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Mads Thygesen

Title

Associate Professor, Associate Professor

Primary affiliation

Mads Thygesen

Areas of expertise

  • Dramaturgy
  • Theatre Pratice
  • Dramaturgical Management

Contact information

Telephone number
Email address

Research

My research explores the connections that emerge between dramaturgical theory, artistic practice, and the structures that shape contemporary theatre production. I am interested in how dramaturgical processes can be understood as both analytical and operative— as ways of investigating, organising, and transforming the relations between art, language, and the world.
My work is grounded in postdramatic and performative aesthetics, with a particular focus on contemporary European playwriting and its reflections on subjectivity, form, and language. In recent projects, I have examined dramaturgy as a form of leadership and as a mode of learning and research practice, where communication, decision-making, relations, and paradoxes constitute key points of focus. I am concerned with how theatre and education may create spaces for learning, resonance, and critical reflection within a culture characterised by accelerated modes of production.

Teaching activities

I have an educational background in dramaturgy, having earned both my Master's and PhD degrees from the University of Aarhus. My studies were followed by a specialisation in Systemic Management and further studies in State Management. My academic journey has equipped me with deep insights into the theoretical and practical aspects of theatre, pedagogy and management, enhancing my research and teaching methodologies in dramaturgy.

Collaborations

Throughout my career, I have been privileged to collaborate with renowned artists in Denmark and abroad, and engage in various professional networks that have significantly enriched my work in dramaturgy. Additionally, I have maintained active participation in educational networks such as NORTEAS and CDPR. These associations have provided me with platforms for exchange and discourse, allowing me to share my work and learn from the experiences of my peers globally.

Consultancy

Throughout my career, I have held several management and board positions that have significantly contributed to my professional development in management and consultancy capacities. As an educational leader, for example as rector of The Danish National School of Performing Arts, I was actively involved in setting artistic and academic standards, as well as in strategic planning. Additionally, my role on the board of Dramaten (the Royal Theatre of Sweden) allowed me to engage with international theatre practices and collaborations, enhancing cross-cultural understandings and initiatives.

Selected publications

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Selected activities

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