I am particularly interested in the intersection of theatre and sport, especially the world of professional wrestling,
Publications
Here is the article that started it all (2013).
With Broderick Chow and Eero Laine, Professional Wrestling and Performance (Routledge 2016).
'"Might all be a Work" Professional Wrestling at Butlins Holiday Camps', Journal of Popular Culture (July 2018).
Contributed to Oliver Lee Bateman, 'Wrestling, Politics and the Violent Realities of 2016', Pacific Standard (December 2018).
‘Queer Music Hall Sport: All-In wrestling and modernist fakery’. Modernism/Modernity (January 2020)
With Ben Litherland and Tom Phillips, ‘Is this Progress? Punk, Participation and Radical Politics in British Professional Wrestling’ in Nell Haynes, Eero Laine, Heather Levi and Sharon Mazer (eds.), Professional Wrestling: Populism and Politics (Calcutta: Seagull [Chicago UP], 2020) [forthcoming].
Projects
In 2019 I was involved in an Arts Council-funded project entitled 'Bodies of Knowledge'. I worked with Tom Dawkins (Cara Noir) and Joe Moran to consider the intersections of dance (particularly ballet) and wrestling. Afterwards I wrote this article reflecting on the process. The book from this project was published by the Live Art Development Agency in 2021.
In 2020 we secured a British Academy grant to fund the Health and Wellbeing in Professional Wrestling project, an initiative that aimed to take a supportive healthcheck of British professional wrestling. The team (me, Dominic Malcolm, Anthony Papathomas, and Sam West) interviewed many wrestlers, referees, and promoters to talk about key health and wellbeing concerns in the industry. Here is the website from the project.
Publications
Here is the article that started it all (2013).
With Broderick Chow and Eero Laine, Professional Wrestling and Performance (Routledge 2016).
'"Might all be a Work" Professional Wrestling at Butlins Holiday Camps', Journal of Popular Culture (July 2018).
Contributed to Oliver Lee Bateman, 'Wrestling, Politics and the Violent Realities of 2016', Pacific Standard (December 2018).
‘Queer Music Hall Sport: All-In wrestling and modernist fakery’. Modernism/Modernity (January 2020)
With Ben Litherland and Tom Phillips, ‘Is this Progress? Punk, Participation and Radical Politics in British Professional Wrestling’ in Nell Haynes, Eero Laine, Heather Levi and Sharon Mazer (eds.), Professional Wrestling: Populism and Politics (Calcutta: Seagull [Chicago UP], 2020) [forthcoming].
Projects
In 2019 I was involved in an Arts Council-funded project entitled 'Bodies of Knowledge'. I worked with Tom Dawkins (Cara Noir) and Joe Moran to consider the intersections of dance (particularly ballet) and wrestling. Afterwards I wrote this article reflecting on the process. The book from this project was published by the Live Art Development Agency in 2021.
In 2020 we secured a British Academy grant to fund the Health and Wellbeing in Professional Wrestling project, an initiative that aimed to take a supportive healthcheck of British professional wrestling. The team (me, Dominic Malcolm, Anthony Papathomas, and Sam West) interviewed many wrestlers, referees, and promoters to talk about key health and wellbeing concerns in the industry. Here is the website from the project.
Wrestling Resurgence
I have the privilege of being part of the Wrestling Resurgence collective. We began the project with a series of talks and roundtable events (Cultural Exchanges 2017; Everybody's Reading 2017), before hosting our first wrestling event at Attenborough Arts Centre as part of the Being Human Humanities Festival (November 2017). The project won De Montfort University's 2017 Innovation and Impact Award. Since then Wrestling Resurgence has twice secured funding from the Arts Council and won a Loughborough University Enterprise Grant to establish Wrestling Resurgence as an independent arts collective. The company runs shows across the East Midlands. You can watch the shows by Pay-Per-View here. I've enjoyed speaking about Wrestling Resurgence to/on newspapers, blogs and podcasts.
Keep up with Wrestling Resurgence by following on Twitter or Instagram. And do check out the YouTube channel for films and matches. There are links for tickets in case you are in the East Mids area and fancy catching a show.
Whether you are a huge wrestling fan or have never watched a match in your life, you will have a great night out!
Resurgence is committed to to creating a supportive, diverse, inclusive and safe environment for fans and wrestlers alike.
For the record, I am a big fan of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jnr, but will forever rank the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels as my number one.
I have the privilege of being part of the Wrestling Resurgence collective. We began the project with a series of talks and roundtable events (Cultural Exchanges 2017; Everybody's Reading 2017), before hosting our first wrestling event at Attenborough Arts Centre as part of the Being Human Humanities Festival (November 2017). The project won De Montfort University's 2017 Innovation and Impact Award. Since then Wrestling Resurgence has twice secured funding from the Arts Council and won a Loughborough University Enterprise Grant to establish Wrestling Resurgence as an independent arts collective. The company runs shows across the East Midlands. You can watch the shows by Pay-Per-View here. I've enjoyed speaking about Wrestling Resurgence to/on newspapers, blogs and podcasts.
Keep up with Wrestling Resurgence by following on Twitter or Instagram. And do check out the YouTube channel for films and matches. There are links for tickets in case you are in the East Mids area and fancy catching a show.
Whether you are a huge wrestling fan or have never watched a match in your life, you will have a great night out!
Resurgence is committed to to creating a supportive, diverse, inclusive and safe environment for fans and wrestlers alike.
For the record, I am a big fan of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jnr, but will forever rank the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels as my number one.
