Dr Christian Billing

Biography	Dr. Christian Billing is Reader in Drama and Theatre Practice in the School of the Arts. His research and teaching specialisms include: Ecological and Environmental Arts; Early Modern European Theatre and Performance Cultures (particularly Transnational Exchange, and Cultural Hybridity); Theatre and Performance Design (particularly Eco-Arts, and Central European Design Traditions); and Classical Greek Theatre and Performance (particularly Theatrical Space, and Gender). He is a leading international figure in Shakespeare in Performance, and Eco-Arts Practice Research. Christian's methods are derived from a combination of meticulous archival/scholarly study, and years of professional theatre-making experience. This brings a unique practice-led perspective to his work, which spans conventional publication to engaged creative practice - in an attempt to address the world's pressing social and environmental challenges. Recent research projects include 'Applied Arts Ecologies and the Resilience of Coastal Communities: the South Holderness Project' (2024), which focussed on engaging local communities through music, dance and poetry to foster resilience in the face of environmental change, and 'Shakespeare’s Propositional Third Spaces: Thinking Beyond the Binary' (2023), an innovative project co-led with Professor Susanne Wofford (New York University) that reimagines Shakespearean narratives as powerful ways to challenge traditional binaries. He has previously led international practice research projects addressing sexual violence in Classical and Renaissance literature, 'The Lavinia Project', funded by the Gallatin School of New York University (2017), and produced an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funded audio artefact (Podcast) examining human-centred solutions to plastics pollution and the circular economy: 'Links in a Chain' (2021). An accomplished scholar, Dr. Billing has published extensively in renowned journals such as 'Theatre and Performance Design', 'New Theatre Quarterly', 'Shakespeare Survey', 'Shakespeare Quarterly', 'Shakespeare Bulletin', and 'Shakespeare'. His work spans eco-arts, scenography, gender (especially feminism and queer theory), historical theatre practices, transnational exchange, and scenography. He has led four advanced seminars for the Shakespeare Association of America , covering topics such as rehearsal methodology, scenography, and non-binary interpretations of Shakespeare. In addition, he was Principal Investigator on a major collaborative international study of Czech and Slovak scenography for Shakespeare, working with scholars from the USA, Canada, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia (2015-2018). Dr. Billing’s book-length works include 'Czech and Slovak Scenography for Shakespeare' (2018) - with Šárka Havlíčková, 'Czech Puppets in Global Contexts' (2015) - with Pavel Drábek, and 'Masculinity, Corporality and the English Stage 1580–1635' (2008). His expertise as a trained Classicist recently extended to examination of medieval and early modern Arabic interpretations of Cleopatra: 'The Kleopatra Problem: Early Modern Dramatic Uses (and Abuses) of Classical and Medieval Sources on the Female Ptolemaic Ruler' (2022) a paper offering fresh perspectives that challenge traditional Western scholarship on the Ptolemaic ruler. Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Billing spent over a decade as a professional theatre-maker, primarily in London and northern Europe, including France and Belgium. This extensive practical experience forms the foundation of his academic approach. He completed his a PhD in Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick and has two MAs, with Distinction (in Greek Civilisation and in Theatre Studies) from the University of Leeds. He was a Research Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1997-8) and has taught at the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College, Vermont, USA (1998, 1999 & 2001). Dr. Billing is a member of the Peer Review College for the UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowships (UKRI FLF) Programme, a member of Peer-Review College (Major Grant Applications), Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Council, Canada, and a Member of the Peer-Review College (Major Grant Applications), for the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.
Research Interests	Environmental and Ecological Arts Transnational Mobilities in Early Modern Drama Gender Studies (particularly, queer theory, feminism, non-binary sex and gender identities, and gender fluidity) Classical Greek theatre and performance cultures Shakespeare (philological and practice-research approaches) Theatre Design and Scenography (including Critical Costume)
Scopus Author ID	53563281000
PhD Supervision Availability	Yes
PhD Topics	Environmental and Ecological Arts Shakespeare and Early Modern European Drama Classical Greek Drama Intercultural and Polyglot Theatre and Performance Stage Design and Scenography (including Critical Costume) Acting, Directing and Rehearsal Methodology Current PhD supervision: Gemma Dodds, 'Eros and Thanatos in Aeschylus’ Oresteia and its Modern Adaptations' (first supervisor); Successfully Completed PhDs (all as first supervisor): Tony Chapman-Wilson, To what extent can drama, and especially verbatim theatre techniques, be used to (re) present intergenerational transgender identities in the North East of England? (2024); Zuzana Koblišková, 'Socio-historical Contexts and Aesthetic Perceptions of Slovak Scenography for Shakespeare 1920-1989' (2020); Thomas Harrison, '‘Guides Not Commanders’: Imitation and Contamination of the Classics in the Comedies of Ben Jonson' (2017); Henry Bell, 'Proxemics and Kinaesthetics in Relation to Youth Engagement with Shakespeare' (2016); Renfang Tang, 'Chinese Shakespeare: An Intercultural Study across Three Genres' (2016); Farah Ali, 'The Construction and Deconstruction of Identity in the Plays of Harold Pinter' (2016); Andrew Head, 'Acting Beckett: Towards a Poetics of Performance' (2015); Simon Benson, 'The Production of Early Modern Dramatic Space: Practices, Places and Perceptions' (2010); Amy Skinner, 'Fragments of Times and Spaces: Collage in the Theatre of Vs. E. Meyerhold, 1906-1926' (2005).