You are here: University of Sydney / Faculty of Arts and Social Science / Department of Theatre and Performance Studies / Staff / Academic Staff / Dr Paul Dwyer 

Dr Paul Dwyer

BA Hons, PhD (Sydney); DEA (Paris 8)
Senior Lecturer

A20 - John Woolley Building
The University of Sydney

Telephone +61 2 9351 6850

Biographical details

After almost a decade of professional theatre work, mostly as an actor, animateur, director or dramaturg in the field of youth/community theatre, Paul returned to University study in the mid-1990s, gaining a Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies in Theatre Studies from the University of Paris (8) and a PhD in Performance Studies from the University of Sydney.

His doctoral thesis focused on various modifications of, and continuing challenges to, the theory and practice of Augusto Boal's 'Theatre of the Oppressed'. More recently, his research has examined genres of social performance that relate to reconciliation processes of one kind or another – from analyses of protest actions such as the Aboriginal Tent Embassy through to studies of ‘restorative justice conferences’ in the NSW juvenile justice system and village-based ritual reconciliation ceremonies in Bougainvlle (PNG).

In addition to conventional forms of scholarly research, Paul has a strong track record of developing creative practice-as-research through his involvement with professional theatre companies such as Version 1.0 and Belvoir St Theatre. He has co-devised a number of critically acclaimed documentary theatre pieces, including The Bougainville Photoplay Project which toured nationally in 2010 and was awarded a Melbourne Green Room Award for Best Mise en Scène in Alternative/Hybrid Theatre.

Back to Top

Research interests

  • Performance analysis
  • Ethnography
  • Performance and social change
  • Restorative justice
Back to Top

Teaching and supervision

Current Teaching

Paul currently teaches units on performance analysis, performance and its relation to social/political struggle, contemporary "postmodern" performance and ethnographic approaches to the study of rehearsal.

Supervision

  • Aspects of theatre architecture
  • Theatre design
  • Site-specific performance
  • New media art
  • Community cultural development

In addition to supervising prospective students in any of the areas listed above, he is interested in a number of 'applied theatre' topics (drama/theatre in education, theatre and therapy, performative aspects of various legal processes etc.) and in work that might cross the disciplines of linguistics and performance studies (eg. 'multi-modal' discourse analysis; translation studies etc.).

Back to Top

Current research students

Project title Research student
A Doctor Prepares: an ethnographic account of medical students learning to perform as junior doctors James DALTON
Theatre directing as Action Research: testing the Action Research model. Chung Chuen Gabriel LEE
The Performance of Ageing - Somewhere Between Hello and Goodbye Lisa SCHOUW
The Spectator-Actor Relation in Secondary School EAL Education Garry SEABROOK
If You Promise Not to Tell: creating and analysing a theatre performance based on the experiences of gay Sri Lankan men. Matthew TYNE
Transformational Role of the Dramaturgy between Drama Production Teams, Critics and Audiences in the Transitional Society of China Ting ZHANG
Back to Top

Current projects

  • Restorative justice and/as performance. An ethnographic project looking at performative behaviours in various models of restorative justice. The research involves field observations of ‘youth justice conferences’ in the NSW Juvenile Justice system and of ritual reconciliation ceremonies in the villages of Bougainville (PNG).
Back to Top

Associations

Dramaturgy credits with version 1.0 theatre company include CMI (A Certain Maritime Incident), The Wages of Spin, From a Distance, Deeply Offensive and Utterly Untrue and This Kind of Ruckus. He also co-wrote and performed in The Bougainville Photoplay Project and Beautiful One Day (a co-production between Belvoir St Theatre, Version 1.0, Ilbijerri Aboriginal Theatre Company and residents of Palm Island).

Back to Top

PhD and master's project opportunities

Back to Top

Selected grants

2017

  • Grace Under Pressure: A verbatim theatre innovation to drive culture change in clinical training; Hooker L, Scott K, Ivory K, Nash L, Dwyer P, River J, Macneill P; DVC Education/Large Educational Innovation Grant.

