Collaboratory Researcher Profiles
Project Title: Nottingham Playhouse as a Theatre of Sanctuary: Exploring the benefits of creative programmes for refugee and asylum seeking communities
What were you doing before starting this PhD?
Before beginning my PhD, I was working as a Development Officer on a public health commissioned project, managing volunteers and growing the project across two districts of Derbyshire. Most of my background is in delivery roles in the third sector, usually related to health and wellbeing. I completed my MA part time to develop my academic confidence and exposure to interdisciplinary thinking. This was a silver lining of the covid pandemic for me: I was working with care homes at the time, and so was furloughed from one of my jobs. The move to remote learning gave me the chance to fit masters study into my life, and this process cemented my passion for chasing down the answers to tricky questions! I had some health challenges after my masters and have spent a couple of years learning to manage these before taking this big next step.
What motivated you to apply for this specific PhD project?
So many things! I studied English and Theatre at undergrad, and have a lifelong passion for the benefits and social functions of the arts. More recently, I’ve felt confronted by societal division, particularly the growing prevalence of racism and anti-refugee rhetoric. This is a very live issue in the community I live in, and I’ve become active in anti-racist and refugee support work in the past few years. I’m really troubled by the lack of safe space for discourse on this issue: it’s become very fraught and personal. I see the potential for the arts to foster empathy and understanding, as well as to give voice to minoritised groups and support wellbeing. The opportunity to study those potentials is a huge privilege.
What difference do you hope to make in Nottingham through this research?
I hope to contribute to making our local communities feel safer and more welcoming for everyone in them. That’s a project much bigger than me, and it’s complex, but it’s a joy to be a small part of it.
What do you hope to be doing in 5 years’ time?
More of this type of work. I’m not sure where, yet, but I want to be contributing to thoughtful, nuanced decision making that ensures resources are used in the ways most important to the communities they are supposed to reach. This might be in the public sector, charities, or within academia in teaching and research roles.