In this episode of ‘Hotseating’ Aoibhinn Finnegan speaks to Michael Finneran. Michael is Senior Lecturer in drama at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland. He is the founding Head of the Department of Drama and Theatre Studies at the College, and Programme Director for the BA in Contemporary & Applied Theatre Studies. Previously, he held the post of Head of the Department of Arts Education & Physical Education in the Faculty of Education at MIC. He holds a PhD from the University of Warwick, completed under the supervision of Prof. Jonothan Neelands. Michael’s research interests lie in the meaning-making, educative and pro-social possibilities of the arts, particularly drama and theatre, and he locates his work in an interdisciplinary space between the humanities and education. He seeks to understand how societies, their citizens and their structures engage with drama and theatre, and he strives for a better awareness of why the arts are typically regarded as secondary to more mainstream and 'important' discourses. Michael is currently leading an Irish Research Council (IRC) research project looking at creativity and wellbeing, as well as developing a project examining ecologies of theatre practice and participation. I am also interested in arts practice research and one of the founders of IMBAS - an Irish forum for Arts Practice Researchers and Artists.
Make a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy our conversation about Drama Education.