Moments·片刻

In this episode, we've invited a special "adventurer"—Dr Hongqing Hao, who has journeyed all the way from a UK high school to completing his Ph.D. Across the many years of study abroad, he has witnessed the seasons change in a foreign land and experienced the full spectrum of emotions, from confusion to clarity.In these uncertain times, pursuing a PhD feels more like a gamble. In this episode, she openly shares the real stories of the "pitfalls" she encountered along the way: unseen moments in the darkness and between choice and perseverance. Hao's message to everyone hesitating at a crossroads is this: choose wisely, but once you commit, strive to be the best within your capabilities. At the same time, don't set your expectations for this academic adventure too high. Lowering your expectations, she believes, is the best mindset to have.This episode is dedicated to all those standing at a fork in the road: may you have the courage to choose, and the wisdom to let go of expectations.

Marko Stojanović is a theatre and television actor, comedian, mime artist, director, and co-founder and president of the World Mime Organization.Though trained under the legendary mime master Marcel Marceau, he went on to found the Serbian National Curling Federation. Though he taught university theatre for two decades, he continues to “torture himself” with doctoral studies. Having witnessed the vibrant energy of Shanghai’s comedy festival, he now asks: How can mime and physical theatre nurture a new generation of performers?Marko is a rare cross-disciplinary artist. In this episode, we reflect on why German plays need not be staged by German directors, and imagine what Waiting for Godot might look like if performed today.This is a conversation about the body, mime, theatre, and the crossing of borders.

Michael Scott is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International affairs and a Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick.Over the past years, he has actively pursued partnerships with Chinese universities, launching multiple international initiatives and establishing a series of scholarship programmes to strengthen UK‑China higher education exchange.In this episode, Michael will reflect on his longstanding work in the arts and humanities, exploring how multimedia platforms have expanded public access to the arts. He remains confident that, even in a highly competitive landscape, the University of Warwick can evolve into a globally leading institution and sustain its growth.

Yue Su holds a PhD in Film & Television Studies from the University of Warwick, specialising in cinematic kinship, East Asian cinema, world cinema, and queer cinema.In this episode, Yue Su and the host shared their respective top-three film lists, which led to a conversation about traditional romantic narratives and the subtle shifts in how contemporary love stories are told through cinema. He argues that as more people become storytellers of love, the range of love stories that can be told grows significantly.

In the final episode of the 2025 Moments ·片刻 podcast, Dr. Hao Xie from the University of Warwick’s Centre for Media and Cultural Policy Studies interviews Shuangshuang Cai.In this reflective conversation, Shuangshuang shares her journey as a cultural and creative entrepreneur and reveals how pursuing higher education has unlocked new creative energy and professional momentum for her.Note: this episode is recorded in Mandarin.

Prof. Steve Fuller is Professor of Sociology at Warwick University, UK. He has written extensively on politics and social theory and the sociology of science. He has spoken in 30 countries, often keynoting professional academic conferences, and has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts since 1995. His writings have been translated into over twenty languages.In this episode, Steve shares his holistic vision for higher education, offering a comparative analysis of systems in the UK, the US, and China. He then synthesizes this global perspective into a compelling blueprint for the ideal university.

Dr Robert O'Toole leads the Digital Arts and Humanities Lab (DAHL) and has created a framework for the integration of technology into arts, humanities, and design at the University of Warwick.Robert is currently running We Are FAB People, An Earful of DAHL and Museum Explorations podcasts, continuously engaging in dialogue with creative people to spark inspiration.In this episode, Robert discusses creating a suite of transdisciplinary Design Thinking modules at Warwick, framing the subject with a critical perspective.

Harry Mackrill was Associate Director of Kiln Theatre 2018 – 2019, and Resident Director of the Tricycle Theatre 2013 – 2015. Harry trained as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.  Theatre includes: FABULATIONS (Conway Hall/Leicester Curve/Key Theatre Peterborough); WHAT IT MEANS (The Lot); WORLD’S END, BOY WITH BEER (King’s Head Theatre); LET KILBURN SHAKE (Kiln Theatre) Film includes: LED BY THE CHILD (The Lot), ADJUSTMENTS (The Lot/If Opera)Harry is currently a Performance-as-Research PhD Candidate at Leeds Beckett (School of Arts Studentship) where he is using queer dramaturgy as a research tool to archive the unrecorded experiences of Section 28 for LGBTQ+ youth 1988 - 2003. In this episode, Harry shares his extensive experience across both the creative industries and academia.

Xiwei Ma recently won the Best Individual Performance Award at the Young Artists Competition of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival. Based in Shanghai, she works not only as an actor but also as a practitioner of art therapy and drama education within international schools. In this podcast episode, Xiwei discusses her immersive experience of creating and staging productions for the festival. She also reflects on the struggles and uncertainties that theatre artists commonly face when navigating future career choices.

