The Mike Pearson Performance Bursary

The Mike Pearson Performance Bursary has been established in memory of Mike Pearson (1949-2022) – acclaimed theatre artist, theorist and teacher and pioneer of site-specific and cross-artform performance.

Mike made theatre professionally for over fifty years. He was a member of RAT Theatre (1972-73), Cardiff Laboratory Theatre (1973-80) and Brith Gof (1981-97). With Mike Brookes (as Pearson/Brookes), he co-conceived and co-directed The Persians (2010), Coriolan/us (2012), Iliad (2015) and The Storm Cycle (2018) for National Theatre Wales.

Mike is the co-author with Michael Shanks of Theatre/Archaeology (Routledge 2001) and author of In Comes I: Performance, Memory and Landscape (University of Exeter Press 2006), Site-specific Performance (Palgrave Macmillan 2010), Mickery Theater: An Imperfect Archaeology (University of Amsterdam Press 2011) and Marking Time: Performance, Archaeology and the City (University of Exeter Press 2013). He was Professor of Performance Studies at Aberystwyth University, where he taught between 1997 and 2015.

Mike Pearson was “one of the most influential figures in Welsh theatre in the past half century” (Nation Cymru), and he supported generations of theatre makers through his work as a teacher, mentor and workshop leader.

To honour his profound commitment to performance in Wales and to emerging artists, we are developing a bursary award that will continue Mike’s legacy through supporting the career development of an artist working in performance in Wales.

The bursary is supported by Chapter, Cardiff, in conjunction with its Experimentica festival. It will offer the selected artist access to Chapter’s studios, performance opportunities, mentorship and a financial award.

With your contribution, you are helping us to realize The Mike Pearson Performance Bursary for 2025. We thank you wholeheartedly.

Heike Pearson Roms, on behalf of Mike Pearson’s family