Tony Jackson

Biography

Anthony Jackson is Professor of Educational Theatre at the University of Manchester. He has guest-lectured at universities in Australia, South Africa, Finland , France, Germany, Italy , Israel, Japan and the USA ; chairs the arts and education committee of M6 Theatre Company; and was during 2001-2 visiting fellow at Robinson College Cambridge. In 2003, he was awarded the Judith Kase Cooper Honorary Research Award by the American Alliance for Theatre & Education. His most recent book (Theatre, education and the making of meanings) is a study of theatre's educational role during the 20th and 21st centuries and the tension between theatre as education and theatre as 'art'. In 2001-2, Jackson led a research team in a nationally funded project to investigate the impact and effectiveness of theatre in museums, focusing on the experience of schoolchildren at museums in London and Manchester. From 2005, he has been leading a research team in phase three of that research: 'Performance, Learning and Heritage' (www.plh.manchester.ac.uk) is a three year research project, funded by AHRC, investigating the uses and impact of performance as a medium of learning in museums and at historic sites. In 2008, the project culminates in an international conference in Manchester ("Performing Heritage: research & practice", 3-5 April), a detailed report, DVD and an edited book to be published in 2009.

Research Interest

Teaching and research interests lie principally in the field of modern theatre, specifically in educational theatre and 20th and 21st century British and American drama and theatre. His publications include Theatre, Education and the Making of Meanings (MUP 2007), Learning through Theatre: new perspectives on theatre in education (ed., Routledge 1993, 10 re-printings, Korean edition 2004), The Repertory Movement (with George Rowell , CUP 1983) and various articles and chapters on contemporary theatre, theatre in education and theatre in museums.