The Guildhall School launches a new doctoral research studentship in partnership with the Barbican Centre

As part of the ongoing development of the research degree programme at the Guildhall School, 2016 sees the launch of a brand-new doctoral research studentship in partnership with the Barbican Centre. This unique studentship offers the opportunity to work full-time for three years on a research project in the Barbican, supported by a full doctoral fee-waiver and a maintenance grant. The initiative complements the School’s existing doctoral studentship in association with the Royal Opera House, and builds on a longstanding partnership between the Barbican and Guildhall School. The project will be supervised by a team of senior staff from the Guildhall School and the Barbican and supported by any necessary training.

The project will focus in the area of understanding audiences and investigate concepts of ‘audience experience’ in artistic contexts, with the precise title of the PhD to be negotiated with the successful candidate. It will explore relationships between individuals and not-for-profit corporate bodies from both perspectives, including engagement with the venue as a space and as an idea/ethos/brand. It will attempt to understand how that engagement translates into virtual spaces, including online. It will also assess critically how these things might most usefully be measured. The successful candidate will have the opportunity, potentially, to influence policy directly at one of the world’s landmark arts centres.

The studentship is aimed at creative and dynamic thinkers with a good first degree in relevant subjects such as Music, Drama/Theatre Studies, Fine Art, Social Sciences and Marketing, and either a Master’s or equivalent professional experience in a relevant sector. Applications must be submitted online by 28 March 2016.

The Barbican and the Guildhall School have used their proximity and shared cultural and social goals to forge a long history of collaboration, and this is an exciting next step. The Barbican is currently developing its strategic plan for the next five years, taking it up to the cusp of its next milestone anniversary of 40 years in 2022, and the Guildhall School has for the last five years been running a strand of research in Understanding Audiences. As the Barbican looks towards the future and the Guildhall School expands its research activity, the time is right to offer an enviable opportunity to an exceptional candidate the chance to spend three years in one of the UK’s flagship arts organisations finding out what the next 40 years might look like from the point of view of audiences.

Further details about the application process and requirements can be found here:
www.gsmd.ac.uk/barbicanstudentship

Photo credit: Barbican/Morley von Sternberg