Rosie Garton

Rosie Garton is an Associate Professor and Subject Group Lead for Creative Practice at De Montfort University (DMU), within the School of Humanities and Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities. She is also a renowned performance maker, director, and writer, co-leading the Anglo-German performance company Zoo Indigo, which produces multimedia, nationally and internationally touring works.

Her research is deeply interdisciplinary and practice-led, focusing on the intersections of gender, mobility, and performance. Key areas include the bicycle as an ecological and feminist mode of travel, walking as an artistic practice, multilingual contemporary theatre, and inclusive pedagogic methods. She explores how everyday actions—like cycling or mothering—can become radical performances of identity and resistance.

Her recent publications and performances center on themes of maternal migration, environmental justice, digital presence, and decolonial pedagogy. Through projects like No Woman’s Land and The Cycleborg, she examines embodied narratives of displacement, resilience, and hope. Her work consistently integrates live art, autobiography, and intermediality, pushing the boundaries of theatrical form.

Rosie has received significant recognition for her contributions, including the DMU Vice Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award (2020), multiple Teaching and Research Awards, and the 2023 DMU 3 Minute Thesis win. She was also named a COP28 Climate Justice Champion in 2023.

• DMU 'Going the Extra Mile' staff recognition award (2024)
• DMU Teaching and Research Award – 'Best use of technology' (2021)
• DMU Vice Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award (2020)
• Nominated multiple times for Distinguished Teacher Award

She has successfully led numerous externally funded research projects, primarily supported by Arts Council England and the AHRC, including Borderlands, Britizenship, and No Woman’s Land. These projects often involve collaboration with emerging artists, migratory communities, and international partners. She supervises postgraduate students and integrates her professional practice into her teaching across BA and MA programs in Acting, Performing Arts, Drama Studies, and Performance Practices.

Rosie’s work is grounded in her own artistic practice through Zoo Indigo, which serves as a living lab for her research. The company’s projects—ranging from street performances to experimental documentaries—explore themes of identity, technology, and social justice, often blurring the lines between academic inquiry and public engagement.