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Dr Emma Cole
Dr

Emma Cole

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Phone: 
+61 7 336 53246

Overview

Background

Emma is Director of the Research Centre in Creative Arts and Human Flourishing, and Senior Lecturer in Drama at UQ.

Emma is a dramaturg, classicist, and a theatre and performance studies scholar. She works across industry and academia, with particular expertise in the performance of Greek tragedy in contemporary theatre. She has received funding from the Australian Research Council for her work on tragedy and translation, and from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK for her work with British theatre company Punchdrunk. Her monograph Punchdrunk on the Classics: Experiencing Immersion in The Burnt City and Beyond showcased the research emerging from her work with Punchdrunk and was awarded the 2024 ADSA Rob Jordan Prize for best book on a subject related to drama, theatre, dance or performance studies. Her collaboration with Punchdrunk on The Burnt City was profiled in the New York Times here.

Emma's current research projects include an edited collection titled Experiencing Immersion in Antiquity and Modernity: From Narrative to Virtual Reality (Bloomsbury) and an invited chapter on dance, immersivity, and translation in Punchdrunk's The Burnt City. She is also working on her own translations of Euripides' final trilogy: Bacchae, Iphigenia at Aulis, and Alcmaeon in Corinth.

Her previous publications encompass both classics and theatre and performance studies outputs, and include studies of plays, playwrights, and directors. Highlights include a student edition of Women of Troy (2024), a co-edited special issue of Contemporary Theatre Review on the director Simon Stone, the book Postdramatic Tragedies (OUP, 2019), and the co-edited collection Adapting Translation for the Stage (with Geraldine Brodie, for Routledge's Advances in Theatre and Performance Studies series, shortlisted for the 2019 TaPRA prize for editing), as well as articles and chapters on Punchdrunk, Sarah Kane, Martin Crimp, and Katie Mitchell. Her pieces for a general audience have appeared in popular publications including The Theatre Times, The Conversation, and Exeunt Magazine. Dictionary and encyclopedia entries include the 'drama, reception of' entry for the Oxford Classical Dictionary, and 'Ancient Greek Drama in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Century' in the Methuen Drama Encyclopedia of Modern Theatre (forthcoming).

Emma is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Historical Society, and a UQ Ally. She joined the University of Queensland in 2023. Prior to this, she worked at the University of Bristol from 2015-2023.

Availability

Dr Emma Cole is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Sydney
  • Masters (Coursework) of Classics, University College London
  • Doctoral (Research) of Classics, University College London

Research impacts

Emma's research into the reception of tragedy in contemporary theatre has inspired and informed new theatre productions, while deepening artists’, practitioners’, and audiences’ understanding of ancient tragedy. Her collaborations with artists have included work on two productions with the UK's leading immersive theatre company, Punchdrunk, on Kabeiroi (2017, for which demand for tickets far surpassed capacity and led to tickets being purchased only through a lottery system) and The Burnt City (2022-23, the season for which extended twice and for which over 200, 000 tickets were sold), as well as with the Australian playwright Tom Holloway on the original trilogy Medea in Exile. Her work on these projects reveals research impact upon companies and artists, leading to the co-production of new cultural artefacts and shaping the creative process in theatre.

Alongside working on these productions, She has created educational impact through interactive engagements with theatre audiences and schools, changing the public’s perceptions of ancient drama. Through collaborations with the Gate Theatre Notting Hill on post-show events (Iphigenia Quartet, 2016, and Medea, 2015), Theatre Ad Infinitum (Beautiful Evil Things, 2022), and Queensland Theatre (Medea, 2024) she has widened access to research and enhanced audience understanding surrounding the classics in contemporary theatre.

Her expertise on knowledge exchange and the creative industries has led to research impacts on approaches to academic/artistic collaboration. Between 2019-2020 she curated a seminar series on the topic, and in 2021 she published the open-access article 'Knowledge Exchange and the Creative Industries: A Reflective Commentary on Current Practice'.

Works

Search Professor Emma Cole’s works on UQ eSpace

32 works between 2015 and 2025

1 - 20 of 32 works

2025

Conference Publication

Tragedy, translation, and fragmentation

Cole, Emma (2025). Tragedy, translation, and fragmentation. International Federation of Theatre Research, Cologne, Germany, 9-13 June 2025.

Tragedy, translation, and fragmentation

2025

Conference Publication

The future of the fragment

Cole, Emma (2025). The future of the fragment. Translations and Transformations: Thinking with the Ancients, Crawley, WA Australia, 23-24 April 2025.

The future of the fragment

2025

Book Chapter

ANTIQUITY AND IMMERSIVITY: AN INTRODUCTION

Cole, Emma (2025). ANTIQUITY AND IMMERSIVITY: AN INTRODUCTION. Experiencing Immersion in Antiquity and Modernity: From Narrative to Virtual Reality. (pp. 1-14) Bloomsbury Publishing Plc..

ANTIQUITY AND IMMERSIVITY: AN INTRODUCTION

2025

Book

EXPERIENCING IMMERSION IN ANTIQUITY AND MODERNITY: FROM NARRATIVE TO VIRTUAL REALITY

Cole, Emma (2025). EXPERIENCING IMMERSION IN ANTIQUITY AND MODERNITY: FROM NARRATIVE TO VIRTUAL REALITY. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.. doi: 10.5040/9781350419124

EXPERIENCING IMMERSION IN ANTIQUITY AND MODERNITY: FROM NARRATIVE TO VIRTUAL REALITY

2025

Book Chapter

Dance, immersivity, and translation in Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City

Cole, Emma (2025). Dance, immersivity, and translation in Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City. Translation in the Performing Arts: Embodiment, Materiality, and Inclusion. (pp. 39-54) Taylor and Francis. doi: 10.4324/9781003335573-4

Dance, immersivity, and translation in Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City

2024

Conference Publication

Innovation and classical reception in contemporary artistic practice

Cole, Emma (2024). Innovation and classical reception in contemporary artistic practice. Enacting Innovation: Science and Technology in Performance, Canberra, ACT Australia, 6 October 2024.

