JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (Jocelyn Herbert Accountable to: Eileen Hogan (Professor of Fine Fellowship) Art, UAL) Contract Length: 2 years fixed-term Hours per week/FTE: 0.5 FTE Weeks per year: 52 Salary: £36,642 p.a. (pro-rata) Grade: 5
College/Service: Research Management & Administration Location: Chelsea College of Art, UAL (RMA)
Purpose of Role: The post holder will develop and undertake an agreed research project in collaboration with the National Theatre on the use of the Jocelyn Herbert Archive, in particular in relation to scenographic practices. The Fellow will be based at UAL, have Research Associate status and desk space at the National Theatre Archive, with regular access to the Archive over the term of the Fellowship.
Duties and Responsibilities
ñ To undertake original research and develop an agreed post-doctoral level research project within the framework of UAL (CCW) and the National Theatre (NT) ñ To investigate the use of the Jocelyn Herbert archive http://www.jocelynherbert.org/ in the teaching of theatre design and related scenographic practices including costume, light and sound
ñ To expand existing UAL/NT research in the field of theatre design, scenography and production process
ñ To contribute to the NT’s expanding learning and public engagement programmes and to the development of research into its archive
ñ To report on the value of a theatre design archive as a resource for historiographic and contemporary study of production process
ñ To promote the National Theatre Archive and the Jocelyn Herbert Archive in particular as a dynamic, investigative resource for schools, colleges, universities and researchers as well as the general public
ñ To disseminate the research findings through conferences, public lectures and curated exhibitions, when appropriate, with papers published in relevant journals or e-publications, as appropriate
ñ To produce content towards a publication or an edited collection
ñ To contribute, where appropriate, to the National Theatre’s learning and public engagement programmes and to the UAL’s graduate programmes
ñ To work closely and collaboratively with staff at the National Theatre, ensuring the objectives agreed and set out are achieved
ñ Lead on and support any additional tasks or documentation as required by the project
ñ To continue to develop your own practice
ñ To work with all other areas of the UAL Research Management & Administration providing highest possible level of service and standards
ñ To undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the role
ñ To work in accordance with the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy and the Staff Charter, promoting equality and diversity in your work
ñ To undertake continuous personal and professional development, and to support it for any staff you manage through effective use of the University’s Planning, Review and Appraisal scheme and staff development opportunities
ñ To make full use of all information and communication technologies in adherence to data protection policies to meet the requirements of the role and to promote organisational effectiveness
ñ To conduct all financial matters associated with the role in accordance with the University’s policies and procedures, as laid down in the Financial Regulations
Key Working Relationships:
Eileen Hogan (Professor of Fine Art, UAL) Jane Collins (Professor of Theatre & Performance, UAL) Alice King-Farlow (Director of Learning, National Theatre) Erin Lee (Archivist, National Theatre)
Specific Management Responsibilities
Budgets: None
Staff: None
Other (e.g. accommodation; equipment): None
Grade 5: Research Fellow Jocelyn Herbert Fellowship Person Specification
Specialist Knowledge/ PhD or equivalent research experience in an Qualifications artistic practice Knowledge in the field of theatre, scenography and/or related disciplines
Relevant Experience Demonstrable relevant experience as a creative practitioner or scholar
Communicates effectively orally and in writing Communication Skills adapting the message for diverse audiences in an inclusive and accessible way
Motivates and leads a team effectively, setting Leadership and Management clear objectives to manage performance
Applies innovative approaches in teaching, learning or professional practice to support Research, Teaching and excellent teaching, pedagogy and inclusivity Learning Applies own research to develop learning and assessment practice
Contributes to advancing professional practice/ Professional Practice research or scholarly activity in own area of specialism
Planning and managing Plans, prioritises and manages resources resources effectively to achieve long-term objectives
Works collaboratively in a team and where Teamwork appropriate across or with different professional groups
Student experience or customer Builds and maintains positive relationships with service students or customers
Creativity, Innovation and Suggests practical solutions to new or unique Problem Solving problems
Annexr Background
The University of the Arts London (UAL) UAL is Europe’s largest specialist arts and design University, bringing together six arts, design, fashion and communication Colleges with more than 3,000 academic, research and technical staff and about 19,000 students from more than 100 countries. UAL encompasses Central Saint Martins (CSM), London College of Fashion (LCF), London College of Communication (LCC), Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts (CCW) and is actively engaged in research and innovation as well as artistic, cultural and education projects. In the latest REF (UK Research Excellence Framework), 83% of UAL research was classified as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, and its overall quality profile placed the university in the top 25 of UK Universities. UAL has particularly strong links with industry and creative practice and has been a pioneer in the development of practicerbased and practicerled research in creative fields.
