Research & Teaching Interests
Performance Studies, Drag Queen Culture, Entertainment Industry, Applied Theatre, Teacher Education, Theatre in Education, Body Culture, Gender, Asian Epistemology, Academic Skills
Dissertation
collage created by TAN CHENG YU
Queer by Night: Discovering Queer Performance in Shanghai in the Late 2010s
Queer performance spaces in contemporary China have been largely under-researched, despite the active role they have played in the development of the queer community in China over the past two decades. Previous research in gender studies in China has primarily focused on tracing how non-heterosexual desires are represented in Chinese literature and history. This research shifts attention to the current scene of the queer living experience in Shanghai, China. Based on a six-month field trip in 2019-2020 in Shanghai, this primary research intends to answer: where are the spaces for queer people to gather; where can one find queer-themed performances; what are people doing in those queer performance spaces?
Talk, Lectures, Workshop
Invited Talks
2023 “Curtains Up for Whom? The Restricted Access to Drag Clubs in Shanghai,” Tackling Barriers in a Challenging Time: Inequality, Activism and, Art and Cultural Dynamics, Seminar at Department of Performing Arts, Bangkok University, Thailand, and Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, University of Copenhagen, 2023.
Invited Lectures
“Theatre For/With/By People: Contemporary Issues in Human Sciences for Social Innovation in the Global Era,” Guest Speaker for Graduate Class “Educational Innovation and Communication Studies” by Prof. Noriyuki Inoue, Waseda University, Japan, 2023.
“Incorporating Applied Theatre in Educational System,” Guest Speaker for Department of Education by Prof. YANG Guangfu, East China Normal University, China, 2023
“Theatre and Criminal Justice,” Guest Speaker for Graduate Class “Criminal Justice” by Prof. NI Tie,East China University of Political Science and Law, China, 2023.
“Theatre and Sexuality in China,” Guest Speaker for Undergraduate Class “Drama, Applied Theatre and Education” by Prof. Stephen Farrier, RCSSD, University of London, UK, 2019.
“What is Devised Performance (vs. Text-based Spoken Drama),” Guest Speaker for Graduate Class“English Language and Literature” by Prof. SUN Qi, Tongji University, China, 2016.
Conference Presentations
“Amateur Theatre: Assemble Safe Space for Queer Women in Shanghai, China,” Performance Studies International (PSi), in collaboration with London International Theatre Festival, London, UK, 2024 (upcoming)
“Exploring Possibilities of Applied Theatre as Teacher Education in China”, Canadian Association of Theatre Research (CATR), McGill University, Canada, 2024 (upcoming)
“Attempts and Conflicts: A Reflection on Arts-based Grassroots Education Activities in Shanghai,” Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA), Applied and Social Theatre Working Group, University of Leeds, UK, 2023.
“Drag Performance and Queer Spaces in Shanghai,” International Federation of Theatre Research (IFTR) ,Queer Future Working Group, Shanghai, China, 2019.
“Feminism Theatre in China,” Intersections Annual Conference, Unmentionables: ‘no-go’ areas in performance practices and research, London, UK, 2017.