Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Teresa Brayshaw
Principal Lecturer
Teresa is a theatre practitioner, a writer, a teacher, a researcher, and a qualified Feldenkrais Practitioner. Her ethos is to create environments in which people can learn through movement and awareness, to develop their innate potential and become happier and healthier as a result.
Teresa has worked extensively in the UK HE and European Theatre School sectors over the last 30 years. She joined Leeds Beckett as Principal Lecturer in January 2006, and was tasked with setting up the department of Performing Arts.
Previous to her appointment at Leeds Beckett University she led BA and MA programmes in Theatre, Contemporary Arts, Drama and Performance at De Montfort University, The University of Leeds, The University of Hull (Scarborough Campus) and Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2014 she took on the role of head of Cultural Engagement for the School of Film Music and Performing Arts and established a number of projects and partnerships with international festivals, theatre schools and organisations, creating mobility pathways for students and graduates.
She now works part time in the university and is the lead UK investigator on the International Erasmus Plus funded ATIPIA Project (Applying and Integrating European Theatre Training), and leads the Cinage research group which creates opportunities and training in filmmaking and theatre making for older people.
Current Teaching
Teresa teaches on the following programmes at Leeds Beckett:
• MA Performance
• MA Choreography
• BA Performing Arts
• BA Theatre and Performance
She regularly works as a visiting lecturer across Europe including the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts Croatia, Sarajevo Theatre Academy Bosnia, ESMAE Academy Portugal and Bai Theatre School Bilbao. She has worked as an external examiner at York St.John University, Central School of Speech and Drama, Kingston University and Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance and as an international subject expert at the Kosovo Accreditation Agency, Prishtina.
Beyond a specialist Embodied Knowledges module at masters level, she teaches workshops in Feldenkrais and creative practice to acting, music, dance and design students/artists at Arden School of Theatre, MMU, Northumbria University, York University, Nottingham University, Dionysus Festival Croatia. She is a fellow of the HEA.
Teresa works for Leeds Beckett as a workplace coach and is an active member of the Leeds Coaching Network, she has recently worked as a coach and artist mentor at Prime Productions Belfast, ACT Festival Bilbao, GIFT Festival Gateshead and FLARE Festival Manchester.
Research Interests
Teresa’s current research centres upon creating learning environments in which people can realise their full potential. In addition to her ‘pure practice’ as a Feldenkrais teacher, she applies her interests in neuroplasticity and creativity to her teaching, writing and professional theatre work. She makes, performs and directs theatre with artists from different disciplines and her work has toured extensively in the UK and internationally.
She was co-editor of Training Grounds in the International Journal of Theatre Dance and Performance Training between 2010 and 2014 and has co-edited two of Routledge’s best-selling Performance Readers.
Select Publications include:
- Books
o Brayshaw, T. Fenemore, A. & Witts, N. (eds) The 21st Century Performance Reader. Routledge (2019)
o Brayshaw, T. & Witts, N. (eds) The 20th Century Performance Reader. Third Edition. Routledge (2013)
- Book Chapters
o Brayshaw, T. & Granville, J. (2018) UK senior citizens learn filmmaking as a creative pathway to reflection and fulfilment, in Wright, H.R, & Høyen, M. (2019) Discourses we live by. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus University Press (forthcoming)
- Journal Articles
o Senior Moments: Reflections on the CINAGE project and collaborative advances
Vol 4 Issue 2. International Journal of Education and Ageing (2018)
o The Story of Cinage Live:
Vol 4 Issue 3 International Journal of Education and Ageing (2019)
- Online
o Where are we now? Where are we now? A critical conversation with Teresa, Steve, ACT Artists and You. (2018) This publication and performance text documents extracts of conversations between 50 international artists and the authors and formed part of a bilingual keynote conversation led by Teresa Brayshaw & Steve Purcell and performed by students from Bai Theatre School at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao In June 2018 as part of the programme for the XV edition of ACT FESTIVAL.
- Performances
o Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation – a devised theatre show written and directed by Brayshaw, T. in collaboration with the Cinage Live Senior Theatre Company
 Premiered at the International ELOA (Education for the Learning of Older Adults) Conference: Voice Creativity Action, Leeds, UK; November 2017
 Commissioned by Liverpool International Cornerstone Festival, March 2018
 Writing on Air Festival Chapel Radio ELFM; a piece for 7 voices, March 2018
 The Richard Demarco Archive, Summerhall; Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2018
 LeBeMe 2 (Leeds Beckett Media Conference) Leeds, UK, January 2018
 Leeds International Festival, off programme, Mill Hill Chapel, May 2019
o Player Piano – A Music Theatre Work created and performed by Catherine laws and Directed by Teresa Brayshaw
 York International Music Festival, York UK (2016)
 Malmö Academy of Music, Malmo, Sweden (2018)
Ghent, Belgium (2019)
o 7 Falls – Haranczak/Navarre, Brayshaw, T. & Christopher, K.
Commissioned by:
GIFT Festival, Gateshead, UK 2011
ACT Festival, Bilbao 2013
Experimentica Festival, Cardiff, Wales 2015
Chisenhale Dance Space, London 2017
Ask Me About
- Festivals
- Film
- Performing Arts
- Theatre
Selected Outputs
-
Brayshaw T; Christopher K
. (2012) Seven Falls. 4 May 2012. GIFT Festival Gateshead;: Gift Festival Gateshead.