2008

  • Enacting Reconciliation: Negotiating Meaning in Youth Justice Conferencing; Martin J, Dwyer P, Zappavigna M; Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP).

2006

  • Framing, genre and performance in youth justice conferencing; Dwyer P; University of Sydney/Early Career Researcher.

2005

  • Linkage 2005 Round ONE funding commencing 1-7-05 LP No:0560836Maintaining family based placement fo; McConnell D, Dwyer P; Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (NSW)/Project Support.

2003

  • Evaluation of the Legal Theatre Project for NSW Law Foundation; Dwyer P, Karras M; Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales/BLO Project.
Back to Top

Selected publications & creative works

Download citations: PDF RTF Endnote

Book Chapters

  • Zappavinga, M., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2016). Consent and Compliance in Youth Justice Conferences. In Susan Ehrlich, Diana Eades, Janet Ainsworth (Eds.), Discursive Constructions of Consent in the Legal Process, (pp. 186-212). Oxford: Oxford University Press. [More Information]
  • Dwyer, P. (2016). Peacebuilding performances in the aftermath of war: Lessons from Bougainville. In Jenny Hughes, Helen Nicholson (Eds.), Critical Perspectives on Applied Theatre, (pp. 127-149). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2014). Beyond redemption: Choice and consequence in youth justice conferencing. In Fang Yan, Jonathan J. Webster (Eds.), Developing Systemic Functional Linguistics: Theory and Application, (pp. 18-47). Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.
  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2010). Negotiating evaluation: story structure and appraisal in youth justice conferencing. In Mahboob, Ahmar and Knight, Naomi K. (Eds.), Appliable Linguistics, (pp. 44-75). London: Continuum.
  • Dwyer, P. (2010). Run Rabbit Run: Voices from the Heartland of Rugby League. In Paul Brown (Eds.), Verbatim: Staging, Memory & Community, (pp. 67-76). Strawberry Hills: Currency Press.
  • Zappavigna, M., Cleirigh, C., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2010). The coupling of gesture and phonology. In Monika Bednarek, J.R. Martin (Eds.), New Discourse on Language: Functional Perspectives on Multimodality, Identity, and Affiliation, (pp. 219-236). London, United Kingdom: Continuum.
  • Zappavigna, M., Cleirigh, C., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2010). Visualizing appraisal prosody. In Mahboob, Ahmar and Knight, Naomi K. (Eds.), Appliable Linguistics, (pp. 150-167). London: Continuum.
  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2009). Negotiating shame: exchange and genre structure in youth justice conferencing. In Ahmar Mahboob, Caroline Lipovsky (Eds.), Studies in applied linguistics and language learning, (pp. 41-72). UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Cohen, M., Dwyer, P., Ginters, L. (2008). Performing "sorry business": reconciliation and redressive action. In Graham St John (Eds.), Victor Turner and contemporary cultural performance, (pp. 76-93). Oxford, New York: Berghahn Books.
  • Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2008). Syndromes of meaning: exploring patterned coupling in a NSW youth justice conference. In Ahmar Mahboob, Naomi Knight (Eds.), Questioning Linguistics, (pp. 164-185). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). Re-embodying the Public Sphere. The Arts of Protest. In Gay McAuley (Eds.), Unstable Ground: Performance and the Politics of Place, (pp. 187-204). Brussels, Belgium: P.I.E. Peter Lang S.A.