Dr. Jonathan Vickery is a Reader in the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies at the University of Warwick. His primary research areas are cultural politics and the public sphere. He has made significant contributions to the field of public art.He was the co-director of the Shanghai City Lab project (2013-15); Chair of the Art of Management and Organization Ltd (2014-2017); and a member of the management committee of Coventry’s Spon Spun Festival (2017-2020) among other cultural events.In this episode, Jonathan drew upon his vast global experiences, offering poignant observations from his time in places like Serbia and China. He left the audience with a crucial message for students of culture and the arts: in the face of global uncertainty, the deliberate accumulation of knowledge and wisdom is our most vital compass for the future.

Mark Evans trained originally at the École Jacques Lecoq, and with Philippe Gaulier and Monika Pagneux, in Paris. since 2012, he has held a personal chair as Professor of Theatre Training and Education, and until August 2019 was Associate Dean (Student Experience) in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. His research interests are in the movement training of actors and performers, the history and practice of physical theatre, the theatre and pedagogic practice of Jacques Copeau and of Jacques Lecoq, the creative use of reflective writing, innovative performance pedagogy. In this episode, he unravels the very aesthetics and philosophy of physical theatre, revealing not just his expertise, but a lifelong passion for the art of movement and education.

Dr. Lin Zheng is a senior lecturer in Education and Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth, UK. Her research in international education, intercultural communication, and management informs an interdisciplinary approach to both her teaching and scholarship.In this podcast, Dr. Lin Zheng reflects on two decades of experience studying, working, and living in the UK. She advises young people navigating contemporary challenges to cultivate their passions and strengths through dedicated practice, patiently awaiting their own "season of blossoming."

Professor Jonothan Neelands is a National Teaching Fellow, Professor of Creative Education at the Warwick Business School (WBS) and Chair of Drama and Theatre Education at the University of Warwick. He is interested in developing a future-oriented and problem based pedagogy for business education and training with an emphasis on ethical and inclusive models of leadership.Jonathan has dedicated his career to advancing theater education, facilitating workshops across the globe to promote social transformation through his distinctive theatrical approach.In this episode, he discusses his process of adapting traditional Chinese narratives and texts into theater-based workshops. He demonstrates how these activities help participants identify universal human experiences within Chinese cultural contexts.

Dr Gareth White has been at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama since 2004, in the main teaching on Drama, Applied Theatre and Education.Gareth's teaching and research overlap in his focus on collaborative creative processes and participatory practices.In this episode, Gareth shares with us mainly about the aesthetics of participatory theatre, audience participation in immersive theatre, arts and human connection, etc.He maintains that even within this era of rapid technological advancement, art remains a vital medium through which we can perceive hope.

Natalie Diddams is an Assistant Professor within the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures at the University of Warwick. She is an arts-based practitioner and researcher with a particular interest in socially-engaged and participatory theatre. Through her research, Natalie has become a leading voice on the intersection between comedy, gender and contemporary politics, and regularly hosts workshops and performances aimed at empowering participants through stand-up. She is currently working on her first monograph, which will give an account of the methodologies that she has developed over the past 8 years. In this episode, Natalie shares her past experiences and research in the field of stand-up comedy, emphasising the educational value of stand-up—both for audiences and for performers.

Peter O’Brien, who has been performing on stage since childhood, left the UK after graduating from university to pursue a challenging career in the media industry in Paris, France. He is currently employed by France 24⁠.He applies the energy and methods he gained from theatre to his work as a journalist, conveying messages from around the world in a cross-cultural context.In this episode, we gain insight into his confidence and extensive experience based on his years of immersion in the cultural and creative industries. We also sense his critical and multicultural perspective in conveying his understanding of global developments.

Steven Lim is currently doing ⁠a PhD in English Studies in Waseda University.Over the past two decades in Japan, he has remained committed to teaching English, discovering along the way his passion for educational practice and research. In this episode, he shares that he has studied Japanese, developed an appreciation for Japanese anime, and incorporates British culture into his lessons. Navigating between different cultures, he uses his professional experience to break down cultural barriers.

Rachel Dickinson, Principal Teaching Fellow in WBS Create, has developed a module, named CORE (Creative, Organized, Reflective, Enterprising) Practice.Rachel says: 'This is a chance for students to challenge existing behaviours, explore, reflect and act on who you want to be. Developing soft skills sought by employees today can help grow soft power in the future. The more you know about yourself, the more you can shape and influence others.'In this episode, Rachel shares her journey of learning and teaching in higher education. She offers insights on how people can use their own abilities to influence those around them, with the hope of making the chaotic world a little bit better.