Between 2008 and 2014 the Jocelyn Herbert Archive was housed at Wimbledon College of Arts, which inspired PhD research and collaborations with the Universities of Stirling and Reading, where Lindsay Anderson’s and Samuel Beckett’s archives are held respectively; as well as research into the Archive of Performance in Greek and Roman Drama at the University of Oxford and the V&A, which holds the archive of the English Stage Company. The move of Herbert’s archive to the National Theatre (NT) in 2014 built upon the existing relationship between UAL and the NT, which includes the Jocelyn Herbert Lectures. This series of ten annual lectures explores theatre design through the voice of the designer, the director, the producer, the writer and the actor and aims to increase public awareness of a largely invisible discipline within an otherwise closely monitored activity. Lecturers to date have been Richard Eyre, Christopher Hampton, Ultz, Waler Asmus and Sian Thomas.
The Jocelyn Herbert Lectures are part of a growing body of research across UAL in the fields of theatre and performance design and scenography. As well as internationally recognised undergraduate and post graduate courses in these disciplines at Wimbledon and CSM, UAL is also engaged in world leading research in costume design at LCF and Wimbledon, in sound arts at LCC through the Creative Research into Sounds Arts Practice (CRiSAP) Research Centre and in transnational performance through The Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) based at Chelsea. UAL hosts a number of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)rfunded research students in this field, including the World Stage Design winner Sophie Jump who carried out extensive research in the Jocelyn Herbert archive for her recently awarded research degree. The university also supports Theatre & Performance Design, an international peerrreviewed quarterly journal publishing innovative artistic practice alongside theoretical research. The journal critically evaluates the effect of scenography on the aesthetics and politics of performance and facilitates dialogue amongst practitioners, scholars, and audience.
The National Theatre (NT) The National Theatre is dedicated to making the very best theatre and sharing it with as many people as possible. The NT stages up to 30 productions at its South Bank home each year, ranging from rerimagined classics – such as Greek tragedy and Shakespeare – to modern masterpieces and new work by contemporary writers and theatrer makers. The work the NT makes strives to be as open, diverse, collaborative and as national as possible. Much of that new work is researched and developed at the NT Studio: the NT is committed to nurturing innovative work from new writers, directors, creative artists and performers. Equally, it is committed to education, with a widerranging learning programme for all ages in the new Clore Learning Centre and in schools and communities across the UK. The National Theatre's work is also seen on tour throughout the UK and internationally, and in collaborations and cor productions with regional theatres. Popular shows transfer to the West End and occasionally to Broadway; and through the National Theatre Live programme, it broadcasts live performances to 2,000 cinemas in 50 countries around the world.
From September 2015, National Theatre: On Demand In Schools will make three acclaimed, curriculumrlinked productions free to stream on demand in every secondary school in the country. Online, the NT offers a rich variety of innovative digital content on every aspect of theatre. Ticket prices are affordable and to reach a wide audience, and use our public funding to maintain artistic riskrtaking, accessibility and diversity.
The National Theatre Archive The National Theatre Archive, http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/archive, is the repository for the administrative and technical records of the National Theatre and is open to everyone by appointment. The collection covers the period from the inception of the company in 1963 to the present day. Material accessible to the public includes programmes, posters, photographs, video and sound recordings of NT productions and platform events, press cuttings, prompt scripts, production drawings, costume, lighting, sound information and more. The Archive also holds many deposited collections relevant to the National Theatre's history including the Jocelyn Herbert Archive, records of the Shakespeare Memorial National Theatre Trust (1908) and the South Bank Theatre Board.
