Professor Paul Johnson | University of Chester

Paul Johnson is Professor of Theatre and Performance and Deputy Provost at the University of Chester, a role with responsibility for the university's work in Shropshire at University Centre Shrewsbury, and enhancing academic quality across the institution. He has held a number of higher education leadership roles including Head of Department, Head of School, Associate Dean, and Executive Dean of Arts and Humanities. In the HE sector he was elected Vice-Chair of Drama HE (or SCUDD as it was then called), the body that represents the interests of Drama, Theatre and Performing Arts, and in 2023 was appointed Chair of the Quality Assurance Agency’s review of the Subject Benchmark Statement for Dance, Drama and Performance, working with colleagues from across the sector to undertake the first major review of the statement since 2015. Has has acted as External Examiner or Advisor at over 15 institutions for a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and has chaired Periodic Reviews and numerous validations, including with partners in UK and India, Pakistan, Nepal and Ireland.

He has also undertaken a number of leadership roles in arts and culture, including currently as the Chair of the Vibrant Shropshire Cultural Compact, as well sitting on the Shropshire Museums NPO Oversight Panel, following their successful Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation application, and Chairing the Shropshire Music Education Hub's Governance Board. Previously, he sat on the Strategic Board of Arts Connect, the Arts Council Bridge Organisation for the West Midlands, ensuring that they met their aim of ensuring wider access to arts and culture for young people in the West Midlands. Paul also has experience of working with a broader range of stakeholders, representing Higher Education on the Shropshire Economic Partnership Board and the Local Skills Improvement Board for the Marches.

Paul has taught on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in drama, performing arts and musical theatre, and still contributes to teaching when possible. He supervises PhD students on a range of topics related to performance. He has significant experience supporting learning and teaching, and was appointed by the OfS to support work with institutions around quality and standards.

Paul's areas of research interest are in interdisciplinary approaches to art and performance, such as science and philosophy; applied drama, including theatre and performance in museums and heritage sites and theatre with and for young people; and experimental performance in Europe and the USA .
Convenor of Science and Performance Working Group from 2019 - 2023 (Theatre and Performance Research Association)
Peer Reviews undertaken for organisations including Art and Humanities Research Council, British Academy, Bloomsbury, Palgrave MacMillan, National Research Foundation (South Africa), Studies in Theatre and Performance, Somatechnics Journal, Mosaic Interdisciplinary Critical Journal, Higher Education Academy, Austrian Science Fund.
Scientific committee Theatre about Science: theory and practice conference, Coimbra, Portugal November 2021, November 2023
Advisor to International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference 2022
Invited keynote in conversation with Michael Frayn, Performing Science: Dialogues Across Cultures University of Lincoln, 2014
PhD/EdDoc Examiner (Universities of Leeds, Plymouth, Wolverhampton, Chester)
9 PhD/EdDoc completions

Books

Johnson, Paul and Dobkowska, S. (eds.) (2016) Justitia: Multidisciplinary readings of the work of Jasmin Vardimon Company Intellect: Bristol. 132 pages. ISBN 978-1-78320-529-5

Johnson, Paul (2012) Quantum Theatre: Science and Contemporary Performance CSP: Newcastle. 205 pages ISBN 978-1443841139

Journal Articles

Johnson, Paul (2014) ‘Science, performance and transformation: performance for a ‘scientific’ age?’ International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media. Vol. 10, Iss. 2.

Jackson , Anthony, Johnson, Paul, Rees Leahy, Helen, Walker , Verity, (2003) 'Executive Summary Seeing it for Real: An Investigation into the effectiveness of theatre and theatre techniques in museums ' Toimijoiden Toreilla (journal of the Finnish Drama/Theatre & Education. Association). Helsinki: FIDEA, Spring

Chapters in Books

Johnson, Paul (2014) ‘Ideology and the True/False Performance of Heritage’ in Chow B, Mangold A. (Eds.) Zizek and performance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Pp142-153 ISBN 9781137410900

Johnson, Paul (2010) ‘The space of ‘museum theatre’: a framework for performing heritage’ in Jackson, A and Kidd, J. (Eds.) Performing Heritage: Research, practice and innovation in museum theatre and live interpretation Manchester University Press. Pp53-68 ISBN 0719081599

Johnson, Paul (2010) ‘Applying Popper: An evolutionary approach to performance’ in Meyer-Dinkgräfe, D and Watt, D. (Eds.) Ethical Encounters: Boundaries of Theatre, Performance and Philosophy CSP: Newcastle. Pp23-33 ISBN 978-1-4438-1695-3

Johnson, Paul (2010) ‘Art or Honesty? Breaking the rules of the game with immersive museum theatre’ in Townley, B. & Beech, N. (Eds.) The Discipline of Organizing Creativity: Exploring the Paradox Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp177-188 ISBN 9780521518536

Other Outputs

Johnson, Paul (2009) ‘Knickers and Vests Pilot Project Evaluation’ (30p.)

Johnson, Paul (2008) ‘Performing heritage: research and practice, University of Manchester, UK, 3-5 April 2008’ Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, Volume 13 Issue 3.

Johnson, Paul (2008) ‘Making it up as we go along: Construction of Narrative in Immersive Museum Theatre’ in The Narrative Practitioner Conference Proceedings 2007, Wrexham, Glyndwr University.

Johnson, Paul (2007) ‘Who is the Tallyman’ in Triangles Work in Times of War (DVD)

Johnson, Paul (2007) ‘‘How to scare the audience and the curator: a new model for museum theatre’ in Triangles Work in Times of War (DVD)

Jackson, Anthony and Johnson, Paul (2002) ‘Performing Arts and the Wellcome Trust: a report into the use of the performing arts in engaging young people with issues related to biomedical science’ (42p.)

Jackson , Anthony, Johnson, Paul, Rees Leahy, Helen, Walker , Verity, (2002), Seeing it for Real: An Investigation into the effectiveness of theatre and theatre techniques in museums University of Manchester CATR.

MA (Hons,) PGCert, PhD, FRSA.