P.M. has long been engaged in humanities-related research, and has teaching experience in many colleges and universities in China and the United States.She believes that Chinese students should explore some seemingly ‘useless’ things, whether it is creative writing, or other things, which are important components of the richness and diversity of our lives, rather than being confined by a single evaluation standard.

As an actor, Ding Ma, has so far appeared in more than dozens of film and television drama works. Among them, the role of Xue Niang in ‘Zhi Fou’ has opened up her national recognition in China.At the same time, she is also a screenwriter, director and producer.Yet, she has gained more than 70,000 fans so far by sharing her real life as a Hengdian drifter filming in Hengdian and bringing up her children on Xiaohongshu. She says the key to all of this is persistence and resilience.In this episode, she also shares with us her determination to restart her life in Beijing and work a little harder for her acting career.

Two graduates from ShanghaiTech University, Yuxiao Wu and Yang Zhang, on behalf of the 2025 ‘Introduction of the Performance Studies’ course, share in this episode how they have seen the boundaries of theatre and performance being pushed through in the course.At the same time, they also expressed that the ability to work together in a group, the ability to break the traditional thinking pattern in the dialogue with teachers and students, and the knowledge of the world through self-reflection are the best nourishment that liberal arts education can bring to science and engineering students.

Professor Leon Rubin has recently joined LASALLE, coming from East 15 Acting School, the internationally distinguished conservatoire in London, the UK where he was Director of the school for 13 years. He began his career as Assistant Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company and was soon after the Associate Director at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.He has a passion for creating international partnerships, has received honours for his teaching from Romania and Russia, and has been a Visiting Professor in Japan, China, South Korea and other countries.In this episode, Professor Leon Rubin shares his approach to creating Shakespeare's plays with actors from different countries, in particular his belief that Shakespeare's plays must be fused with local cultures in the process of globalisation and internationalisation in order to be more vital.

Sherwood Hu studied theatre and film directing at the People's Liberation Army Academy of Art, New York University and the University of Hawaii. As a director, he has directed the plays ‘Chinese Dream’, the films ‘The King of Lanling’, ‘The King of Shanghai’ and ‘Prince of Himalayas’, and the TV series ‘Battle for Beiping’. Hence, he has won many domestic and international awards, including the Individual Honour Award of the Kennedy Center, the Best Film and Best Director Awards of the Calabria International Film Festival in Italy, the Best Film ‘Golden Angel Award’ of the U.S.-China Film Festival, and the Best Director Award of the Monaco Film Festival, among others. Later on, he has founded the Film and Television School of Shanghai Theatre Academy, and now he is supervising post-graduate students at the School of Cultural and Creative Studies of Shanghai Jiaotong University, and he has never stopped from the industry to the academia.In this episode, we can feel Hu's complete artistic outlook and his philosophy of directing through his sharing.

After graduating from the STA, Xiaoping Fu put into practice and further perfected and improved herself in engaging in theatre and art creation productions, and then returned to the STA to teach and focus in theatre creation with a double artistic sensibility. Along the way, she continued to learn from other practitioners and maintained fresh inspiration and creativity so as to provide a fuller nourishment for the stage creations.She has remained on the front line of teaching, from undergraduate and postgraduates to continuing education courses, and has never lost sight of her educational philosophy and beliefs as a theatre educator.In this episode, we can feel her deep understanding and love for theatre arts through her sharing.

Michael Fry did his Ph.D at King's College, London, UK.He is the Higher Education Faculty Director of The Globe Theatre. He is also the Shakespeare Director of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.Nowadays, he is leading a Master Class on Creating Shakespeare (directing) at the Shanghai Theatre Academy for two weeks.In this episode, we can feel his professionalism and passion for Shakespeare's productions and appreciate his curiosity and open-mindedness towards all cultures.

Xiaoli Zhou, a graduate of the acting department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, won the Best Actress Award at the first Zuolin Drama Art Award in 1997.She has participated in dozens of film and television productions and has become a household name.Constantly challenging herself, she then devoted herself to higher education, serving as the director of the teaching and research department of the Opera Research Institute at Peking University, and now she has returned to STA to teach directing and acting techniques in the Department of Theatre and Literature.In this episode, we can feel Zhou's love for the arts and feel the power of faith that theatre brings to her.

Ruijuan Guo, who is pursuing a PhD in art history and aesthetics, focuses her research on the artefacts of Chinese literati painting, and uses this as an opportunity to study the historical reasons for its formation and the characteristics of the painting style. After going through the process of studying painting, enrolling in design, and finally conducting purely theoretical research, she says, ‘The margin for error in life is actually very high.’ Therefore, in the dialogue with her, the audience can feel a transcendental mindset of lightness and leisure.

