Articles and chapters
French, C. and Mkhize, S. (2023) ‘Decolonising Performance Training: Voice Messages from the South African Day to the Australian Night’, In: Piazzoli, E., Jacobs, R., Scally, G. (eds) Digital Displacement. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41586-9_6, read here.
French, C. (2022) ‘Languaging a widened embodied repertoire’, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 13(1): 57-74, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2021.2006297, read here.
French, C. and Troy, J. (2021) ‘Ngapartji Ngapartji: Intercultural dramaturgies for Indigenous language revitalisation’, Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2: 25-45: https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/agispt.20220913073892, read here.
French, C. (2021). ‘Facilitating departures from monolingual discourses’, Applied Theatre Research, 9(1): 7-23, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/atr_00045_1, read here.
Book reviews
French, C. (2018). Review, Explorations in Southern African Drama, Theatre and Performance. By Patrick J. Ebewo, Theatre Research International, read here.
French, C. (2016). Review, The Methuen drama guide to contemporary South African theatre, South African Theatre Journal, read here.
Presentations
Scenario Forum, ‘Ethical documentary theatre and making knowledge through multilingual songs’. Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, May 2024.
psi #28 Performance Studies International: Uhambo Luyazilawula, ‘Sustainable multilingual interactions in monolingual institutions’ workshop with Sibusiso Mkhize. University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, August 2023.
10th International Drama in Education Institute (IDIERI), ‘Catalysts for multilingualism: Critical and sustainable multilingual performance practices’ panel with Kasia Lech and Rachael Jacobs, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, July 2022.
Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies Conference, ‘Disinhibiting the body to mobilise multilingualism’, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, November 2021.
AusAct: Australian Actor Training Conference, ‘Decolonising language ideologies in the body: Viewpoints as a multilingual pedagogy’, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia, December 2020.
Performing Multilingualism in Europe and Beyond: Migration, Globalisation, Utopia, ‘Methodologies for mobilising languaging in performance-making and rehearsal processes’, University of Kent, UK, September 2019.
9th International Drama in Education Research Institute (IDIERI), ‘Towards translingual praxis: departures from monolingual facilitation’, University of Auckland, New Zealand, July 2018.
Sociolinguistics Symposium 22, ‘Considering actors’ embodied participation in improvisational activities’, Interdisciplinary Strand, University of Auckland, June 2018.
Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA), ‘Introducing language ideology’, Applied and Social Theatre, University of Salford, UK, September 2017.
Reports & online
Commissioned reports
French, C. (2024). ‘After the games and during the cuts: Action learning for community arts in a volatile ecology’. Culture Central, Birmingham, read here.
Jacobs, R. and French, C. (2021). ‘Women, robots and a sustainable generation: Reading artworks envisioning education in 2050 and beyond’, UNESCO Futures of Education, read here.
Online articles
French, C. (2024). ‘Afroscenology for British Actors? Making performance pregnant with culture’. Reading Decoloniality: University of Warwick, read here.
Roche, G. and French, C. (2022). ‘Global Coalition of Language Rights’, Language on the Move, Sydney: Macquarie University, read here.
French, C. (2022). ‘Theatre of the real’: how artists at Perth Fringe World are stripping down to reveal their vulnerabilities, The Conversation, read here.
French, C. (2022). ‘Playing a part beyond allyship with Black Brass’, ArtsHub, read here.
French, C. (2020). ‘Performing the languages we live’, Creative Multilingualism, Oxford: University of Oxford, read here.
Awards
Future Awards
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellow, Horizon Europe, Aarhus University, Denmark: ‘Dramaturgies for languaging: Developing linguistically sustainable theatre and performance’. Supervisor: Prof. Peter Boenisch, August 2024 – 2026.
Past awards
Sir Barry Jackson Fund, ‘Courage Songs’. University of Birmingham, May 2024.
Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Acceleration Account, ‘Representing British Muslim multilingualism in Birmingham: Soul City Arts and the national stage’ with Dr Kamran Khan (Co-CI), University of Birmingham, July 2023 – June 2024.
Birmingham International Engagement Fund, ‘Decolonising performance training: Southern African approaches to harnessing UoB student resources for engagement and sustainability’ with Dr Samuel Ravengai (Co-CI), University of Birmingham, September – November 2023.
Arts Research Africa and Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2021 to 2022. Research title: ‘Decolonising language ideologies in the body’, creating ‘Breathing through the feet’ (2022).
Institute of Advanced Studies, IAS Award, University of Warwick, ’International Drama in Education Research Institute Local Section: Harnessing Global South-North Exchanges’ with Dr Rachel Turner-King (CI), January – July 2022.
AHRC/ University of Oxford research project Creative Multilingualism and Slanguages, ‘The body, making and (s)languaging’ A workshop for performers and practitioners exploring how and when the performer’s body might disrupt otherwise dominant uses of language,, Birmingham Rep, Friday 13 March 2020.
Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Warwick, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Early Career: Multilingual performance devising and training, July 2019 – 2020.
Research Excellent Framework (REF) PhD Completion Fund, Warwick Graduate School, University of Warwick, April-September 2019.
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Shared scholarship for doctoral research with The University of Warwick, 2015-2019.
Monash Warwick Alliance Joint PhD, acceptance, however declined due to incompatibility with Commonwealth Scholarship (above), 2015.
Esmée Fairbairn, England 2016.
Arts Council England, Grants for the Arts, 2015 and 2016.
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, highest grade MA dissertation for Applied Theatre, through publication: The British Library archive, 2014.
Leverhulme Trust, Research Project Fund, February-June 2014.
Propel Arts Youth Arts WA, Y Culture Grant, 2007.
Australia Business Arts Foundation, Arts-Business Match Grant, 2007.
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Bachelor of Arts Regional Scholarship, 2004-2005.
Invited talks
Migration Identity and Translation Network, University of Warwick, ‘From voice to text: Harnessing variation and negotiating standardisation when writing documentary theatre’ December 2023, watch here.
The MOSAIC Group for Research on Multilingualism and Global Advocacy Day, University of Birmingham, ‘Breathing through the feet’ Screening + Q and A, February 2023, watch here.
University of Warwick, Education Studies, International Drama in Education Institute (IDIERI) 10, ‘Sustainable multilingual interactions in English-only institutions,’ July 2022, watch here.
University of the Witwatersrand, School of Arts, ‘Decolonising facilitator training,’ co-presented with Sibusiso Mkhize, July 2021, watch here.
Western Sydney University, Centre for Educational Research, ‘Women, robots and a sustainable generation’ co-presented with Rachael Jacobs, May 2021, watch here.
University of Sydney, CREATE Higher Degree Research Huddle, ‘The research, policy, practice continuum: Reading artworks for UNESCO’s Future of Education,’ co-presented with Rachael Jacobs, April 2021.
University of Warwick, Institute of Advanced Studies Seminar Series, ‘Disrupting language ideologies in the collaborating actor’s body’, January 2020.
University of Warwick, Language. Culture. Matters. Applied Linguistics Seminar Series, ‘Performance-making processes as sites for the analysis of language ideologies’, December 2019.