Jocelyn Herbert Archive Jocelyn Herbert (1917r2003) was a seminal figure in postrwar twentiethrcentury British theatre. Her approach altered the way directors and audiences came to view stage design, and contributed to a fundamental shift in the relationship between writer, director and designer. The Jocelyn Herbert Archive is one of the most complete and extensive of the period, covering many world premieres of plays, which have since come to be seen as twentieth century classics. The archive consists of over 6,000 of Herbert’s drawings for set and costume designs spanning student work made at the London Theatre Studio in the late 1930s to the production planning on the day she died. It includes production photographs, notebooks relating to film and theatre and to personal life, sketchbooks, diaries and contact books, threerdimensional stage models, ground plans, research material, budgets, invoices and minutes relating to meetings, posters and programmes, scripts, moulds for masks, masks and puppet figures. Herbert’s career was characterised by long collaborative relationships with directors, writers and actors, and her archive embraces a significant body of material and correspondence with figures such as Lindsay Anderson, Samuel Beckett, Tony Harrison, John Osborne, Tony Richardson, David Storey and Arnold Wesker. As well as her vital connection with the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre, Herbert had an influential role at the National Theatre, designing many plays there and as a member of Lawrence Olivier’s Building Committee for Denys Lasdun’s National Theatre South Bank design.
The Jocelyn Herbert Fellowship The Jocelyn Herbert Fellowship, a joint University of the Arts London (UAL) and National Theatre (NT) initiative, aims to raise awareness of the essential role of the theatre designer through an investigation and expression of Jocelyn Hebert’s Archive.
The primary duty of the Research Fellow will be to develop and undertake an agreed research project in collaboration with the National Theatre on the use of the Jocelyn Herbert Archive, in particular in relation to scenographic practices. The application should indicate clearly what the outputs will be and how they will be disseminated.
The Fellow will be based at Chelsea College of Art (UAL) and will have regular access to the NT Archive over the term of the Fellowship.
The starting point of the Fellowship will be an inrdepth study of Herbert’s archive (www.jocelynherbert.org), now housed at the National Theatre. Herbert (1917r2003) was a seminal figure in postrwar twentieth century British theatre and her archive is one of the most extensive in a public collection. Her career began in 1956 with the English Stage Company at the Royal Court, initiated by George Devine and Tony Richardson to present classics as if they were freshly written and to seek out and encourage new plays. Working with young directors and writers also at the outset of their careers, Herbert embodied the changing relationship between designer and director, and her career was characterised by long working relationships with directors Lindsay Anderson, John Dexter, Tony Richardson and the writer/directors Samuel Beckett and Tony Harrison. Working with them, Herbert created the designs for the first productions of plays which came to be regarded as twentiethrcentury classics, including scripts by John Osborne, Arnold Wesker and David Storey, plays which – unusually for the period – had contemporary life as their subject matter and which demanded a new approach to design.
Herbert went on to design opera and theatre for spaces as varied as the amphitheatre at Epidaurus, the vast stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the studio at the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester. She was on the building committee for what became Denys Lasdun’s National Theatre on the South Bank and her use of the Olivier stage was
particularly influential. At the National, she was responsible for the design of Peter Hall’s famous production of The Oresteia (1981), which also marked the beginning of her collaboration with Tony Harrison. Herbert and Harrison developed a uniquely fluid way of working together, as evidenced by their joint archives, and it was this collaboration that distinguished the latter part of Herbert’s career.
Often working with the directors from her theatre productions, Herbert’s films included designing Tom Jones, Isadora, If… O Lucky Man!, (directed by Tony Richardson), The Whales of August and Prometheus.
Please visit http://jobs.arts.ac.uk, where you are able to search for the position, download the application documents and apply online. You are requested to include an outline of the proposed project within your personal statement. Please note that CVs submitted without a formal application form will not be accepted for consideration.
Interviews are expected to be held w/c 13th November 2017.
HOW TO APPLY
ñ Complete the online application o The personal statement section should include an outline of the proposed project in which the Jocelyn Herbert Archive will be used, addressing: ° Proposed concept ° Methods ° Expected outputs ° Dissemination and Impact (how the project will increase public awareness of the Jocelyn Herbert Archive and the discipline of theatre design) ° How the proposed project extends your previous work and experience ñ Attach a brief curriculum vitae, which includes publications, exhibitions etc.