For the month of March, our PGR Student Spotlights are being taken over by five women, each representing one of our five faculties, in celebration of International Women's Day. Their mission is to inspire inclusion.
Our Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries Student Spotlight is Cerys Coppins.
What is your research?
I am a second year PhD student researching musical theatre cast recordings and their sonic heritage and importance for popular culture and fandoms.
Tell us a bit more about your research.
My research aims to develop a framework that explores cast recordings as a paratext (object related to the show) to rethink the history of a production through its medias. A cast recording can be defined as an audio recording of a musical production, and these recordings are at the centre of my project. The recordings can also be seen as a type of merchandise, something for audience members to remember and relive when the show is gone. Cast albums are extremely popular with examples such as Hamilton: An American Musical which has sold over 1.97 million copies in the U.S, with the album also receiving a Diamond certification in 2023.
As there is such a large engagement with cast recordings, an area of my research explores fans and their collecting cultures. Fans may collect multiple versions of a cast recording to develop their personal archive, or as a tangible way to access a show whether this is through anticipation of seeing a show, or reliving the memory of the live performance. Owing to this, my research will interrogate the function of nostalgia in the listening experience of a cast recording, as well as in collecting culture.
Cerys's vinyl collection of cast recordings.
Tell us a bit about you.
I am from Cornwall and have always been really interested in theatre, and I loved to perform when I was younger. I completed my BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre in 2021 and continued my studies at the University of Portsmouth, where I completed my Masters of Research in Creative Industries in October 2022. Following my interest in theatre and research, I am now undertaking my PhD. I had the opportunity to present at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research in 2021 on my research surrounding race and representation in Hamilton: An American Musical. Following this presentation, I co-wrote a case study with lecturer Dr. Ben Macpherson (Art, Design and Performance) that was featured in the Routledge textbook Undergraduate Research in Theatre: A Guide for Students (2021, edited by Michelle Hayford).
Whilst developing my PhD, I was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education Conference. During this presentation, I spoke about my own experiences of learning development and the importance of support from tutors. I am currently a Sessional Teaching Fellow for undergraduate students on the Musical Theatre and Drama and Performance undergraduate courses. I have really enjoyed working with the undergraduate students to share my love for theatre and work alongside them.
If you would like to feature in our student spotlight section please email graduate.school@port.ac.uk to discuss this further.