معرفی
Matt Hargrave is an academic at Northumbria University, joining in 2004 after a career as a theatre practitioner and writer. His research focuses on vulnerable performers, particularly those with disabilities or mental health challenges, challenging cultural stigmas through performance analysis. He holds a PhD in Drama (2013) and an MA in Creative Writing (2005). His work has been recognized with the Theatre and Performance Research Association’s Early Career Research Award (2016) for his monograph Theatres of Learning Disability, which redefined critical frameworks for evaluating performances involving learning disabled artists.
Key research interests include theatre and disability, performance and mental health, and stand-up comedy’s role in disrupting stigma. He has explored how vulnerable performers reshape cultural narratives, emphasizing aesthetic and social value over clinical or charitable interpretations. Current projects include a monograph on stigma and performance in popular culture, supported by a Northern Network for Medical Humanities Research Seed Award (2019).
- Supervises PhD candidate Johanne Hauge on neurodivergent performance practices
- Key publications span ethnographic studies, critical theory, and applied theatre practices
- Keynote speaker at the 2018 Australian Drama Studies Association conference
