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QUALIFICATIONS

2013               M.A. Performance Studies, Victoria University                                                                                                                                                                    Awarded College of Arts ‘Most Outstanding Postgraduate by Research Student’

 

2009                        Diploma Theatre Arts (Solo Residency), Victoria University

 

2006                        Graduate Diploma in Animateuring, Victorian College of the Arts

 

  1. Certificate IV (Assessment and Workplace Training), Mission Australia

 

2001                Certificate in Counseling, LifeLine/Childline, Namibia

 

1997                        B. Music Performance (Improvisation) in voice, Victorian College of the Arts

 

1988                        B. Sc. (Hons I), Monash University

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Australian Women Directors Alliance

International Federation Theatre Research

Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies

Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance

 

PUBLICATIONS

Book Chapters:

 

Berger, Karen. “Finding Belonging in an Uncountry.” in Hopeful Places 1950 – 2010, edited by Chris McConville, Ballarat: ConnorCourt Publishing, 2015.

 

Berger, Karen. " 'To Soothe the Pillow of a Dying Race': The Force of a Phrase in Producing Theatre." Chap. 5 in Testimony, Witness, Authority: The Politics and Poetics of Experience, edited by Tom Clark, Sasha Henriss-anderssen and Tara Mokhtari, 49-61. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013.

 

Peer Reviewed Journals:

 

Berger, Karen. "‘In Search of the Thing Itself’ – Animals and Africans in the Art of Three Jewish Women - Maya Deren, Clarice Lispector and Helene Cixous." Australian Association of Jewish Studies Journal XXIV (2010): 23-36.

 

Berger, Karen. "The White Darkness: Confluences in the Imaginative Explorations of Identity and ‘the Other’ in the Work of Three Jewish Woman Artists in the Tropics - Maya Deren (1917 - 1961) in Haiti, Clarice Lispector (1920 - 1977) in Brazil, and Hélène Cixous (1937 - ) in Algeria."  etropic 9, (2010). http://www.jcu.edu.au/etropic/ET9/Berger.htm.

 

Conference Papers:

 

Berger, Karen. The Uncanny Adventures of an Unaustralian presented at Performing Transformations Conference, Tangiers, 2012. Another version of this paper was presented at Place and Displacement Conference, Melbourne, 2012.

 

Berger, Karen. ‘In Search of the Thing Itself’ – Africans in the Art of Two Ukrainian/American Jewish Artists: Maya Deren (1917 - 1961) and Clarice Lispector (1920 – 1977) presented at the The African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific Annual Conference, Melbourne, 2012.

 

Berger, Karen. Attending Cixous’ Schools of The Dead, Dreams and Roots to Create Performance presented at The Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies Annual Conference, Melbourne, 2011.

 

Other:

 

Berger, Karen. Director’s Notes, in The Parricide by Diane Stubbings. Sydney: Currency Press, 2014.

 

Berger, Karen. “Director Karen Berger On Diane Stubbings’ The Parricide” in Theatre People, April 23rd, 2014. http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/director-karen-berger-on-diane-stubbings-the-parricide/

 

Berger, Karen. The Wailing Wall, in Contemporary Fables Volume 1, Melbourne: Gilgamesh Publications, 2010.

Karen Berger: QUALIFICATIONS

   2021  PhD Performance Studies, Federation University

    2021  Forest Therapy Guide, International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance

   2013  M.A. Performance Studies, Victoria University

                Awarded College of Arts ‘Most Outstanding Postgraduate by Research Student’

    2009  Diploma Theatre Arts (Solo Residency), Victoria University

    2006  Graduate Diploma in Animateuring, Victorian College of the Arts

    2005  Certificate IV (Assessment and Workplace Training), Mission Australia

    2001  Certificate in Counseling, LifeLine/Childline, Namibia

    1997  B. Music Performance (Improvisation) in voice, Victorian College of the Arts

    1988  B. Sc. (Hons I), Monash University

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

International Federation Theatre Research

Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies

Theatre and Performance Research Association, U.K.

Australian Women Directors Alliance

Institute of Postcolonial Studies

Critical Border Studies

Multicultural Arts Victoria Melbourne Festival Ambassador, 2017

 

PUBLICATIONS

Book Chapters:

​

Berger, Karen. “Breaking Boundaries in the work of artist, Tracey Moffatt” in Creative Activism: Research, Pedagogy and Practice, edited by Elspeth Tilley, Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, in press 2021.

