Notes on Authors
David Allen is Artistic Director of Midland Actors Theatre (UK). The company was lead partner on three Erasmus Plus projects on the work of Dorothy Heathcote. David runs the Facebook group, ‘The Commission Model of Teaching,’ and the website www.mantlenetwork.com. He is the convenor of the annual Dorothy Heathcote Now conference. He is the author of numerous books and articles on drama including Performing Chekhov (1999) and Stanislavski for Beginners (1999/2015), and co-author (with Agata Handley) of ‘The Commission Model of Teaching’ (Saber & Educar, 31 (1), 2022) and ‘Encounters with Otherness in the Work of Dorothy Heathcote’ (Artspraxis, 10 (1), 2023).
Shuangshuang Cai is a researcher in the Department of Dramatic Literature at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Since 2022, she has been a part-time lecturer at ShanghaiTech University. As a playwright, director, and producer she also produces and hosts the podcast Moments·片刻.
Dr. Renata Ferreira da Silva holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Education from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Federal University of Uberlândia. She is a professor, actress, storyteller, and researcher at the Federal University of Tocantins, where she leads the Gesto research group.
Nikki Doig is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee where she teaches on the MA and PGDE Primary Education programmes. Nikki has an MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Her research centres on teacher confidence, drama in education and learning beyond subject boundaries.
Brian Edmiston is Professor of Drama as Education at The Ohio State University in the USA. He grew up in N Ireland, was a secondary English and Drama teacher in England, and a primary teacher in the USA. He studied with Dorothy Heathcote and has received research and teaching awards. The author of numerous articles and 5 books, his 2014 book received the CHOICE award. His 2022 book, co-authored with Iona Towler-Evans, is Humanizing Education with Dramatic Inquiry: In Dialogue with the Transformative Pedagogy of Dorothy Heathcote.
Stig A. Eriksson is Professor Emeritus at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Department of Arts Education, Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports – Campus Bergen. Eriksson has a long teaching and research experience in the field of educational drama and applied theatre. He has lectured and presented workshops in about 30 countries and publishes in a range of national and international journals. He is the author of Distancing at Close Range. Investigating the Significance of Distancing in Drama Education (2009). Eriksson has been a presenter at the Dorothy Heathcote Now conferences 2021-2025.
Agata Handley is Assistant Professor in the Department of British Literature and Culture, University of Łódź, Poland. Her main areas of interest are: contemporary British poetry; the culture of the English North; memory studies, and intermedial issues. She is the author of Constructing Identity in the Poetry of Tony Harrison (2016/2021). She is Editor-in-Chief of Text Matters: A Journal of Literature, Theory and Culture. Her current research includes ekphrasis in anglophone literature and culture, and intertextuality in music
Dr. Flávia Janiaski is a Professor at the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Brazil. She holds an M.A. in Drama and a Ph.D. in Performing Arts, with a doctoral internship at the University of Massachusetts Boston in Early Childhood Education.
Dr. Amanda Kipling leads the PGCE Drama programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is chair of London Drama. Her recent doctoral thesis is In Two Minds: what happens when we think in role? Her research explores the transformational nature of drama focusing on the in-role process and the opportunities this provides within classroom settings.
Dr. Wellington Menegaz is a Professor at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), working in undergraduate and graduate programs. He holds a postdoctoral degree, Ph.D., and M.A. in Theater from UDESC, and leads the Drama Research Group (GruD).
İhsan Metinnam is Associate Professor at Ankara University, Faculty of Fine Arts. He integrates drama and theatre-based education with social benefit, aiming to enhance individuals’ capacity to transform society. He has taught, published, and led internationally, serving on IDEA, CDD, and EDERED boards. His work spans Europe, including migrant-focused projects in Germany.
Dr. Heitor Martins Oliveira is an Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Tocantins, Palmas campus. His research focuses on sound and scenic creation, artistic research, musical composition, and collaborative creative processes.
Dr. Mariene Perobelli is a Brazilian actress, professor, and researcher. She taught for 15 years at the Federal University of Uberlândia and now heads the Institute of Healing Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Performing Arts (UNIRIO) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Theatre (UDESC).
Bob Selderslaghs is a teaching artist and works as a researcher and lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of the AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp in Belgium. He obtained a PhD in the arts in 2022, focusing on drama in education and education in drama.
Tim Taylor has taught for over thirty years and now works as an educator and teacher-trainer in the UK and internationally. He manages mantleoftheexpert.com and writes a regular blog. His work appears in anthologies, and he is author of A Beginner’s Guide to Mantle of the Expert and Try This.
Christina Zourna is a mathematician, teaching secondary education mathematics since 1988. She has an MA in Adult Education, and is a Dr. in Lifelong Learning at the Educational and Social Policy Dept, School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece. Her research interests include applications of Drama in Education in teaching the curriculum and in developing personal, social, and professional skills for teenagers, students, and adults. Her original idea of using Drama as an innovative method in career guidance and group counselling for adolescents has been officially copyrighted (990/11-02-2022).
