dr callan davies
Contact:
"DAVIES'S EXCITING AND READABLE BOOK IS A THEATRE-HISTORY GAMECHANGER"
--- Prof. Emma Smith, Oxford (author of This is Shakespeare)
Hello!
I'm a writer and researcher specialising in people having fun in 16th- and 17th-century England. I also concentrate on accessible, public forms of history and heritage. I'm enthusiastic about teaching and sharing research with new audiences and collaborative creativity. I'm Lecturer in Seventeenth-Century Literature and Culture at the University of Southampton.
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You can find out more about my writing and research here. My latest book, What is a Playhouse?, is an accessible exploration of England's earliest playing spaces. It was one of History Today's Books of the Year 2023.
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My teaching spans a range of higher education and drama institutions, Shakespeare's Globe, and bespoke classes in secondary schools. I have experience working in research and engagement for national collections and of academic consultancy for museums. I have created websites and educational tools and planned and delivered an array of public events and workshops. You can find out more about my experience here.
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I'm a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (London) and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
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Hire me:
Click below to book or find out more about...
Creative, Events, & Education Consultancy
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"Davies brilliantly explores and expands our understanding of what an early modern playhouse was in London and beyond,"
--- Heather Knight, MCIfA, FSA, archaeologist who led the excavations of Curtain, Theatre and Boar’s Head playhouses.
"Callan Davies' new book, What is a Playhouse? England at Play, 1520-1620, offers a fresh and stimulating perspective for anyone interested in the history of theatre and popular entertainment."
---Prof. Sally-Beth MacLean, University of Toronto, Director Records of Early English Drama
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Kind words about What is a Playhouse?
Cover design by Tyler Davies
"Rigorous yet engaging, What is a Playhouse? is a welcome corrective to Globe-centric conceptions of playing spaces, accentuating a plurality and diversity of venues that ‘housed’ play in all its forms.''
--- Prof .David McInnis, University of Melbourne