Kay Hepplewhite

Senior Lecturer in Theatre

An experienced performer, director and facilitator for theatre in youth and community settings, Kay Hepplewhite has particular research interests in the application of social theatre techniques with young people and women. She has presented at national and international events including Women Playwrights International conference, Manila, Philipines 2003 and Women Writing for Performance Symposium, Lancaster May 2006, Feminism and Popular Culture, Newcastle June 2007.

Presentations at 2009, 2010, 2011 TaPRA Theatre and Performance Research Association national conferences and PSi Performance Studies International conference 2012.

Kay was a CETL Research Fellow with the C4C Collaborating for Creativity project 2007-09 and has been a YSJ Teaching Fellow since 2010. She has authored and managed a Collaborative Curriculum Project Award for Digital Image Reflection project and a Curriculum Project Award for Employability Reflective Practitioner project and Student as Research Assistant project, Video Reflection in Practitioner Learning.

Kay convened a national symposium, Alchemists at Work June 2012 which brought together practitioners, academics and postgraduates to explore Applied Theatre Practice. Details and video from the event can be found at:

http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/arts/faculty-of-arts/alchemists-at-work.aspx.

Kay worked as a performer, devisor and workshop leader in Community Theatre, Theatre in Education and within youth work settings before becoming a lecturer. She was a research associate at Northumbria University and has an MA (Dist.) in Theatre and Performance Practice and is currently studying for a PhD in Drama at Manchester University. She directed recent youth performance commissions for Sage Gateshead, Northern Stage, and Northern TUC Youth Forum and is currently co-director of The Guild of Lillians production company.

In the summer of 2010 Kay directed YSJ's performance for the waggon plays for York Mystery Cycle, 'Abraham and Isaac'.

Kay teaches applied and community theatre modules for the BA Theatre and MA Applied Theatre.