Chuqing He, studying from the Central Academy of Drama to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, she has been a dedicated theatre professional for many years.Whether it's foreign theatre or Chinese opera, she is well educated and can talk about classic stories and characters with ease.Currently, she is engaged in the study of Shanghai Opera and has started her own stage practice piece as a playwriter.In this episode, she not only shares with us the differences in experiencing theatre in different cities, but also gives us her candid and critical views on the masterpieces she has recently experienced.

As an actor in the troupe of the Japanese theatre master Tadashi Suzuki, Gu has been training as an actor with him since 2011, and is a founding member of ISCOT (International Suzuki Company of Toga), which is dedicated to exploring cross-cultural exchanges between contemporary theatre around the world.He is currently pursuing a PhD in Theatre at the University of Kent in the UK, combining his past practical experience with his work as a spectator and researcher of Tadashi Suzuki's artistic and aesthetic philosophical system, with ‘Invisible Suzuki’ as his PhD interest and topic.

After completing a professional film education in Finland, Kaisa Astikainen has been involved in the film industry for almost 20 years.She has worked in several Finnish films and series; directed a film called "Heart of the Land" ("Toivola", 2016) and produced a film "Snowball Effect" ("Lumipalloefekti", 2023) directed by Pauliina Punkki.Currently she focuses on her PhD-project which is about Environmentally sustainable film production practices in Finland and the Nordic countries.Meanwhile, her documentary for her own family, Heart of the Land, screened at festivals around the world, tells the story of her parents' impending closure of the farm to which they have devoted their entire lives.

A drama course back in Beijing led to Elaine's decision to come to Warwick to study Theatre and Performance, and over the past few years, she has experimented with various areas of artistic endeavor, including drama productions on stage and television drama. As she approaches graduation, she is confident that her purpose in life is to create art that has an impact on others.

Remarks:In this episode, the host and guest speak Mandarin.In this episode, the host and Susu talk about everything from literature and poetry to poets and theatre, from emotional breakups to the moon and stars at night, in which we can feel her innate temperament of 'cold and clear, wind and fire'.Her seriousness and ritualistic approach to relationships represent her romantic vitality, and her philosophical insights into individual life will bring a unique way of discernment to each listener through this episode.本期节目，主持人与Susu从文学诗歌，聊到诗人戏剧，从情感分离再聊到夜晚的月色与星光，在Susu身上，我们能够感受到她与身俱来的那股“冷冷清清地风风火火”气质。她对感情的郑重其事与仪式感代表着她的浪漫生命力，她对个体生命哲学的感悟也将通过本期播客带给每一位听众独特的思辨之道。

James Dunlop, Oxford Brookes PhD student, explains his novel participatory film documentary style and shares some practical experience with filming himself as a filmmaker while filming at the same time. His work has been viewed by the Royal Family and his career highlights include directing two music videos with pop star Pixie Lott, and filming in a sinking ship simulator. He has been short-listed at the Sheffield Documentary Festival for his new James Dunlop Discovers digital series on YouTube. In addition, he shares his YouTube video ‘I met the Naked Christians of Britain’, which has had a high number of total views.It was for all his achievements that he was awarded the MBE honor.

Saul Hewish is one of the country's leading practitioners in the use of drama and theatre with people who have broken the law. He was a founder member, and former director, of Geese Theatre (UK) (est. 1987), a deputy director of Geese Theatre (USA), and since 1996 has worked in a freelance capacity (trading as Acting Out Company) developing drama-based responses to crime within youth offending teams, social services departments, and special educational settings across the UK. Current freelance work involves being an associate artist of B arts, Stoke-on-Trent’s longstanding participatory arts organisation.In 1999 he co-founded Rideout (Creative Arts for Rehabilitation), with the writer and improvisation specialist Chris Johnston. Over the last 25 years this company has built a strong reputation for innovative and experimental arts-based projects within the criminal justice system in the UK and across Europe. This includes theatre and digital video projects in prisons as well as production of cross artform projects that span the divide between prison and the wider public. More recent work has expanded into on-going community-based work with non-offending populations, most specifically autistic adults through a project called The Social Agency. Rideout is currently the subject of a two-year AHRC funded research programme, Staging Justice, led by Dr Sarah Bartley at Central School of Speech and Drama.In addition to teaching at Warwick, he is a visiting lecturer on the MA Theatre for Community and Education at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and has previously guest lectured at Central School of Speech and Drama, East 15 Acting School, Manchester and Birmingham universities. He is a co-author of Challenging Experience: An Experiential Approach to the Treatment of Serious Offenders and was a recipient of a 2005 Butler Trust Certificate Award, a national award which recognises exceptional work by staff in HM Prison Service. For those interested in his earlier work he talks about his experiences working with John Bergman and Geese Theatre in a chapter in Jan Cohen Cruz' new book, See Me: Prison Theater Workshops and Love (2024).