My research concerns the relationship between contemporary performance, metamodernism and the millennial generation, as well as international activism and political theatre.
I completed my doctorate at The University of East London. My practice as research thesis was titled 'Towards a Listening Theatre: Metamodernism, Millennials and Contemporary Political Theatre'.
I completed my doctorate at The University of East London. My practice as research thesis was titled 'Towards a Listening Theatre: Metamodernism, Millennials and Contemporary Political Theatre'.
Keynote Speech at Metamodern Circus Symposium
Cardiff, May 2023
Book Chapters
Drayton, T. (2022) ‘Can I Join In? Playful Performance and Alternative Political Realities’. Chapter in Koubová, A., Urban, P., Russell, W. & MacLean, M. (eds.) (2022) Play and Democracy: Philosophical Perspectives. Routledge, London.
Journal Articles
Drayton, T. (2019) ‘A Silent Shout: Metamodern Forms of Activism in Contemporary Performance’, ArtsPraxis Journal, Vol. 5 Issue 2.
Drayton, T. (2018) ‘The Listening Theatre: A Metamodern Politics of Performance’, Performance Philosophy Journal, Vol. 4 No. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21476/PP.2018.41200
Drayton, T. (2018) ‘The Listening Theatre: A Metamodern Politics of Performance’, Performance Philosophy Journal, Vol. 4 No. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21476/PP.2018.41200
Online Articles
Drayton, T. (2021) ‘Should I Be Joking in a Time Like This?’: Bo Burnham’s INSIDE as a Metamodern Response to Crisis’, What Is Metamodern? [Online] Available at: https://medium.com/what-is-metamodern/bo-burnhams-inside-as-a-metamodern-response-to-crisis-1cef26dfe8ae
Conference Papers
Dunne-Howrie, J. & Drayton, T. (2022) The Gaming Democracy Project: Virtual Democracy In The Age of Fascism IRL (In Real Life) ZIP-SCENE Conference, Moholy Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest, Hungary, November 2022
Christodoulou, P., Corsa, A., Drayton, T. & Goldstein, T. (2022) I Really Don't Care, Do You?: The Philosophical Problems of Producing Empathy in Contemporary Performance. Panel presentation at 'Performance Philosophy Problems': Performance Philosophy Biennial Conference, University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland. June 2022.
Drayton, T. (2021) ‘Unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time’: Anti-Racist Activism and the Performativity of Statues, ‘Performance & Populism: Mobilization and Popular Power on the Left’ Conference, University of Warwick, UK & University of California-Berkley, USA. November 2021.
Drayton, T. (2021) Meet Me Through the Webcam: An Ethics of Participatory Performance Practice in the Age of Zoom, ‘Crisis & Recovery: Theatre and Performance Before and After the Global Pandemic’ CATR/ACRT/SQET conference, University of Ottawa, Canada. July 2021.
Drayton, T. (2019) Hope/Less: The Politics of Metamodern Theatre, 4th AHRC Metamodernism conference, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. July 2019.
Drayton, T. (2019) Can I Join In? Playful Performance as Political Intervention, ‘Play and Democracy’: the 5th biennial Philosophy at Play conference, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic. June 2019.
Drayton, T. (2019) Authenticity in the Arts and Media in an Era of Fake News: Loss & Hope, ‘Authenticity in the Arts and Media in an Era of Fake News’ conference, The University of East London, London, UK. February 2019.
Drayton, T. (2018) Metamodern, Millennial Malaise in Contemporary Performance, 'Making Connections' conference, The University of East London, London, UK. May 2018.
Drayton, T. (2018) Listening Theatre: The New Politics of Millennial Performance Makers, NYU Educational Theatre Forum 2018: ‘Performance as Activism’, New York University, New York CIty, USA. April 2018.
Drayton, T. (2016) Round and Round the Gardens: Can the RHS engage children with relevant environmental issues through immersive, promenade theatre?, ASSITEJ On The Edge Festival; ‘Theatre from the inside: Immersive Theatre’ panel, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. June 2016.
Christodoulou, P., Corsa, A., Drayton, T. & Goldstein, T. (2022) I Really Don't Care, Do You?: The Philosophical Problems of Producing Empathy in Contemporary Performance. Panel presentation at 'Performance Philosophy Problems': Performance Philosophy Biennial Conference, University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland. June 2022.