 

–. “Finding Belonging in an Uncountry.” in Hopeful Places 1950 – 2010, edited by Chris McConville, Ballarat: ConnorCourt Publishing, 2015.

 

–. “ 'To Soothe the Pillow of a Dying Race': The Force of a Phrase in Producing Theatre.” Chap. 5 in Testimony, Witness, Authority: The Politics and Poetics of Experience, edited by Tom Clark, Sasha Henriss-anderssen and Tara Mokhtari, 49-61. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013.

 

Peer Reviewed Journals:

 

–. “Performing the Bounds of Responsibility.” Acts of Liberation, Special Edition of Humanities, 2021. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/10/4/112/pdf

 

–. “Performing the Limits of Home.” Platform: Journal of Theatre and Performing Arts, Vol. 16, No. 1, Within Limits, Spring 2022. https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/media/20082/10-performing%20the%20limits%20of%20home.pdf.pdf

​

–. “ ‘In Search of the Thing Itself’ – Animals and Africans in the Art of Three Jewish Women - Maya Deren, Clarice Lispector and Helene Cixous.” Australian Association of Jewish Studies Journal XXIV (2010): 23-36.

 

–. “The White Darkness: Confluences in the Imaginative Explorations of Identity and ‘the Other’ in the Work of Three Jewish Woman Artists in the Tropics - Maya Deren (1917 - 1961) in Haiti, Clarice Lispector (1920 - 1977) in Brazil, and Hélène Cixous (1937 - ) in Algeria.”  etropic 9, (2010). http://www.jcu.edu.au/etropic/ET9/Berger.htm.

 

Conference Presentations:

 

–. Exploring the Interior, presented at Dancing with Decolonisation online, global dance conference, August, 2022

​

–. Within Limits, presented at launch of Journal of Theatre and Performing Arts, May, 2022

​

–. Lingua Botanica and Exploring the Interior presented at Unbuilding Multispecies Violence in Storied Place: A Triptych Art-Academic Event, Deakin Critical Animal Studies Network  and The University of Melbourne School of Culture and Communication, 2019.

 

–. Exploring the Interior (video) presented at Seeing the Invisible, BAZA, Novis Sad, Serbia, 2019

 

–. Performing Belonging/Performing Exploring (two videos) presented at TaPRA conference, University of Exeter, 2019.

 

– and Danny Diesendorf. Playback Workshop, Drama Australia National Conference, 2018.

 

– and Andrew Gray. Two-day Playback Theatre Masterclass, TEFO Drama Education Conference, Hong Kong, 2015.

 

–. The Uncanny Adventures of an Unaustralian presented at Performing Transformations Conference, University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan and the International Research Center ‘Interweaving Performance Cultures’, Morocco, 2012. Another version of this paper was presented at Place and Displacement Conference, Melbourne, 2012.

 

–. ‘In Search of the Thing Itself’ – Africans in the Art of Two Ukrainian/American Jewish Artists: Maya Deren (1917 - 1961) and Clarice Lispector (1920 – 1977) presented at the The African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific Annual Conference, Melbourne, 2012.

 

–. “ 'To Soothe the Pillow of a Dying Race': The Force of a Phrase in Producing Theatre” presented at The Oral, the Written and Other Verbal Media conference, Melbourne, 2011.

 

–. Attending Cixous’ Schools of The Dead, Dreams and Roots to Create Performance presented at The Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies Annual Conference, Melbourne, 2011.

 

Other:

 

Berger, Karen and David Joseph. Deceptive Threads. Sydney: Currency Press, 2018.

 

Berger, Karen. Director’s Notes, in The Parricide by Diane Stubbings. Sydney: Currency Press, 2014.

 

–. “Director Karen Berger On Diane Stubbings’ The Parricide” in Theatre People, April 23rd, 2014. http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/director-karen-berger-on-diane-stubbings-the-parricide/

 

–. The Wailing Wall, in Contemporary Fables Volume 1, Melbourne: Gilgamesh Publications, 2010.

