The Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre

The Cameron Mackintosh Chair of Contemporary Theatre was founded through a grant from the Mackintosh Foundation to enable the establishment of a Visiting Professorship at the University held with a Professorial Fellowship at St Catherine's College. The aim is to promote interest in, and the study and practice of, contemporary theatre at Oxford, and we are very pleased that Sir Cameron chose St. Catherine’s as the place to play host to his Chair. Sir Cameron Mackintosh was knighted for services to the British Theatre in 1996 and is an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine's College.

Over the twenty years of its existence, the Visiting Professorship has been held by actors, writers, directors, and producers, all of whom have interacted with students based in Oxford. The list of Professors is as follows: Stephen Sondheim (1990), Sir Ian McKellen (1991), Sir Alan Ayckbourn (1992), Michael Codron (1993), Sir Peter Shaffer (1994), Arthur Miller (1995), Lord Attenborourgh (1996), Sir Richard Eyre (1997), Thelma Holt (1998), Dame Diana Rigg (1999), Sir Nicholas Hytner (2000), John Napier (2001), Stephen Daldry (2002), Sir Tim Rice (2003), Patrick Marber (2004-05), Phyllida Lloyd (2005-06), Sir Patrick Stewart OBE (2006-07), Kevin Spacey (2008-09), Michael Frayn (2009-10) and Meera Syal (2010-11).

The Chair of Contemporary Theatre, founded through a grant from the Mackintosh Foundation at St Catherine's College, aims to promote interest in, and the study and practice of, contemporary theatre. The Visiting Professorship has previously been held by actors, writers, directors, and producers.

The Mackintosh Foundation itself was established by Sir Cameron Mackintosh in 1988 to promote and develop theatre and the performing arts; to provide relief for the homeless, to relieve suffering of and promote research into the causes and treatment of AIDS; and to provide for medical research and relief of sickness. The Cameron Mackintosh Drama Fund for Contemporary Theatre has helped some of the University’s brightest young actors, directors, producers and writers, stage shows during the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Sir Cameron Mackintosh was knighted for services to the British Theatre in 1996 and is an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine’s College.