Journals

  • Scott, K., Berlec, S., Nash, L., Hooker, L., Dwyer, P., Macneill, P., River, J., Ivory, K. (2017). Grace Under Pressure: A Drama-based Approach to Tackling Mistreatment of Medical Students. Medical Humanities, 43(1), 68-70. [More Information]
  • Ivory, K., Dwyer, P., Luscombe, G. (2016). Reactions to Diversity: Using Theater to Teach Medical Students About Cultural Diversity. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 3, 171-178. [More Information]
  • Martin, J., Zappavinga, M., Dwyer, P., Cleirigh, C. (2013). Users in Uses of Language: Embodied Identity in Youth Justice Conferencing. Text and Talk, 33(4-5), 467-496. [More Information]
  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2009). Negotiating narrative: story structure and identity in youth justice conferencing. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 3(2), 221-253. [More Information]
  • Dwyer, P., Syron, L. (2009). Protocols of engagement: ''Community Cultural Development'' encounters an urban Aboriginal experience. About Performance, 9, 169-191.
  • Dwyer, P. (2009). Recasting the Political in Performance: An Introduction to Recent Critical Trends. About Performance, 9, 7-14.
  • Dwyer, P. (2009). Reflections from Australia, Paul Dwyer (in Points and Practices: in memory of Agusto Boal, 1931-200). Research in Drama Education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 14(3), 440-443.
  • Dwyer, P. (2008). Theatre as post-operative follow-up: the Bougainville Photoplay Project. About Performance, 8(Still/Moving: Photography and Live Performance), 141-160.
  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Still rehearsing the revolution? 'Theatre of the oppressed', state subsidy and drug war politics. Australasian Drama Studies, 50, 138-152.
  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Though This Be Madness..? The Boal Method of Theatre and Therapy. Applied Theatre Researcher, 8, 1-12.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). The inner lining of political discourse: presenting the version 1.0 remix of the 'Senate Select Committee on a Certain Maritime Incident'. Australasian Drama Studies, 48(April), 130-135.
  • Dwyer, P. (2005). Theoria Negativa: Making Sense of Boal's Reading of Aristotle. Modern Drama, 48(4), 635-658.
  • Dwyer, P. (2004). Augusto Boal And The Woman In Lima: a Poetic Encounter. New Theatre Quarterly, 20(2), 155-163. [More Information]
  • Dwyer, P. (2004). Making Bodies Talk In Forum Theatre. Research in Drama Education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 9(2), 199-210.
  • Dwyer, P. (2003). L'Australie de nous reves: l'histoire du theatre et la rechereche d'une identite nationale. Coulisses, 11, 98-106.

Textual Creative Works

  • Dwyer, P. (2012). Remixing Politics: 3 Documentary Theatre Works. Strawberry Hills, Australia: Currency Press.
  • Dwyer, P. (2010). The Bougainville photoplay project, (pp. 1 - 50). Sydney, Australia: Currency Press.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). CMI (A Certain Maritime Incident) Published Script. Australasian Drama Studies (48), 1, volume 48, (pp. 143 - 176). St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia: University of Queensland.

Live Performances

  • Therese, K., Dwyer, P., Green, K., Dixon-Grovenor, R., Mohammadi, M., Yaqoubi, J. (2016). Tribunal. Stables Theatre. Powerhouse Youth Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company: Sydney.

Live Performance - Interarts

  • Dwyer, P. (2004). CMI (A Certain Maritime Incident), devised by the performers of Version 1.0 and Paul Dwyer. Performance Space, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Afghanistan.

Live Theatre

  • Bacon, S., Blackley, M., Doomadgee, K., Dwyer, P., Flack, E., Maza, R., Phegan, J., Reuben, H., Williams, D. (2012). Beautiful One Day. Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, Australia: Belvoir, Ilbijerri Theatre Company and version 1.0.
  • Dwyer, P., Bacon, S., Emerson, R., Mainoo, F., Williams, D. (2009). The Bougainville Photoplay Project (revised). TRS Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney, Australia, Australia: Version 1.0.
  • Williams, D., Dwyer, P. (2009). This Kind of Ruckus. Full Tilt, Melbourne, Australia: Version 1.0.
  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Certain Australian Companies. Wharf 2, Wharf Theater, Sydney, Australia.
  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Deeply Offensive and Utterly Untrue. Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia, Australia: Version 1.0.
  • Heywood, N., Klinder, S., McKernan, J., Phegan, J., Ryan, E., Ryan, C., Saunders, E., Williams, D., Dwyer, P. (2006). From A Distance. Artspace (North Melbourne Town Hall), Melbourne, Australia: Version 1.0.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). The Bougainville Photoplay Project devised and performed by Paul Dwyer. Mori Gallery, Wagga Wagga, Australia, Australia.
  • Dwyer, P., Klinder, S., Pollard, D., Williams, D. (2005). The Wages of Spin. Performance Space, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Australia: version 1.0 and the Performance Space.

