Rate My Professor Christine Hatton

Dr Christine Hatton is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia, with expertise in drama and creative arts education. She earned her PhD in Drama Education from the University of Sydney in 2005, with her thesis 'Backyards and Borderlands: Transforming Girls' Learning Through Drama' recognized as a finalist in the American Alliance of Theatre and Education’s international Distinguished Dissertation Award. Her academic background includes a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies from the University of New South Wales, and a Graduate Diploma in Education from the Sydney College of Advanced Education. Hatton began her career as a secondary drama teacher and head of drama in culturally diverse schools in Sydney and London. She later served as State Drama Curriculum Adviser K-12 for the NSW Department of Education and Training from 2007 to 2011, providing leadership and professional development. She has taught pre-service teachers at institutions including the University of New South Wales, University of Edinburgh, National Institute of Education in Singapore, and James Cook University before joining the University of Newcastle in 2012 at the Central Coast Campus.

Hatton’s research specializations encompass drama and arts education, gender issues in education, playbuilding pedagogy, teacher artistry, and performative inquiry. She has held leadership roles such as past President of Drama NSW, Director of Research on the Drama Australia Executive, and member of the NSW HSC Drama Examination Committee. Key publications include the book Young at Art: Classroom Playbuilding in Practice (2008, co-authored with Sarah Lovesy), Drama Research Methods: Provocations of Practice (2018, co-edited), chapters such as 'To the syllabus and beyond: Young people learning through theatre making in Australian schools' (2023), and journal articles like 'Playing within the trouble: using drama to cultivate tentacular thinking and response-ability in schools in times of crisis' (2024). She contributed to projects including the Water Reckoning Project and the Fresh Air Initiative: Artists in Schools Program. In 2014, she received the University of Newcastle Faculty of Education and Arts Early Career Research Fellowship, underscoring her impact on advancing drama as a pedagogical tool for equity, sustainability, and student well-being.