Key details
Professor Mark O’Thomas
Visiting Professor
Professor Mark O'Thomas is a Visiting Professor at the University of Greenwich. Prior to this he was formerly Pro Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Dean of Academic Affairs at Newcastle University, Head of the School of Fine & Performing Arts at the University of Lincoln and the founding Director of the Institute for Performing Arts at the University of East London. Mark also spent ten years at the BBC as a subtitler and channel director. He has worked as a playwright, translator and dramaturg for a number of theatres including Soho Theatre, The Royal Court Theatre and the Royal National Theatre, and has adapted a vast array of novels for the stage where his credits include Jorge Amado's Dona Flor and her Two Husbands and Fernando Pessoa's Book of Disquiet.
Awards
Grants awarded
2017 ESRC Impact Acceleration Award
2017 Santander International Travel Award
2016 Canada/UK Foundation
2012 AHRC Translating Cultures (PI)
2011 STORM (EU Culture Fund)
Recognition
Fellow of RSA, SFHEA, Area Chair PCA
Mark is on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Learning & Teaching
Research / Scholarly interests
Mark is Associate Editor of Revista Brasileira de Estudos da Presença - the Brazilian Journal on Presence Studies - and his main research interest lays at the interface between translation, adaptation and dramaturgy. His work in this area has crossed many disciplines including musicology, film, literary and translation studies but his main focus remains on performance writing.
Mark is currently working on editing a new collection of essays on the Netflix anthology series American Horror Story as well as co-editing (along with Greenwich colleagues Dr Harry Derbyshire and Dr Nicholas Holden) a special issue of the journal Comparative Drama.
Media activity
Selected work for the stage
2014 Sadness and Joy in the Lives of Giraffes Theatre Royal York/Company of Angels
2013 PIIGS – Royal Court Theatre
2013 Feast Young Vic Theatre, London (extended run)
2012 The Ritual Royal National Theatre: Cottesloe
Connections 2012
2010 Ank !Ang! Company of Angels/Southwark Playhouse
2009 The Invisible Workers - Royal Court Theatre
2007 Agreste - Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London Arts Council of England commission
2004 Almost Nothing/At The Table - Royal Court Theatre
Recent publications
Article
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2022), Rita, Sue and #Metoo: the Royal Court Theatre, London, and liberalism. Western Michigan University. In: , , , . Western Michigan University, Comparative Drama, 56 (1&2) . pp. 157-178 ISSN: 0010-4078 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1353/cdr.2022.0006).
Derbyshire, Henry , Holden, Nicholas, O'Thomas, Mark (2022), Introduction - There's no place like London: theatrical landscapes of a city in recovery. Western Michigan University. In: , , , . Western Michigan University, Comparative Drama, 56: 1 (1&2) . pp. 1-11 ISSN: 0010-4078 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1353/cdr.2022.0000).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2018), There’ll always be an England – Butlins, Brexit and the Heterotopic Body. Intellect. In: , , , . Intellect, Journal of European Popular Culture, 9 (1) . pp. 33-41 ISSN: 2040-6134 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jepc.9.1.33_1).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2017), Humanum ex machina: Translation in the post-global, posthuman world. John Benjamins. In: , , , . John Benjamins, Target. International Journal of Translation Studies, 29 (2) . pp. 284-300 ISSN: 0924-1884 (Print), 1569-9986 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1075/target.29.2.05oth).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2017), My Country: a play about Brexit that tries to break the bubble but disappoints. The Conversation Trust (UK). In: , , , . The Conversation Trust (UK), The Conversation ISSN: 2201-5639 (Print), (doi: https://bit.ly/2mPLr2i).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2017), Why Hamilton's arrival In London should not be written off as just another mega-musical. HuffPost Entertainment. In: , , , . HuffPost Entertainment, The Huffington Post (doi: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mark-othomas/why-hamiltons-arrival-in-_b_13899954.html?guccounter=1).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2017), The TEF and student success – Why participation is key to learning and teaching. Higher Education Academy. In: , , , . Higher Education Academy, TEF: Voices from the sector (doi: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/blog/tef-and-student-success-–-why-participation-key-learning-and-teaching).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2016), Elf: Christmas cheer amid the darkness. TES Global. In: , , , . TES Global, Times Higher Education ISSN: 0049-3929 (Print), (doi: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/comment/elf-christmas-cheer-amid-the-darkness).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2016), Ten reasons why parents should value academics. HuffPost Parents. In: , , , . HuffPost Parents, The Huffington Post (doi: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mark-othomas/ten-reasons-why-parents-s_1_b_12897584.html).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2016), Minecraft the Movie: How will the adaptation respond to the challenge of creativity?. HuffPost Entertainment. In: , , , . HuffPost Entertainment, The Huffington Post (doi: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mark-othomas/minecraft-movie_b_12703234.html).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2016), What are you reading?. TES Global. In: , , , . TES Global, Times Higher Education ISSN: 0049-3929 (Print), (doi: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/reviews-what-are-you-reading-20-october-2016).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2016), The Girl On The Train: Why adapting the ultimate commuting novel makes perfect sense in a world of Brief Encounters. HuffPost Entertainment. In: , , , . HuffPost Entertainment, The Huffington Post (doi: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mark-othomas/girl-on-the-train_b_12332728.html).
Book section
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2020), Uncovering New Voices at the Royal Court Theatre- Interview with Vicky Featherstone. Intellect. In: , , In: Marco Galea, Szabolcs Musca (eds.), Redefining Theatre Communities – International Perspectives on Community-Conscious Theatre-Making. Intellect, Bristol . ISBN: 9781789380767 (doi: ) NB Item availability restricted.
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2017), Introduction to Cock by Mike Bartlett. Methuen. In: , , , Cock. Methuen, London (Methuen Modern Plays) . pp. 5-18 . ISBN: 9781474229630 (doi: ).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2017), Introduction. Bloomsbury Academic. In: , , In: Mark O'Thomas (ed.), Mike Barlett's Cock. Bloomsbury Academic, London . pp. 5-18 . ISBN: 9781474229630 (doi: ).
O'Thomas, Mark and , (2016), Translating austerity: Theatrical responses to the financial crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. In: , , , Twenty-First Century Drama: What Happens Now. Palgrave Macmillan, (1st) . pp. 129-148 . ISBN: 9781137484024 (doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48403-1_7) NB Item availability restricted.
Edited book
Derbyshire, Henry , Holden, Nicholas, O'Thomas, Mark, Knapper, Daniel (2022), Comparative Drama. University of Western Michigan. In: , , , . University of Western Michigan, Michigan, USA , 56 (1&2) (1st) . ISBN: 56, Number 1 & 2, Spring & Summer 2022 0010-4078 (Online) (doi: https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/47895).