[Portrait] Eleanor Stewart, Senior Lecturer in English

What is your research about?

My thesis was on the interaction between the women's emancipation movement in England at the turn of the 20th century and the theatre. An important part of my work was devoted to suffragist playwrights. I am interested in the links between theatre and female identity, between theatre and socio-political issues. I have published articles on committed women playwrights from the turn of the century such as Elizabeth Robins, Cicely Hamilton and Githa Sowerby, but also on a contemporary playwright, Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

What are your current scientific activities?

My book, entitled "The New Woman on the British Stage, 1890-1914is in press with Editions Harmattan. It should enable French readers to discover little-known British playwrights. In the framework of a conference to be held at the Sorbonne at the end of 2020 ("The new wave of women playwrights on the contemporary English stage"), I will present a paper on Enron (2009) by Lucy Prebble. The play explores in an original way the downfall of an American multinational company in 2001 and had a particular resonance for British audiences in 2009, at the height of the financial crisis.

Why did you choose to work in academic research?

After doing a degree in Modern Languages (French-German) in England, I took the teaching exams and did a PhD in France.

Being a lecturer allows me to combine teaching English with specialising in an area I am passionate about, theatre.

Research in theatre studies is very diverse - it's not just about the text because theatre is a living performance. You see productions, you work in archives, you study reception and I had the opportunity to interview a playwright. It is the diversity of this discipline and the fact that I am studying an art form that is in direct contact with contemporary issues, an art form that is constantly renewing itself, that stimulates me the most.

What advice would you give to students who want to do research?

You have to be sure that you are ready to specialise in a very focused area and to spend several years on it. You need to check what has already been done in the field in question, and then define your subject well. It is important to anticipate the type of research that this will require (libraries, archives, stays abroad). Finally, today we must not forget that digital resources are increasingly rich. In the field of theatre, some pieces can be read and even viewed online.

Which object or image from your research best illustrates you?

As a specialist in British theatre, I attend productions in England several times a year. But it is the National Theatre, London (below) which is the most important place for me. Located in the heart of the South Bank, it is one of the symbols of contemporary British creativity. For some years now, this theatre tries to promote new playwrights and to stage more plays written by womenI've been going to this place since I was 10 years old when my father, a theatre critic, took me to see the theatre. I've been going to this place since I was 10 years old when my father, a theatre critic, took me to see A Midsummer Night's Dream of Shakespeare.