sue-Ellen Case

2009

Journal Article

Urban entanglements in three African Canadian plays: Lorena Gale's Angelique, George Boyd's Consecrated Ground, and Andrew Moodie's Riot

Tompkins, Joanne (2009). Urban entanglements in three African Canadian plays: Lorena Gale's Angelique, George Boyd's Consecrated Ground, and Andrew Moodie's Riot. Theatre Research in Canada, 30 (1-2), 17-36.

Urban entanglements in three African Canadian plays: Lorena Gale's Angelique, George Boyd's Consecrated Ground, and Andrew Moodie's Riot

2009

Journal Article

Review: Impact of the Modern: Vernacular Modernities in Australia 1870s-1960s edited by Robert Dixon and Veronica Kelly

Tompkins, Joanne (2009). Review: Impact of the Modern: Vernacular Modernities in Australia 1870s-1960s edited by Robert Dixon and Veronica Kelly. Contemporary Theatre Review, 19 (3), 372-374. doi: 10.1080/10486800903000151

Review: Impact of the Modern: Vernacular Modernities in Australia 1870s-1960s edited by Robert Dixon and Veronica Kelly

2009

Book Chapter

Staging the imagined city in Australian theatre

Tompkins, Joanne (2009). Staging the imagined city in Australian theatre. Performance and the city. (pp. 187-203) edited by D. J. Hopkins, Shelley Orr and Kim Solga. UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Staging the imagined city in Australian theatre

2009

Book Chapter

AusStage: From database of performing arts to a performing database of the arts

Harvey, Neal, Grehan, Helena and Tompkins, Joanne (2009). AusStage: From database of performing arts to a performing database of the arts. Resourceful reading: The new empiricism, eResearch and Australian literary culture. (pp. 325-333) edited by Katherine Bode and Robert Dixon. Sydney, Australia: Sydney University Press.

AusStage: From database of performing arts to a performing database of the arts

2009

Conference Publication

Using virtual reality modelling in cultural management, archiving and research

Tompkins, Joanne and Delbridge, Matt (2009). Using virtual reality modelling in cultural management, archiving and research. EVA 2009 London Conference, London, UK, 6-8 July 2009. Swindon, UK: British Informatics Society.

Using virtual reality modelling in cultural management, archiving and research

2009

Conference Publication

BoF: AusStage and the Aus-e-Stage Project: Collaborative eResearch in the performing arts

Tompkins, Joanne and Erskine, Shona (2009). BoF: AusStage and the Aus-e-Stage Project: Collaborative eResearch in the performing arts. eResearch Australasia 2009, Sydney, Australia, 9 - 13 November, 2009. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: The University of Queensland.

BoF: AusStage and the Aus-e-Stage Project: Collaborative eResearch in the performing arts

2009

Conference Publication

Virtual recreations of historical theatres: How VR meets theatre history

Tompkins, Joanne (2009). Virtual recreations of historical theatres: How VR meets theatre history. eResearch Australasia 2009, Sydney, Australia, 9 - 13 November 2009. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: The University of Queensland.

Virtual recreations of historical theatres: How VR meets theatre history

2009

Journal Article

The politics of location in Othello, Djanet Sears's Harlem Duet, and Ong Keng Sen's Desdemona

Tompkins, Joanne (2009). The politics of location in Othello, Djanet Sears's Harlem Duet, and Ong Keng Sen's Desdemona. Contemporary Theatre Review, 19 (3), 269-278. doi: 10.1080/10486800902985881

The politics of location in Othello, Djanet Sears's Harlem Duet, and Ong Keng Sen's Desdemona

2008

Journal Article

Adapting Australian novels for the stage: La Boite Theatre's versions of Last Drinks, Perfect Skin, and Johnno

Tompkins, Joanne (2008). Adapting Australian novels for the stage: La Boite Theatre's versions of Last Drinks, Perfect Skin, and Johnno. Australian Literary Studies, 23 (3), 305-317.

Adapting Australian novels for the stage: La Boite Theatre's versions of Last Drinks, Perfect Skin, and Johnno

2008

Book Chapter

Landscapes and Soundscapes in Noelle Janaczewska's Theatre

Tompkins, Joanne (2008). Landscapes and Soundscapes in Noelle Janaczewska's Theatre. Songket; This territory/two plays by Noëlle Janaczewska. (pp. ix-xiv) edited by Noelle Janaczewska. Strawberry Hills, Sydney, N.S.W: Currency Press.

Landscapes and Soundscapes in Noelle Janaczewska's Theatre

2007

Book Chapter

Performing history's unsettlement

Tompkins, Joanne (2007). Performing history's unsettlement. Critical theory and performance. (pp. 71-84) edited by J. Reinelt and J. Roach. Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.: The University of Michigan Press.

Performing history's unsettlement

2007

Journal Article

Review: Staging social welfare

Tompkins, Joanne (2007). Review: Staging social welfare. Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review (193), 112-115.

Review: Staging social welfare

2006

Journal Article

Remember the nation: Lorena Gale's Je me souviens

Tompkins, J. E. (2006). Remember the nation: Lorena Gale's Je me souviens. Canadian Theatre Review, 125, 56-61.

Remember the nation: Lorena Gale's Je me souviens

2006

Book Chapter

The Shape of a Life: Constructing the ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ in Joan MacLeod’s The Shape of a Girl and Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef’s A Line in the Sand

Tompkins, Joanne (2006). The Shape of a Life: Constructing the ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ in Joan MacLeod’s The Shape of a Girl and Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef’s A Line in the Sand. Theatre and autobiography: Writing and Performing Lives in Theory and Practice. (pp. 124-136) edited by Sherrill Grace and Jerry Wasserman. Penticton, British Columbia: Talonbooks.

The Shape of a Life: Constructing the ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ in Joan MacLeod’s The Shape of a Girl and Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef’s A Line in the Sand

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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