Drayton, T. (2021) ‘Unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time’: Anti-Racist Activism and the Performativity of Statues, ‘Performance & Populism: Mobilization and Popular Power on the Left’ Conference, University of Warwick, UK & University of California-Berkley, USA. November 2021.
Drayton, T. (2021) Meet Me Through the Webcam: An Ethics of Participatory Performance Practice in the Age of Zoom, ‘Crisis & Recovery: Theatre and Performance Before and After the Global Pandemic’ CATR/ACRT/SQET conference, University of Ottawa, Canada. July 2021.
Drayton, T. (2019) Hope/Less: The Politics of Metamodern Theatre, 4th AHRC Metamodernism conference, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. July 2019.
Drayton, T. (2019) Can I Join In? Playful Performance as Political Intervention, ‘Play and Democracy’: the 5th biennial Philosophy at Play conference, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic. June 2019.
Drayton, T. (2019) Authenticity in the Arts and Media in an Era of Fake News: Loss & Hope, ‘Authenticity in the Arts and Media in an Era of Fake News’ conference, The University of East London, London, UK. February 2019.
Drayton, T. (2018) Metamodern, Millennial Malaise in Contemporary Performance, 'Making Connections' conference, The University of East London, London, UK. May 2018.
Drayton, T. (2018) Listening Theatre: The New Politics of Millennial Performance Makers, NYU Educational Theatre Forum 2018: ‘Performance as Activism’, New York University, New York CIty, USA. April 2018.
Drayton, T. (2016) Round and Round the Gardens: Can the RHS engage children with relevant environmental issues through immersive, promenade theatre?, ASSITEJ On The Edge Festival; ‘Theatre from the inside: Immersive Theatre’ panel, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. June 2016.
Conferences Convened
Research Projects
Gaming Democracy: Participatory Performance Strategies for Countering Far Right Politics (2021-2022)
The Gaming Democracy project brought together a variety of artists, academics and activists across the UK to investigate how participatory performance, social media and democracy interact in online landscapes. In direct contrast to the online gamification of conflict by the far-right through the use of memes, role-play and alternative world-building, the project explored the untapped potential for more egalitarian and progressive forms of online and onstage political engagement. Curated by the research team, three new interdisciplinary research partnerships between scholars of disparate disciplines (terrorism studies and participatory theatre, for example) were tasked with exploring the interstice between their individual research strands, before reporting on their findings from this novel collaboration in a series of public webinars. Through these conversations and experiments between a variety of creatives and researchers, the project aimed to develop new, interdisciplinary perspectives and ways of working together towards innovative, multi-disciplinary forms of radical, postdigital engagement.
The Gaming Democracy project brought together a variety of artists, academics and activists across the UK to investigate how participatory performance, social media and democracy interact in online landscapes. In direct contrast to the online gamification of conflict by the far-right through the use of memes, role-play and alternative world-building, the project explored the untapped potential for more egalitarian and progressive forms of online and onstage political engagement. Curated by the research team, three new interdisciplinary research partnerships between scholars of disparate disciplines (terrorism studies and participatory theatre, for example) were tasked with exploring the interstice between their individual research strands, before reporting on their findings from this novel collaboration in a series of public webinars. Through these conversations and experiments between a variety of creatives and researchers, the project aimed to develop new, interdisciplinary perspectives and ways of working together towards innovative, multi-disciplinary forms of radical, postdigital engagement.
Like Lions (2018)
...was a performance project that engaged millennial participants around the UK as part of my doctoral research. The piece is based on the political, economic and human concerns of British millennials in the advent of the financial crashes, Brexit and the General Election. A series of workshops (What Now?) was coordinated around the UK before a performance was developed with Pregnant Fish Theatre in 2018.
What Now? (2018)
...was a series of workshops for 25 - 34 year olds in conjunction with the Like Lions performance project. Each workshop was an opportunity for participants to voice their opinion on things that matter to them in the world we live in, and work together to see how we could solve these problems (if we can!). The workshops consist of friendly discussions, simple practical exercises and friendly debates.
© Tom Drayton 2024