Biography

I have a degree in English from Queen Mary college, University of London, an MPhil in Playwriting Studies from Birmingham University, and a PGCert in Teaching from Royal Holloway

I have lectured at four British Universities: Royal Holloway, Manchester Metropolitan, the University of the West of England and Roehampton, teaching at all undergraduate levels, and at postgraduate level

Research Interests

Comedy and Humour

Currently my research concerns stand-up comedy. My thesis is provisionally entitled 'Structures of Performance in Stand-up Comedy'.

I am on the editorial board of a new journal Comedy Studies, the inaugural edition of which was published in February 2010. It included an article of mine on comic responses to the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland. I am currently writing an article on humour and the erotic.

I am part of the steering committee of the Popular Performance Network

Playwriting and Contemporary Drama

I also have research interests in contemporary playwriting, especially the work of the Belfast playwright Gary Mitchell

Research Collaborations

In 2009 I was awarded a PALATINE development award, jointly with Dr. Kevin McCarron of the Roehampton University English department to investigate the teaching of stand-up comedy in UK Higher Education. Our findings are due to be published in 2011

Publications

Current Publications:

(2007) 'Understanding Loyalty: the English Response to the work of Gary Mitchell'. Irish Theatre in England. eds. Richard Cave and Ben Levitas. Dublin: Carysfort

(2009) 'Fighting the Peace: Violence, Counter-Narrative and the Plays of Gary Mitchell'. Performing Violence in Contemporary Ireland. ed. Lisa Fitzpatrick. Dublin: Carysfort

(2010) 'Pack up your Troubles and Smile, Smile, Smile: Comedy and the Legacy of 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland. Comedy Studies

Pending Publications

(2011) 'Writing Cricket Shots in my Mind: Cricket and the Plays of Harold Pinter'. Studies in Theatre and Performance

(2011) 'Humour and the Erotic'. Comedy Studies.

Teaching

For 2009 - 2010:

For the Combined Humanities BA: 'The Effects of the First World War'; 'The 1960s' and 'Twentieth Century Utopian and Dystopian Writing'.

For the English BA: 'Theories of Reading' and 'Reading to Write'