Report

  • Dwyer, P., Booton, J. (2006). 'Legal Theatre': a theatre-based approach to community legal education.

2017

  • Scott, K., Berlec, S., Nash, L., Hooker, L., Dwyer, P., Macneill, P., River, J., Ivory, K. (2017). Grace Under Pressure: A Drama-based Approach to Tackling Mistreatment of Medical Students. Medical Humanities, 43(1), 68-70. [More Information]

2016

  • Zappavinga, M., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2016). Consent and Compliance in Youth Justice Conferences. In Susan Ehrlich, Diana Eades, Janet Ainsworth (Eds.), Discursive Constructions of Consent in the Legal Process, (pp. 186-212). Oxford: Oxford University Press. [More Information]
  • Dwyer, P. (2016). Peacebuilding performances in the aftermath of war: Lessons from Bougainville. In Jenny Hughes, Helen Nicholson (Eds.), Critical Perspectives on Applied Theatre, (pp. 127-149). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]
  • Ivory, K., Dwyer, P., Luscombe, G. (2016). Reactions to Diversity: Using Theater to Teach Medical Students About Cultural Diversity. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 3, 171-178. [More Information]
  • Therese, K., Dwyer, P., Green, K., Dixon-Grovenor, R., Mohammadi, M., Yaqoubi, J. (2016). Tribunal. Stables Theatre. Powerhouse Youth Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company: Sydney.

2014

  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2014). Beyond redemption: Choice and consequence in youth justice conferencing. In Fang Yan, Jonathan J. Webster (Eds.), Developing Systemic Functional Linguistics: Theory and Application, (pp. 18-47). Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.

2013

  • Martin, J., Zappavinga, M., Dwyer, P., Cleirigh, C. (2013). Users in Uses of Language: Embodied Identity in Youth Justice Conferencing. Text and Talk, 33(4-5), 467-496. [More Information]

2012

  • Bacon, S., Blackley, M., Doomadgee, K., Dwyer, P., Flack, E., Maza, R., Phegan, J., Reuben, H., Williams, D. (2012). Beautiful One Day. Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, Australia: Belvoir, Ilbijerri Theatre Company and version 1.0.
  • Dwyer, P. (2012). Remixing Politics: 3 Documentary Theatre Works. Strawberry Hills, Australia: Currency Press.

2010

  • Dwyer, P. (2010). The Bougainville photoplay project, (pp. 1 - 50). Sydney, Australia: Currency Press.
  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2010). Negotiating evaluation: story structure and appraisal in youth justice conferencing. In Mahboob, Ahmar and Knight, Naomi K. (Eds.), Appliable Linguistics, (pp. 44-75). London: Continuum.
  • Dwyer, P. (2010). Run Rabbit Run: Voices from the Heartland of Rugby League. In Paul Brown (Eds.), Verbatim: Staging, Memory & Community, (pp. 67-76). Strawberry Hills: Currency Press.
  • Zappavigna, M., Cleirigh, C., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2010). The coupling of gesture and phonology. In Monika Bednarek, J.R. Martin (Eds.), New Discourse on Language: Functional Perspectives on Multimodality, Identity, and Affiliation, (pp. 219-236). London, United Kingdom: Continuum.
  • Zappavigna, M., Cleirigh, C., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2010). Visualizing appraisal prosody. In Mahboob, Ahmar and Knight, Naomi K. (Eds.), Appliable Linguistics, (pp. 150-167). London: Continuum.

