OUDS Senior Member
Professor Emma Smith
Emma's research combines a range of approaches to Shakespeare and early modern drama. Much of her recent work has been about the reception of Shakespeare in performance, print, and criticism, and about the scholarly and cultural investments in Shakespearean criticism. Her work on Shakespeare's First Folio, for example, combined the history of the book with work on collecting, historical performance, the editorial tradition and Shakespeare's cultural and economic value over four centuries. Her recent book This Is Shakespeare was a Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into several other languages. She has worked with theatre companies including at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre and Donmar Warehouse, participated in radio programmes including Radio 3's Sunday Feature and Radio 4's In Our Time and The Long View, and served as a consultant for TV and film.
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university drama officer
Dorothy McDowell
Dorothy (she/her) is the University Drama Officer for 2021/22 and 2022/23. Dorothy studied English at Keble College and is now employed fulltime by the Cameron Mackintosh Drama Fund (a trust within the University of Oxford). Dorothy does all of the administration for the distribution of CMDF production and personal grants; sits on the bid panel for the Burton-Taylor Studio and North Wall Arts Centre student slots; and supports with event planning for activities run by the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre. As a student, Dorothy was involved in OUDS and TAFF as an actor, director and writer, as well as being on the OUDS standing committee, and being President of the Keble O'Reilly/Martin Esslin Society - so if you have any questions about drama at Oxford, she's a good person to ask! You can contact her on drama.officer@admin.ox.ac.uk - and you might see her next time you're in the Burton Taylor Studio, where she shares an office with the studio manager, Robert Bristow. The UDO position opens for recruitment every 1-2 years and is a great opportunity to apply for an entry-level role within the arts - so if you're graduating soon, make sure to keep an eye out for the job posting.