معرفی
Professor Michael Pinchbeck is a Professor of Theatre at Manchester School of Theatre, Manchester Metropolitan University, where he has been employed since January 2020. He serves as Senior Research Lead for the Art & Performance Research Hub and co-leads the Performance Research Group. Pinchbeck curates Bunker Talks, a series that invites artists and researchers to talk about geopolitical, ecological or economic concerns through critical encounters, presentations, provocation and dialogue. Since 2020, over 125 talks have been hosted and archived to create an online catalogue capturing how artists think about the world today.
His academic background includes:
- BA Theatre Studies and Creative Writing, Lancaster University
- MA Performance and Live Art, Nottingham Trent University
- PhD English and Drama Dept., Loughborough University
- Fellowship of Higher Education Academy, University of Lincoln
Pinchbeck's research focuses on the intersections between dramaturgy and practice-as-research, particularly exploring composed theatre, orchestral theatre, and 'staging scores.' His work investigates musical approaches to dramaturgy and dramaturgical approaches to music, with special interest in performance as commemoration and how theatre remembers. He has developed an extensive body of work around one-to-one performance and is writing 'Brief Encounters: The politics, poetics and ethics of one-to-one performance.' His recent publications and performances form 'The Berger & Mohr Trilogy,' examining performance and photography through adaptations of John Berger's works: 'A Fortunate Man,' 'A Seventh Man,' and 'Another Way of Telling.'
His creative works demonstrate innovative approaches across immersive slideshows, audio walks, and site-specific performances that explore migration, healthcare, and visual storytelling. These projects have received significant Arts Council England funding and have been selected multiple times for the British Council's Edinburgh Showcase.
His notable recognitions include:
- Multiple Arts Council England grants totaling over £150,000 for productions including 'Concerto,' 'Solo,' 'A Seventh Man,' and 'Bolero'
- British Council funding of £75,000 for international touring of 'Bolero'
- Selection four times for the British Council's Edinburgh Showcase
As a supervisor, Pinchbeck has guided PhD research on new writing and dramaturgy, with current supervision focusing on intersections between score theatre and music, and performance and photography. He has received external funding from the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership for a PhD project exploring the Greenroom archive. His leadership extends to external examiner roles at Central Saint Martins, University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, and Sheffield Hallam University.
Pinchbeck co-founded Metro-Boulot Dodo Theatre Company in 1997 and has been creating and touring performance work for over 25 years as a theatre-maker and dramaturg. His collaborative practice includes work with companies such as Reckless Sleepers, Third Angel, and Strange Names Collective, as well as international partnerships through COIL projects with San Jose State University and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).
