2025 BritGrad Committee

Michelle Michel is a Stanley Ray Scholar completing her PhD thesis at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham. Her thesis focuses on the life and work of Early Modern printer-publisher John Danter, homing in on tiny bibliographic details and zooming out to broader connections with the book trade as a whole to provide a rounded and accurate view of a man with a particularly tainted reputation.

Caroline is a PhD student at the Shakespeare Institute, specialising in the performance of Shakespeare’s works in the twenty-first century. Her current research examines the integration of physical and mental health diagnoses into contemporary theatre practice methodologies. Previously, her work explored grief as a psychological response in Shakespeare’s characters, highlighting how their reactions reflect real-life psychological processes, making their experiences more relatable to audiences. Drawing from her practical experience as a performer and her work with theatre companies, Caroline is particularly passionate about character development and actor training.

Stephanie Key is a final year PhD student at the Shakespeare Institute and is based in Cheshire, UK. Having completed her BA and MA in Shakespeare at Royal Holloway, University of London she now aims to explore magic and the supernatural in the early modern period with a particular focus on Shakespeare’s works. Her thesis considers the radical nature of fairy narratives in the period, engaging with presentist criticism to investigate the potential for magic as a site of subversion in the plays and the intersection of magic with gender, class, and identity. Stephanie and her lovely cat Perdita are excited to celebrate midsummer at BritGrad with all of you!

Pauline Sullivan is a Shakespeare Institute Alumni who is so excited to be back as the BritGrad Treasurer. She is extremely passionate about spreadsheets, and Early Modern Drama. Pauline can't wait for BritGrad this year. 

Avery Saad is a current member of the MA Shakespeare and Creativity cohort for 2024/2025 from Kingston, Massachusetts. She recently graduated from Ithaca College with dual majors in Theatre Studies, and Writing (conc. Creative Writing) and is beyond excited to have moved to England to pursue Shakespeare. Her dissertation will be focused on the modern-day expectations of women within the wedding industry, and how they relate back to the expectation of brides/women within Shakespeare’s plays. Avery hopes to use her education at the Institute to grow as a director, playwright, and theatre artist. She cannot wait to hear all of the wonderful papers presented this year!

Arushi Grover is a current member of the 2024-2025 MA Shakespeare and Creativity cohort at the Shakespeare Institute. She is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania (located in the northeast of the United States), and she is currently based in Stratford-upon-Avon. She recently graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with bachelor’s degrees in Theatre Studies, English (concentration in Early British Literature), and Comparative Literature, with interdisciplinary honors in Theatre and English. She is a dramaturg interested in both revivals and new work, and she aims for her dramaturgy to be both a creative and a critical practice. Her academic and artistic interests include adaptation, editing, and publishing. Her interest in Shakespeare lies in the temporal experience of the meeting of old texts with new audiences—whether that be with modern readers or theatrical audiences, in print, in performance or in adaptation. She is passionate about theatre programmes/playbills and public scholarship.

Saul Sherrard is from Westport, Co. Mayo in the West of Ireland, and is currently studying Shakespeare and Creativity (MA) onsite at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. He is a graduate of Drama and Theatre Studies at Trinity College Dublin, and is a George Moore Scholar. He is particularly interested in adaptation regarding Shakespeare, specifically that which investigates queerness. Saul is a writer, actor, and director, and hopes to strengthen his skills both as an academic as well as a theatre practitioner during his time in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Rachel Breckon is a current member of the MA Shakespeare Studies Distance Learning cohort. She is from Manchester, England but currently lives and works in Astana, Kazakhstan. Before moving to Kazakhstan, Rachel lived in Caracas, Venezuela. She really enjoys living and working internationally. Rachel recently graduated from Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne with a Masters degree in English Literature and started at the Shakespeare Institute this year. She is excited to be taking her literary studies further by pursuing a course which specifically focuses on Shakespeare and the early modern period. She is fascinated by how our current understanding of modernity has been shaped by the culture and literature of the early modern period and by Shakespeare specifically. Rachel's research interests are focused on exploring how works by Shakespeare and his contemporaries engage with issues of identity, race and gender. Rachel hopes to use her time at the Shakespeare Institute to develop her skills as a researcher and reader of early modern literature of culture. She is looking forward to Britgrad this year and hearing everyone's papers!

Devanshu Pandey (Dev) from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh in India, is a part of the 2024/25 MA in Shakespeare and Creativity cohort. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in English Literature from Manipal University Jaipur and Dr. H.S. Gour Central University, Sagar, respectively. His study of Shakespeare has sparked a keen interest in the (socio) philosophical aspects of the texts and their relevance to understanding the world. Dev also enjoys poetry in English, Hindi, and Urdu, drawn to their rich traditions and expressive depth. For his dissertation, he is focusing on
Indian Shakespeare and the philosophical
dimensions of Shakespeare's works. He hopes to grow as an academic and a writer through his studies. Dev is very excited to meet fellow scholars at BritGrad, engage with insightful presentations, and host an unforgettable party for everyone!

James Warren is currently a member of the Shakespeare Institute's professional services team and is in his first year of MA by Research in English Literature. Before joining the university, during his undergraduate degree, he studied at Keele University and State University of New York Plattsburgh and graduated in 2020 with first-class honours in American studies. Following this, in 2023, he was awarded a Qualified Teacher Status and completed his PGCert in Early Modern History at the University of Birmingham. His current thesis examines the conceptual framework of truth in Elizabethan and Jacobean travel writing. Being a member of the Institute’s professional services, James is keen to lend his knowledge to this year's BritGrad.