Marianne Sharp

Dr. Marianne Sharp is a Senior Lecturer in Drama at the University of Winchester's School of Performing Arts. She holds a practice-based PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London (2010), focusing on 'Being a Woman Twice: Knowledge, Subjectivity and the Autonomous Actress'. Her work bridges academia and performance, with extensive experience in directing, acting, and applied theatre in prisons and community settings.

Education: PhD in Theatre Studies (Royal Holloway, 2010); prior career as a touring actor and youth theatre director across UK and Europe.

Research Interests: Contemporary theatre practice, performance autobiography, feminist theatre critiques, and ethics in acting. She explores intersections between identity politics, climate change activism, and ensemble-based performance methods.

Key Projects: Directed Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good in Winchester Prison (2013), co-created climate change-themed Aqua Vitae (2013), and led the autobiographical Nora and I project (2014). Supervises 3 PhD students focusing on women's mental health in performance.

Funding: Arts Council England grants for prison theatre and autobiography projects; Learning and Teaching Excellence Award (University of Winchester, 2019).

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Rachel Rosenthal's Extreme Theatre Ensemble in Los Angeles, focusing on 'TOHUBOHU!' improvisational practices.