Peter Eckersall

Peter Eckersall is a Professor in Theatre and Performance at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the Sidney E. Cohn Chair in Theatre and Performance. His work bridges Japanese theatre, dramaturgy, and contemporary performance practices, with a focus on intersections between politics, media, and ecological themes.

• M.A., Ph.D. in Japanese theatre from Monash University
• B.Ed from Rusden, Deakin University

His research explores dramaturgy as an expanded practice, examining how new media, ecological theatre, and curatorial methods redefine performance. He has pioneered studies on post-global theatre in Japan and the politics of the body in 1960s Butoh dance.

Recent publications include books on dramaturgy and politics, co-edited works on Asian dramaturgy, and chapters analyzing actor-machine dynamics, installation performance, and postdramatic theatre. Themes span technology’s role in performance, ethical aesthetics, and urban cultural spaces.

• 2024-25 CUNY PSC Research Grant
• 2024 NSF/Innovation Culture and Creativity grant
• Australian Research Council Discovery grants (2021-2023, 2016-2019)

As a resident dramaturg for Melbourne’s Not Yet It’s Difficult, he connects academic research with practice-based projects, including collaborations in AI/XR performance innovation in New York City.