About
Dr Matt Yoxall

My first major experience of going on stage was as a four year old, at my local village hall. Appearing as a page boy in the play The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber, I had to drag a giant dragon’s tail through the audience.

People chortled at the huffing and puffing sounds I made doing this, and as I approached the steps to the stage, I decided to fling myself on the floor. This was unrehearsed but received some very hearty laughter. In that moment I learned two fundamental things about theatre; you can use it to affect the way people feel, and how they perceive you.

These days, I primarily ask questions and facilitate relationship building through theatre. I do this by connecting my background as a theatre-maker, international training consultant, and academic researcher.

Whether it’s enhancing communication and negotiation skills, pitching ideas, developing approaches to experiential learning and community cultural development, practicing how to listen and more, or sharing what’s important with one another; I support people to articulate their world, and to rethink how they work. I do this through facilitating interaction using stories and theatre, and in turn, provoke critical and creative engagement.

Below, you can see my Timeline and a list of the different organisations, companies and institutions I’ve worked with over the years. You can also download my CV here:

Previous Work and Affiliations

Arts and Culture:

Barbican Centre, London
Chat’s Palace Arts Centre – Pic ‘n’ Mix Cabaret, London
Community Cultural Development Singapore
Eastside Educational Trust, London
Fondue Theatre, London
Free Theatre, Melbourne
Gitameit Music and Language School, Yangon
Horniman Museum, London
LIFT – London International Festival of Theatre
Lion and Unicorn Theatre, London
Makhampom Theatre Group, Thailand
Mardi Gras Arts Festival, London
Salamander Theatre Company, London
Shan Educational Theatre Association, Shan State
Shifty Commuters, London
Studio Xang – Art for Migrant Children’s Project, Chiang Mai
Theatre de Kabong Lao, Vientiane
Thukhuma Khayeethe (Arts Traveller) Theatre, Yangon
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Training and Development:

Cambodia Health Education Media Service, Phnom Penh
Children and Love Association, Cambodia
Chin Human Rights Organization, Burma/Myanmar
Department of Immigration, Laos PDR
Dramatic Resources, London
Karenni Women’s Organisation, Mae Hong Son
International Organization for Migration
International Rescue Committee, Thailand
Men Involved in Peace Building, Mae Hong Son
Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Laos PDR
Norwegian Refugee Council

Education and Academia:

After Performance Working Group, International
Australian National University                                                    Chin State Academic Research Network, International
De La Salle University, Manila
Drama Department, Chiang Mai University
Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University
International Federation for Theatre Research
Middlesex University (Alumni), London
National University of Singapore (Alumni), Singapore
Performance Studies international
Research Centre for Social Science and Sustainable Development – RCSD, Chiang Mai University

Timeline

2019

Corporate training on theatre and storytelling (Asia-Pacific), working as theatre and migration consultant in Burma/Myanmar, academic affiliation and writing a book at Chiang Mai University, Thailand

2010-2016

Completing a PhD at the National University of Singapore about theatre and social change in Burma/Myanmar and Thailand

2007-2010

Consultancies on integrating theatre to refugee resettlement, gender-based violence prevention and response programmes, and refugee legal assistance

2003-2006

Working with drama and theatre on a regional counter human-trafficking programme in the Mekong sub-region (Cambodia, Thailand and Laos PDR)

Late 2001

Left the UK to live in India and Southeast Asia

1999-2001

Studied for a master’s degree in Performing Arts at Middlesex University

1998

Began working at The Horniman Museum, Forest Hill, running drama workshops, telling stories and developing a community outreach programme. This relationship continued until 2008

1994-1997

Studied theatre and storytelling at Middlesex University, London