​

TRAINING

 

2010 – 2020 Melbourne

Creative Music Intensive, Australian Art Orchestra: Peter Knight, Simon Barker, Bae Il Dong, Daniel & David Wilfred

Body Site|Body Sight                                                                                Jill Orr, Dancehouse

Decolonising Practice                                                                               Jacob Boehme, Dancehouse

Generate - Working In First Nations Cultural Contexts                     Genevieve Grieves, Footscray Community Arts Centre

Facilitating in the Corporate Environment                                           Groupwork Institute

Bryony Kimmings Performance Making Workshop                            Victorian Arts Centre

Yorta Yorta On-country Learning                                                           Dr Wayne Atkinson, University of Melbourne

Intercultural Psychodrama workshop                                                    Jenny Hutt, Bev Hosking

Extended Voice Techniques                                                                      Linda Wise

Bodyweather                                                                                               Tess de Quincey

Moving Body                                                                                               Marie Dumont, Fiona Battersby

Choreolab                                                                                                    Gideon Obarzanek, Chunky Move

Performance Practicum                                                                            Margaret Cameron, John Howard

Catherine Fitzmaurice Voice Technique                                                Bodyvoice Studio

Patsy Rodenburg Masterclass (audited)                                                 16th Street

Suzuki Training                                                                                          Matt Crosby

   

2009 Europe

Odin Week                                                                                                    Odin Theatre, Denmark

Voice Workshops with Kristin Linklater & Meredith Monk                 Giving Voice, Grotowski Institute

Rasa Box Training with Richard Schechner                                           Theatre as a Place of Truth, Grotowski Institute

Realisation of a Personal Project                                                               Roy Hart Theatre, Maleragues

India

Kathakali & Carnatic Singing                                                                     Vijnana Kala Vedi

Yoga Courses                                                                                                 Rishikesh & Kerala

 

2006 – 2009 Melbourne

Andante performance workshop                                                              Younes, Bachir, La Fura del Baus

SITI Training: Suzuki Method, Viewpoints, Composition                     SITI Actors, Full Tilt

The Unfolding Character in Chekhov                                                       Robert Draffin

Storytelling                                                                                                    John Bolton

Voices of the Archetypes                                                                             Frankie Armstrong

Ta Ke Ti Na Percussion Workshop                                                            Reinhard Flatischler

Bodyvoice Workshop                                                                                   John Howard, Helen Sharp

​

2006 Brisbane

Stomping Ground: Viewpoints, Suzuki Method                                      Zen Zen Zo

 

2005 Melbourne

Performance Making                                                                                   Barry Laing

Alchemy Improvised dance, Skinner Releasing technique                    Anne O’Keeffe

 

2004 Paris

Professional choreographic theatre and voice workshop                     Pantheatre

                 

2001 – 2004 Accra, Ghana

Traditional dance and percussion                                                            University of Ghana

 

2000 – 2001 Windhoek, Namibia

‘The Artists’ Way’ Creativity Workshop                                                    Pathways Consulting

Drama and Art Therapy                                                                              Legal Assistance Centre

Traditional Music in a Contemporary Context                                       Pape Dieye, Emmanuelle Olivier

 

1994 – 2000 Melbourne

Butoh and Suzuki method                                                                          Greg Dyson, David Pledger

Choreographic Theatre and Voice                                                             Enrique Pardo

Improvised theatre and singing                                                                 Al Wunder, Bronwen Barton

Text                                                                                                                 Anna McRossin-Owen, David Myles

Alexander and Feldenkreis techniques                                                     David Moore, Julia Scoglio

Clown and Bouffon                                                                                       Christine Grace, Kate Kantor

Jo Estill voice method                                                                                   Ros Barnes

Percussion                                                                                                      Chris Lesser, Epizo Bangoura, Anne Harkin

Classical, jazz, tap and various ethnic dance styles

 

1991 – 1993 Britain

Extended voice techniques                                                                         Harriet Buchan, Claire Steele

Polish physical theatre                                                                                Gardzienice

Physical theatre                                                                                            Theatre de Complicite

Archetypes and voice                                                                                   John Wright, Frankie Armstrong

Fooling and clown                                                                                        Jonathon Kay, John Lee

Forum Theatre                                                                                              Al McIllop

 

1990 – 1991 France

Physical Theatre                                                                                           L'Ecole Jacques Lecoq

Clown and Street Theatre                                                                            L’Ecole Phillipe Gaulier, Theatre de L'Ombre

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