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Professor David Shirley

Executive Director, WAAPA

Staff Member Details
Telephone: +61 8 6304 6323
Mobile: 0466 685 852
Email: d.shirley@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Mount Lawley  
Room: ML1.257B  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5367-1647

David is the Executive Dean of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Background

A professional actor with extensive experience in theatre, film, television and radio, David trained at the Arts Educational Schools and at RADA. The founding Chair of the Conference of Drama Schools Research Forum and a former Co-convenor of the 20th/21st Century Performer Training Group at TaPRA (Theatre and Performance Research Association), David is actively engaged in promoting research initiatives across the Higher Education performer training sector. His own research includes published articles/book chapters related to Stanislavsky and Russian Naturalism, British Actor and Director training, the American Method, the work of Samuel Beckett and Postdramatic Theatre.

David was formerly the Chair of the Federation of Drama Schools (FDS) in the UK and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA) and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

David is an Associate Editor of Theatre, Dance and Performance Training (TDPT) published by Routledge.

He is also on the Advisory Board to the Stanislavsky Research Centre.

Qualifications

  • Master of Arts, England, 1996.
  • Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in Humanities, University of London, 1994.
  • College Diploma in Dramatic Art, England, 1982.

Research Outputs

Book Chapters

Book Chapters

  • Shirley, D. (2019). Stanislavski and Contemporary Directing Practice. The Great Stage Directors: Stanislavski, Antoine, Saint Denis (113-134). Methuen Drama.

Journal Articles

  • Shirley, D. (2018). His dream of passion: reflections on the work of Lee Strasberg and his influence on British actor training – part two. Stanislavski Studies, 6(2), 165-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/20567790.2018.1496555.

Journal Articles

Research Projects

  • Ji Lui - Healing Gaps: Rethinking Performance as a Cure for Global Issues, Forrest Research Foundation, Early-Career Creative and Performance Leadership Fellowships, 2023 ‑ 2025, $262,668.
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