Cara Berger

Cara Berger

Dr

  • Lecturer in Theatre and Performance, Drama

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

I welcome expressions of interest in research projects aligned with my areas of expertise. Please note that I am currently available to act as a second supervisor only, and prospective PhD applicants will need to secure the support of a primary supervisor before proceeding.

Personal profile

Overview

I am a Senior Lecturer in Theatre and Performance. My teaching and research focus on dramaturgy and performance curation, modernist and contemporary European theatre, and the intersections of ecology, environmentalism, and feminist and queer theory.

My work is grounded in pedagogical innovation and collaborative practice. I regularly develop new approaches to teaching and curriculum design, with a strong emphasis on inclusive and sustainability-focused methods. I currently lead a Greening the Arts Curriculum project, which brings together staff, students, and external partners to explore how arts and humanities education can respond to the climate crisis through transformative, co-created teaching strategies.

I hold a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), and have contributed to programme and curriculum development across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the design of the forthcoming interdisciplinary MA Arts, Culture and the Environment. I regularly collaborate with cultural sector organisations on teaching and knowledge exchange, most recently through What Can Dance Do About Climate Change? – a project exploring ecosomatic workshop methods for young people, together with dance artist Chris Brown.

My current research focuses on the intersections of feminism and ecology in contemporary performance. I have published widely on postdramatic theatre and feminism, and have contributed ecocritical scholarship to student-facing resources such as Digital Theatre Plus and Cambridge Companions.

Current major projects include:

  • Feminism, Performance, Ecology: Challenging Western Capitalist Modernity 1962–2020 – a monograph forthcoming with Manchester University Press

  • The Cambridge Companion to Curating Performance – a co-edited volume with Kate Dorney, bringing together global perspectives on performance curation for student and early-career professional audiences

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action

External positions

External Examiner in Performing Arts in the School of Arts and Creative Industries, University of East London

1 Sept 20251 Sept 2029

Areas of expertise

  • LB2300 Higher Education
  • PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Creative Manchester
  • Sustainable Futures

Keywords

  • Postdramatic theatre
  • feminist theory
  • Ecocriticism
  • Dramaturgy
  • Ecofeminism
  • European theatre
  • Curation
  • Ecopedagogy
  • Environmental arts
  • Queer theory

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