Indoor Jacobean Playhouse Postdoctoral Research Associate

(King’s College London/Shakespeare’s Globe)

Six months, part time: 2 days a week. Closing date: 27 June 2011

Project: Sam Wanamaker’s vision for the Globe extended beyond the “wooden-O” – one of the most iconic and atmospheric performance spaces in London. In addition to a purpose-built education centre, which is due for completion this spring, he also intended there to be a second indoor theatre space – the skin of which was incorporated into the blueprint of the Globe complex. When Shakespeare’s Globe finally opened in 1997 after more than twenty-seven years’ planning and four years’ construction, the indoor Jacobean theatre was left as a shell, to be divided and partitioned into rooms for education workshops and rehearsals. Now, fourteen years after the theatre opened, the Globe is about to embark on the restoration of this indoor theatre to its intended purpose, with a stunning new interior. The research associateship will contribute to the research required to create this interior.

Role: We seek a postdoctoral research associate to conduct research into the materials, interior decorative specifications and staging conditions of early modern indoor theatres in order to assist the Shakespeare Globe Trust as it embarks upon its project to construct a playhouse based on the Worcester College drawings (17th century) thought initially to be by Renaissance architect Inigo Jones, but now understood to be the work of his protégé John Webb. The RA will work closely with Dr Farah Karim-Cooper (Globe Education) and Professor Gordon McMullan (London Shakespeare Centre, King’s College London) and will report both to the Globe Architecture Research Group and to the Director of the London Shakespeare Centre. The research associateship is designed to participate in developing the intellectual frameworks which will underpin the physical build of the new theatre space at the Globe and the production of plays in the new space; it is also designed to encourage knowledge exchange between Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the London Shakespeare Centre at King’s and to contribute to the development of meaningful cross-disciplinary activity at King’s, as appropriate. The role will therefore build on the existing relationship between the London Shakespeare Centre and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – currently manifest in the joint running of a highly successful MA programme, a collaborative doctoral research project, a series of joint postgraduate research seminars, and the joint teaching of a popular BA module – at post-doctoral collaborative research level.

Methodology:

· Archival Research

· Site visits (to survey extant historic buildings/houses with a view to gathering information about decorative schemes and types of materials)

· Analysis of indoor repertories of period 1599-1642

· Workshops (to determine conditions of staging and decorative design and the relationship of the design to aspects of future performance)

Dissemination:

· Written reports and oral presentations to Globe Architecture Research Group and Project Management Committee and to the Director and members of the London Shakespeare Centre at King’s

· The organisation of, and contribution to, a one-day conference on indoor playing to be held at King’s in October 2011

· Contribution to publicity/profile of the project for fundraising and awareness.

Person specifications:

· Must have (or is close to receiving) a Ph.D. in Early modern Drama and /or Theatre and an appropriate track record of research/interest in the practicalities of early modern drama

· Must work and communicate well with others

· Must be able to demonstrate efficiency and experience in archival work

· Experience in the running of conferences/colloquia would be an advantage

· Knowledge-transfer experience would also be an advantage

For further enquiries please contact Professor Gordon McMullan gordon.mcmullan@kcl.ac.uk or Dr Farah Karim-Cooper farah.k@shakespearesglobe.com

Please send a CV and a cover letter specifying your suitability to the role to Jamie Arden (Head of Operations and Events, Globe Education) jamie.a@shakespearesglobe.com