2009

  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2009). Negotiating narrative: story structure and identity in youth justice conferencing. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 3(2), 221-253. [More Information]
  • Martin, J., Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P. (2009). Negotiating shame: exchange and genre structure in youth justice conferencing. In Ahmar Mahboob, Caroline Lipovsky (Eds.), Studies in applied linguistics and language learning, (pp. 41-72). UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Dwyer, P., Syron, L. (2009). Protocols of engagement: ''Community Cultural Development'' encounters an urban Aboriginal experience. About Performance, 9, 169-191.
  • Dwyer, P. (2009). Recasting the Political in Performance: An Introduction to Recent Critical Trends. About Performance, 9, 7-14.
  • Dwyer, P. (2009). Reflections from Australia, Paul Dwyer (in Points and Practices: in memory of Agusto Boal, 1931-200). Research in Drama Education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 14(3), 440-443.
  • Dwyer, P., Bacon, S., Emerson, R., Mainoo, F., Williams, D. (2009). The Bougainville Photoplay Project (revised). TRS Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney, Australia, Australia: Version 1.0.
  • Williams, D., Dwyer, P. (2009). This Kind of Ruckus. Full Tilt, Melbourne, Australia: Version 1.0.

2008

  • Cohen, M., Dwyer, P., Ginters, L. (2008). Performing "sorry business": reconciliation and redressive action. In Graham St John (Eds.), Victor Turner and contemporary cultural performance, (pp. 76-93). Oxford, New York: Berghahn Books.
  • Zappavigna, M., Dwyer, P., Martin, J. (2008). Syndromes of meaning: exploring patterned coupling in a NSW youth justice conference. In Ahmar Mahboob, Naomi Knight (Eds.), Questioning Linguistics, (pp. 164-185). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Dwyer, P. (2008). Theatre as post-operative follow-up: the Bougainville Photoplay Project. About Performance, 8(Still/Moving: Photography and Live Performance), 141-160.

2007

  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Certain Australian Companies. Wharf 2, Wharf Theater, Sydney, Australia.
  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Deeply Offensive and Utterly Untrue. Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia, Australia: Version 1.0.
  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Still rehearsing the revolution? 'Theatre of the oppressed', state subsidy and drug war politics. Australasian Drama Studies, 50, 138-152.
  • Dwyer, P. (2007). Though This Be Madness..? The Boal Method of Theatre and Therapy. Applied Theatre Researcher, 8, 1-12.

2006

  • Dwyer, P., Booton, J. (2006). 'Legal Theatre': a theatre-based approach to community legal education.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). CMI (A Certain Maritime Incident) Published Script. Australasian Drama Studies (48), 1, volume 48, (pp. 143 - 176). St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia: University of Queensland.
  • Heywood, N., Klinder, S., McKernan, J., Phegan, J., Ryan, E., Ryan, C., Saunders, E., Williams, D., Dwyer, P. (2006). From A Distance. Artspace (North Melbourne Town Hall), Melbourne, Australia: Version 1.0.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). Re-embodying the Public Sphere. The Arts of Protest. In Gay McAuley (Eds.), Unstable Ground: Performance and the Politics of Place, (pp. 187-204). Brussels, Belgium: P.I.E. Peter Lang S.A.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). The Bougainville Photoplay Project devised and performed by Paul Dwyer. Mori Gallery, Wagga Wagga, Australia, Australia.
  • Dwyer, P. (2006). The inner lining of political discourse: presenting the version 1.0 remix of the 'Senate Select Committee on a Certain Maritime Incident'. Australasian Drama Studies, 48(April), 130-135.

2005

  • Dwyer, P., Klinder, S., Pollard, D., Williams, D. (2005). The Wages of Spin. Performance Space, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Australia: version 1.0 and the Performance Space.
  • Dwyer, P. (2005). Theoria Negativa: Making Sense of Boal's Reading of Aristotle. Modern Drama, 48(4), 635-658.

2004

  • Dwyer, P. (2004). Augusto Boal And The Woman In Lima: a Poetic Encounter. New Theatre Quarterly, 20(2), 155-163. [More Information]
  • Dwyer, P. (2004). CMI (A Certain Maritime Incident), devised by the performers of Version 1.0 and Paul Dwyer. Performance Space, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Afghanistan.
  • Dwyer, P. (2004). Making Bodies Talk In Forum Theatre. Research in Drama Education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 9(2), 199-210.

2003

  • Dwyer, P. (2003). L'Australie de nous reves: l'histoire du theatre et la rechereche d'une identite nationale. Coulisses, 11, 98-106.
Back to Top

For support on your academic profile contact .