About
Image: Ken Plas
Roanna Mitchell
Born and raised in Germany, I moved to the UK in 2005 to study Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths. I continued on to an MA in Movement Studies at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and a PhD and PGCHE at the University of Kent. I am also certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov technique through the Michael Chekhov International Academy in Berlin.
My work is driven by a love of movement and curiosity about the embodied human experience as both individual and relational, and by what I feel is my responsibility as an artist: to create spaces for people to be, relate, and communicate.
You will usually find me busy in one of the following areas (and often in the overlaps between them):
Teaching and training
I’m passionate about teaching and training performers, and artists more broadly, and have been doing so since 2010, with a specialism in Michael Chekhov technique; psychophysical training for performance and performance-making; ensemble practice and the dance-theatre crossover; and actor-wellbeing.
Higher Education: I am Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent (Head of Drama 2022-2025), where I have been Course Lead for the MA Physical Acting (2015-2024) and MA Theatre Making (2017-2019) and Head of the BA Drama, Theatre and Performing Arts.
I have also taught at: Goldsmiths (Lecturer); Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (Associate Lecturer); Rose Bruford (Assistant Lecturer) and the BRIT School (Visiting Professional), and delivered masterclasses and guest sessions at a range of Universities across the UK.
Research
My research focuses on theatre/therapy crossovers and their potential benefit in arts and to society more broadly; arts-for-health; and actor-wellbeing. I also explore interdisciplinary rehearsal- and training vocabularies in the intersection between theatre and dance, and body politics in the context of performer training.
The Chekhov Collective UK: I am Co-Founder of The Chekhov Collective UK, the leading practice research centre exploring applications of Michael Chekhov’s technique in theatre and beyond. With TCCUK I have organised over 90 events that include practice research, professional development, network-building and mentoring and more. The full portfolio of TCCUK’s work is captured on our website here.
Theatre/therapy crossovers, Arts for Health, and Community/Relational Arts: I am founder and lead facilitator of the ‘Inappropriate’ Anger project, a long-term creative arts- and discussion space for survivors of Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis. I have published a chapter on this work in the book Trauma and Embodied Healing in Dramatherapy, Theatre and Performance (ed J.F. Jacques, 2024)
I have received AHRC Impact Accelerator funding to run Relational Arts Workshops with trainee psychiatrists in the local NHS trust.
As part of the AHRC-funded project Playing A/Part I have led on the development of a movement-based smartscript to inspire creative movement explorations for autistic homeschoolers.
Training for physical theatre and the dance-theatre crossover: A summary of my research investigating training for the dance-theatre crossover can be found here, including further resources such as interviews and links to related publications.
Community and Relational Arts
Research and creative work for me only begin to make real sense and come to life when activated and finding a use in communities and social contexts.
I run Relational Arts Workshops (RAW) for medical professionals and in community mental health contexts, including RAW training for trainee doctors; and the ‘Inappropriate’ Anger project for survivors of BPD diagnosis. I have also run performance and poetry workshops for Kent and Medway Recovery and Wellbeing College .
For eight years I worked as Artistic Director for the body activist organization AnyBody UK, convened by Dr Susie Orbach. AnyBody UK are co-founders of the local-global initiative Endangered Bodies, and received substantial funding from ROSA UK to run a series of schools projects including presenting in the Houses of Parliament. See my 2014 TEDx talk on the struggle with body hatred and why magic wands don’t work here.
My chapter exploring the links between body activism and performance in a Festschrift celebrating Susie Orbach’s work will be published in 2024.
Performance
I work as a performance-maker and movement director nationally and internationally, and a selection of past works can be found here, including Imagining O (dir. Richard Schechner) in Kent, India and the US (5 Stars New York Times).
In 2024 I am focusing my performance work on a collaboration with classical guitarist and composer Laura Snowden for her upcoming album This Changing Sky.
