Es Devlin CBE Delivers Her First Event as Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor at St Catz
St Catherine’s College opened its doors on Friday evening to a packed Auditorium as internationally acclaimed artist and stage designer Es Devlin CBE delivered her first event as the new Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre. The evening marked the beginning of a year-long engagement that will see one of the most imaginative creative figures working today join the life of the College.
Es was welcomed in conversation by the Master of St Catz, Jude Kelly CBE. Together, they explored the possibilities of contemporary theatre, the role design can play in shaping public imagination, and the importance of nurturing new creative voices within universities.
Jude described Es’s appointment as “a moment of extraordinary opportunity for St Catz – the kind of artistic leadership that broadens how we see, think and create across disciplines.”
The atmosphere in the Auditorium was electric from the outset. Students, Fellows, alumni, and guests from across Oxford filled the space, reflecting the wide appeal of Devlin’s work, which spans opera, theatre, public art, architecture, and large-scale performance across the world.
Across their conversation, Es and Jude touched on themes central to the Visiting Professorship: imagination, craft, innovation, and the value of paying radical attention in a fast-moving world. Es spoke about the importance of returning audiences to “embodied” experiences at a time when so much of modern life happens through screens and disembodied information. “Theatre is where we are reminded that we have bodies, not just minds,” she said. “In a world of noise and distraction, design helps us notice, and unforget, what’s in front of us.”
The significance of the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professorship
Established in 1990, the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre is one of the University’s most distinctive cultural appointments. Each year, it is awarded to a leading practitioner whose work has influenced, and often transformed, the landscape of modern performance.
Endowed by theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh, the Professorship brings world-class expertise directly to Oxford students. Past holders have included directors, writers, actors, designers, and choreographers whose influence extends across stage and screen.
Hosted annually by St Catherine’s College, the Professorship reflects the College’s long-standing commitment to contemporary arts, cultural leadership, and widening access to creative practice.
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Over the coming year, Es will return to St Catz to lead workshops, discussions, and student-focused sessions exploring the craft and future of contemporary theatre. Friday’s event set the tone: open, ambitious, generous, and full of possibility.
St Catz looks forward to welcoming Es back throughout the year, and to the imaginative work that will follow.
You can find out more about the Visiting Professorship here and more about Es’s work here.
Imagery: Charles Henderson