معرفی
Jake Robertson is a Teaching Fellow in Russian History at the University of Warwick, Department of History, within the Faculty of Arts. He holds a Ph.D. in Medieval & Modern Languages (Slavonic) from Oxford University (2025), where he was a Clarendon Scholar. He is also an Adjunct Instructor at NYU Tisch Drama, teaching Russian Theatre. His academic work is deeply intertwined with his career as a professional theatermaker, voice actor, and drag performer.
- Ph.D., Medieval & Modern Languages (Slavonic), Oxford University (2025)
- M.A., Acting, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (2016)
- B.A., Slavic Languages & Literatures, Princeton University (2015)
Jake's research centers on Russian and Soviet history, particularly Stalinism, Gulag studies, and theater under authoritarianism. He explores how art functioned in extreme conditions, especially in the professional theater institutions of the Gulag camps in Vorkuta and Magadan. His broader interests include 'peripheral' histories, cultural colonization, and creative engagement with research. His teaching philosophy blends academic rigor with embodied, performative pedagogy.
His recent and forthcoming publications focus on Gulag operas, theater memoirs, and the legacy of major Russian directors within the camp system. These works reflect a deep engagement with archival materials and a commitment to interdisciplinary storytelling. The themes across his articles reveal a consistent exploration of creativity under duress, the politics of performance, and the survival of artistic identity in repressive contexts.
His scientific awards include the Clarendon Scholarship and multiple honors for his solo play MADMAN, which won Best Emerging Actor at the United Solo Festival. He continues to develop creative projects, including the play Songbird, which dramatizes the life of queer Soviet cabaret star Vadim Kozin.
Jake has advised and tutored students in Russian and English language, and has taught courses at Oxford, Princeton, and Warwick. He is currently supervising independent research and mentoring students in both academic and creative directions. He has received no explicit mention of grants, but his Clarendon Scholarship indicates significant funding support during his doctoral studies.
He is actively involved in creative collectives and performance groups, including Dragademia, which combines drag performance with academic discussion, and co-created the podcast The Sound of Liberty. His artistic lab is a hybrid space where historical research and theatrical innovation converge, producing narrative nonfiction, plays, and audio storytelling.
