Hallie Marshall

Associate Professor

Research Classification

Research Interests

Ancient Greek Theatre
Arts and Cultural Traditions
Classics
Contemporary British Theatre
Cultural Industries
History of the Book
Literary or Artistic Work Dissemination or Reception Contexts
Performance and Theatrical Productions
Poetry
Reception Studies
Religion, Culture and Space
Theatre
Tony Harrison

Relevant Thesis-Based Degree Programs

 
 

Recruitment

Master's students
Doctoral students
Postdoctoral Fellows
Any time / year round

See my areas of research interest.

I support public scholarship, e.g. through the Public Scholars Initiative, and am available to supervise students and Postdocs interested in collaborating with external partners as part of their research.
I support experiential learning experiences, such as internships and work placements, for my graduate students and Postdocs.
I am open to hosting Visiting International Research Students (non-degree, up to 12 months).

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ADVICE AND INSIGHTS FROM UBC FACULTY ON REACHING OUT TO SUPERVISORS

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a potential thesis supervisor.

Graduate Student Supervision

Master's Student Supervision

Theses completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest theses.

Integrating Conflict Resolution Theatre and Theatre for Development in application to ethnic conflict resolution in South West region of Nigeria (2021)

The growing number of ethnic conflicts in communities in the South West and other parts of Nigeria have contributed to a rising lack of sustainable development. Previous research on the theatre as a tool for sustainable development has relied on the use of Theatre for Development (TFD), to help members of target community to pursue the goals of self-development and an improved quality of life. However, practitioners of TFD have not addressed issues of ethnic conflict within a community as a potential key to sustainable development. In response to the dramatic rise of this kind of conflict in Nigeria, this thesis explores the potential for addressing ethnic conflicts through the integration of Conflict Resolution Theatre (CRT) and Theatre for Development (TFD). Building from Epskamp Kees' (2006) learner-oriented and message-centered approach to TFD, DeVito Joseph's (1989) model for conflict resolution, and data collected from interviews form TFD practices in South West Nigeria, the research proposes a model for approaching ethnic conflict resolution in communities in Nigeria and elsewhere. The research applies the use of scripted plays, using the case study of Osofisan’s Women of Owu, and Image Theatre (Boal 2002) to create community-based awareness of the reality behind a crisis, and provides a pathway for ongoing work in the afflicted communities that moves towards a collective community-based resolution of the conflict.

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The (not so) classical productions of Peter Sellars: Ajax, Persians and Children of Heracles (2018)

Peter Sellars’ reperformances of the plays belonging to the ancient Geek canon have always been controversial. Ηis radical choices regarding the performance elements, affected by and directly referencing the sociopolitical context of the time when they were staged, provide important evidence for both understanding the afterlife of classical texts on the modern stage, but also the development of Sellars as a director. More specifically, in the productions of Sophocles’ Ajax (1986), Aeschylus’ Persians (1993) and Euripides’ Children of Herakles (2003), Sellars explores how the ancient Greek tragedies can be staged in such a way as to open channels of communication and how the theatrical space can become an arena of debate, in hopes of creating an active audience, similar to that of fifth century BC Athens, where societal issues could be discussed through performative means. Drawing on reception and performance theories, reviews of the performances, interviews with Sellars and an overview of the sociopolitical context of when the three tragedies were staged, both in antiquity and the contemporary world, this thesis will explore these productions through different methodological lenses, arguing that by applying multiple methodologies we can better understand the productions and their audience reception, as well as the larger theatrical and cultural context in which they were produced. By exploring Sellars’ directorial choices, I will argue that it is not simply about how ancient plays are being reused and restaged, but also what information they can provide us regarding significant trends in contemporary American theatre during the last two decades of the twentieth century.

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