Rate My Professor Jools Gilson

Professor Jools Gilson is Professor of Creative Practice in the Department of Theatre, School of Film, Music and Theatre at University College Cork. She holds a practice-based PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Surrey, having trained originally in theatre and dance at Lancaster University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Before joining UCC, she taught performance at the University of Hull and Dartington College of Arts in the UK. At University College Cork, Gilson has been on faculty since 1996, teaching in the School of English until 2016 and serving as Associate Director of the MA in Creative Writing from 2013. She joined the Department of Theatre in 2016 upon her appointment as Professor of Creative Practice, led the School of Film, Music and Theatre as Head from 2016 to 2020, and currently serves as Head of the Department of Theatre for 2025-2026. She coordinates the PhD in Creative Practice and supervises doctoral students in feminist theory, gender and sexuality, performative writing, performance studies, somatics, affect studies, and creative writing.

Gilson is a transdisciplinary artist, writer, choreographer, installation artist, broadcaster, and educator. She directed the dance theatre company half/angel from 1995 to 2006, collaborating on innovative works with composer and digital artist Richard Povall. Since 2010, she has produced creative radio documentaries, features, and dramas for RTÉ Radio and BBC Radio, earning major awards including the Gold Award for Best Narration at the 2011 New York Festivals for Los Preciosos (RTÉ Radio 1), nomination for the GlaxoSmithKline Irish Medical Media Awards for Oisin’s Story (2012), Pick of the Week and Pick of the Year for Chrysanthemum (BBC Radio 4, 2014), and nomination for a New York Festivals Award for Sound Art for The Rain Box (2017). Her choreography, texts, and installations have received awards from the Arts Councils of Ireland and England, Culture Ireland, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and ResCen. Recent research explores arts and sustainability, ecology, and climate emergency through textile art projects such as The Knitting Map and The Tempestry Project. Key publications include Stormy Weather: Textile Art, Water and Climate Emergency (2024, co-authored with F. Barber) and Knitting Close to the Edge (2022), both in Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture. She publishes in feminist theory, visual culture, gender and sexuality, performance studies, performative writing, somatics, and affect studies, bridging academic scholarship and arts practice.