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Biography
Hannah is an expert on identity in popular culture, focusing on race, gender, and belonging in musical theatre and film. They have published on topics ranging from The Wizard of Oz and Kiss Me, Kate to Frozen and Hamilton. They are the current Director of Black Studies at the University of Nottingham, combining their interests in positionality, lived experience, and "own-voice" representation with music and film studies.
In addition to their work on musicals, Hannah is committed to equity in education and the performing arts. Hannah runs workshops and offers 1:1s to support students from underrepresented backgrounds access Masters and PhD study. They also offer senstivity readership, consultancy, and training on topics related to race, casting, identity, and care work in the public and private sectors.
Expertise Summary
Hannah's general areas of expertise include:
- the American musical
- the British musical
- Disney on stage and screen
- identity studies, positionality, and equality
- race and gender on the musical stage
- Cole Porter
- Lena Horne
- Black feminism and music
Teaching Summary
Hannah has taught on a range of modules in musicology, musical theatre, and film. Her interests lie in twentieth-century popular culture, including musical theatre, song on screen, and stardom. She… read more
Research Summary
Hannah is in the process of preparing and publishing a series of texts on the work and life of Cole Porter, including a monograph on the hit musical Kiss Me, Kate (Oxford University Press). She is… read more
Hannah has taught on a range of modules in musicology, musical theatre, and film. Her interests lie in twentieth-century popular culture, including musical theatre, song on screen, and stardom. She has also delivered specific teaching on approaches to race and queerness and supervised dissertations on a variety of topics including Disney, musical theatre, reggae, and ska.
She delivers modules including Performing Popular Music: Issues and Approaches, the Broadway Musical, the Hollywood Musical and Race in Music Theatre.
Current Research
Hannah is in the process of preparing and publishing a series of texts on the work and life of Cole Porter, including a monograph on the hit musical Kiss Me, Kate (Oxford University Press). She is also working on a teaching text offering an intersectional approach to the American musical (Cambridge University Press).
She has publications in press on Cole Porter's life in Paris, on reclaiming Lena Horne's screen legacy, and on representation in the global stage musical.
Past Research
Hannah has published a range of overview chapters and articles about key themes in musical theatre. She has written chapters on queer culture and The Wizard of Oz and on adapting Kiss Me, Kate for screen. You can access her article on the stage adaptation of Frozen here. She has also published short form pieces on Hamilton and Aladdin.