Rate My Professor Julie Shearer

Dr. Julie Shearer is a Lecturer in Theatre and Performance in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education at the University of New England. She recently joined the University from Trinity College Dublin, where she taught courses on Shakespeare, Irish Theatre, and subjects in Performance. Prior to her academic career, Shearer worked as a professional actor and theatre-maker, performing with companies such as Bell Shakespeare, the Queensland State Theatre Company, and the Riverina Theatre Company. She holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, an MA from University College Dublin, and a BA (Hons) from Queensland University of Technology.

Shearer's research specializations include Shakespeare and Renaissance drama, political theatre, contemporary Irish and Australian theatre, and actor training. Her current research project is Wide Open: The Landscape of Contemporary Australian Political Theatre. At UNE, she teaches units including The Actor's Craft (THEA307/507), Performance From Ritual to Realism (THEA210), The Classic Play and Performance Now (THEA304/504), and The Role of the Director (THEA330/530). She directed Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, performed at the Armidale Showgrounds from 11-21 October 2023. Shearer is a member of the University of New England Cultural and Creative Arts Network (U-CCAN) in the Theatre discipline area and a board member of Playlab Theatre, a new writing theatre company and publisher. Her publications include the chapter “Women’s Business: Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife and the Reclamation of Black Australian History” (2022) and the article “How to Set Up Assignments for Students to Give Oral Presentations on Video” (2016).