Innovation and classical reception in contemporary artistic practice

2024

Book

The women of Troy

Emma Cole ed. (2024). The women of Troy. London, United Kingdom: Methuen Drama.

The women of Troy

2024

Journal Article

The Apolline, the Dionysiac, and spectatorship in Punchdrunk’s masked performances

Cole, Emma (2024). The Apolline, the Dionysiac, and spectatorship in Punchdrunk’s masked performances. Contemporary Theatre Review, 34 (2), 170-186. doi: 10.1080/10486801.2024.2334244

The Apolline, the Dionysiac, and spectatorship in Punchdrunk’s masked performances

2024

Journal Article

Introduction: Simon Stone and Company

Cole, Emma and Hay, Chris (2024). Introduction: Simon Stone and Company. Contemporary Theatre Review, 34 (1), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/10486801.2024.2320525

Introduction: Simon Stone and Company

2024

Conference Publication

Experiencing Immersion from Antiquity to Modernity

Cole, Emma (2024). Experiencing Immersion from Antiquity to Modernity. Australasian Society for Classical Studies Annual Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 12-15 Feburary 2024.

Experiencing Immersion from Antiquity to Modernity

2023

Book

Punchdrunk on the classics: experiencing immersion in The burnt city and beyond

Cole, Emma (2023). Punchdrunk on the classics: experiencing immersion in The burnt city and beyond. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-43067-1

Punchdrunk on the classics: experiencing immersion in The burnt city and beyond

2023

Conference Publication

Spectator Participation-as-Research for archiving the Creation and Experience of Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City

Cole, Emma (2023). Spectator Participation-as-Research for archiving the Creation and Experience of Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City. Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama, and Performance Studies (ADSA) Annual Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 27 November-1 December 2023.

Spectator Participation-as-Research for archiving the Creation and Experience of Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City

2022

Other Outputs

The Burnt City

Cole, Emma (Dramaturg), Barrett, Felix and Doyle, Maxine (2022). The Burnt City. London, United Kingdom: Punchdrunk.

The Burnt City

2022

Conference Publication

Rehearsal observation and Spectator-Participation-as-Research in Punchdrunk's The Burnt City

Cole, Emma (2022). Rehearsal observation and Spectator-Participation-as-Research in Punchdrunk's The Burnt City. Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA) annual conference, Exeter, United Kingdom, 12-14 September 2022.

Rehearsal observation and Spectator-Participation-as-Research in Punchdrunk's The Burnt City

2021

Journal Article

Correction to: Fragments, Immersivity, and Reception: Punchdrunk on Aeschylus’ Kabeiroi (International Journal of the Classical Tradition, (2021), 28, 4, (510-525), 10.1007/s12138-020-00578-9)

Cole, Emma (2021). Correction to: Fragments, Immersivity, and Reception: Punchdrunk on Aeschylus’ Kabeiroi (International Journal of the Classical Tradition, (2021), 28, 4, (510-525), 10.1007/s12138-020-00578-9). International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 28 (4), 526-526. doi: 10.1007/s12138-021-00596-1

Correction to: Fragments, Immersivity, and Reception: Punchdrunk on Aeschylus’ Kabeiroi (International Journal of the Classical Tradition, (2021), 28, 4, (510-525), 10.1007/s12138-020-00578-9)

2021

Journal Article

Fragments, immersivity, and reception: Punchdrunk on Aeschylus’ Kabeiroi

Cole, Emma (2021). Fragments, immersivity, and reception: Punchdrunk on Aeschylus’ Kabeiroi. International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 28 (4), 510-525. doi: 10.1007/s12138-020-00578-9

Fragments, immersivity, and reception: Punchdrunk on Aeschylus’ Kabeiroi

2021

Journal Article

Knowledge exchange and the creative industries: A reflective commentary on current practice

Cole, Emma (2021). Knowledge exchange and the creative industries: A reflective commentary on current practice. Research for All, 5 (2), 194-204. doi: 10.14324/rfa.05.2.02

Knowledge exchange and the creative industries: A reflective commentary on current practice

2020

Book Chapter

Drama, reception of

Cole, Emma (2020). Drama, reception of. Oxford classical dictionary. (pp. 1-18) Oxford Classical Dictionary: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.8068

Drama, reception of

2020

Journal Article

Review of: Shane Butler (ed.), Deep classics: rethinking classical reception, London-New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016, ix+347 pp., $34.95 (pb), ISBN 978-1-4742-6051-0

Cole, Emma (2020). Review of: Shane Butler (ed.), Deep classics: rethinking classical reception, London-New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016, ix+347 pp., $34.95 (pb), ISBN 978-1-4742-6051-0. Exemplaria Classica, 24, 459-460. doi: 10.33776/ec.v24i0.5022

Review of: Shane Butler (ed.), Deep classics: rethinking classical reception, London-New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016, ix+347 pp., $34.95 (pb), ISBN 978-1-4742-6051-0

2019

Book

Postdramatic tragedies

Cole, Emma (2019). Postdramatic tragedies. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198817680.001.0001

Postdramatic tragedies

Funding

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2028
    Gender, Translation, and ancient Greek tragedy
    ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Emma Cole is:
Available for supervision

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

Available projects

Supervision history

Current supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Dr Emma Cole directly for media enquiries about:

  • Aeschylus
  • Classics
  • Contemporary theatre
  • Euripides
  • Greek Tragedy
  • Immersive theatre
  • Punchdrunk
  • Sophocles

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