Judith E Wilson

The Judith E Wilson Drama Studio

Thanks to a generous bequest from Judith Ellen Wilson, we have a dedicated studio space in the Faculty basement, which hosts live performances and creative events, which is available to book. We also have grant schemes to support the funding of poetry, performance and theatre-related events and activities in the studio and more widely in Cambridge.
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About Judith E Wilson

Judith Ellen Wilson was an Irishwoman from County Limerick and a cousin of Lord Rothermere. She inherited a large fortune when her parents died.

She had always been devoted to the theatre and the arts generally. She founded a lectureship in the University of Cambridge to bring together those interested in the academic study of drama and poetry and those who were practitioners in these fields. She hoped that the Fellowship would be used also to draw the live theatre and the university closer together.

She was a friend of Dame Edith Evans and when Edith Evans lost her husband, Judith Wilson provided a beautiful home at Goudhurst and all the support that an artist needs. Judith Wilson died of cancer at a comparatively early age, and she left her money to Edith Evans in trust and afterwards to the University of Cambridge. On the death of Edith Evans in 1976 the legacy, increased by some valuable works of art, made this fund a unique source of support for work in drama and poetry.

Events

Small Grants

The Judith E Wilson Fund Committee considers applications for the funding of poetry, performance and theatre-related events and activities that are free and open to all, which will take place in the Drama Studio or more widely in Cambridge.

Please write to the Committee via studio@english.cam.ac.uk with a brief outline of your proposal and a detailed budget. The budget should indicate any other sources of funding, and how much you are requesting from the Committee.

How much?

The maximum grant for any single event and/or activity is typically £500 but larger grants may sometimes be awarded.  
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Budget Guidelines

If you want to apply for more than £500, you are advised to discuss such possibilities with the Chair of the Committee but it is only in exceptional circumstances that the Committee may decide to award a larger grant.

Applications requesting financial assistance for support with the following will be considered – in particular the costs associated with hosting an event or activity, and/or specific project expenses (for example the costs associated with the research and development of a new performance piece or poetry or performance workshop).  Please ensure that you retain receipts for all the expenses outlined in your budget.

Honoraria: fees for visiting poets, speakers, performers, workshop leaders

The Judith E Wilson Committee uses the following two-tier system in recognition of seniority; expertise/experience; length of the working day and other relevant factors in order to determine the appropriate Tier level. Tier A is the standard payment and Tier B is the higher rate for particularly distinguished and / or experienced writers and artists, requiring justification within the application.

 Tier ATier B
Event or Half-day Workshop Fee£175£250
Full-day Fee£350£500

N.B. It is essential that you check visiting speakers' payment arrangements at the earliest opportunity to ensure that any supplier set-up and tax clearance is completed as soon as possible to avoid delays to payments.  Please be aware that Central Finance are responsible for the processing of this documentation.

Speakers accommodation/evening dining allowances 

Amounts are set following University of Cambridge Subsistence guidance, the maximum amounts that may be applied for are:

  • Evening dining allowance – £29
  • Lunch dining allowance – £12
  • Accommodation allowance – £140

Travel expenses for artists and workshop leaders

  • All travel should be standard/off-peak fares bought in as timely a manner as possible, following the University's travel guidance. Please ensure that all receipts are retained for English Accounts.

Publicity, promotional and/or workshop materials

Specific equipment – hire or purchase

Production costings - set, props, costumes

Venue/rehearsal room hire

  • You are encouraged to consider the suitability of the Judith E Wilson Drama Studio as a possible venue for your event/activity.

Access costs

  • To make an activity accessible to a wide range of people

Applications submitted with a full budget and seeking funding support for match-funding towards the costs of events, projects and / or initiatives will also be considered.

You are encouraged to consult both University and Government Guidance concerning health and safety to ensure that your application is able to demonstrate appropriate safe practice measures.

Not eligible for funding

College societies, travel bursaries, refreshments, fees for Cambridge academics and graduates, film projects, publications, or past events.
Learn more

The following are not eligible for funding:

  1. College societies on a one-off or ongoing basis 
  2. Travel bursaries.
  3. Refreshments – including wine.
  4. Speaker / workshop / performance fees for Cambridge academics including Postgraduate students.
  5. Film projects and publications.
  6. Events or activities that have already taken place prior to the Committee meeting.

Application deadline

All submissions must be received by Monday 19th October 2026 for consideration at the next Committee meeting on 4th November 2026.
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Rolling, termly deadline

The Judith E Wilson Committee are only able to make decisions regarding the Small Grants Award Scheme at their formal termly meetings. Applications are usually due two weeks before the meeting.

  • Michaelmas: 4 November 2026
  • Lent: 15 February 2026
  • Easter: 12 May 2026

Practice-Led Research Grants

Applications are invited from all Senior Members of the English Faculty (UTOs, CTOs, Post-docs and JRFs) for practice-led research projects to be developed during this academic year, in which they are the lead or principal investigators, whether working as individuals or as part of a collaboration. Priority will be given to projects that support the longer-term research environment and culture of the Faculty of English. 

How much?

Up to £7,500 per Senior Member of Faculty, per bid. Or up to £22,500 for collaborative projects involving more than one Senior Member.
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Budget Guidelines

The budget agreed for the academic year 2026-2027 is £22,500. The Committee expects to select projects for funding according to their respective merits, and to offer funding to a range of projects of different scales, large and small. It nevertheless hopes to fund two or three ambitious larger projects, making awards for funding, usually up to £7,500 per individual Senior Member of Faculty, per bid. 

The Fund Committee reserves the possibility of awarding larger sums, up to the total budget, for collaborative projects involving more than one Senior Member of the Faculty.

Applications requesting financial assistance for support with the following will be considered – in particular the costs associated with hosting an event or activity, and/or specific project expenses (for example the costs associated with the research and development of a new performance piece or poetry or performance workshop).  Please ensure that you retain receipts for all the expenses outlined in your budget.

Honoraria: fees for visiting poets, speakers, performers, workshop leaders

The Judith E Wilson Committee uses the following two-tier system in recognition of seniority; expertise/experience; length of the working day and other relevant factors in order to determine the appropriate Tier level. Tier A is the standard payment and Tier B is the higher rate for particularly distinguished and / or experienced writers and artists, requiring justification within the application.

 Tier ATier B
Event or Half-day Workshop Fee£175£250
Full-day Fee£350£500

N.B. It is essential that you check visiting speakers' payment arrangements at the earliest opportunity to ensure that any supplier set-up and tax clearance is completed as soon as possible to avoid delays to payments.  Please be aware that Central Finance are responsible for the processing of this documentation.

Speakers accommodation/evening dining allowances 

Amounts are set following University of Cambridge Subsistence guidance, the maximum amounts that may be applied for are:

  • Evening dining allowance – £29
  • Lunch dining allowance – £12
  • Accommodation allowance – £140

Travel expenses for artists and workshop leaders

  • All travel should be standard/off-peak fares bought in as timely a manner as possible, following the University's travel guidance. Please ensure that all receipts are retained for English Accounts.

Publicity, promotional and/or workshop materials

Specific equipment – hire or purchase

Production costings - set, props, costumes

Venue/rehearsal room hire

  • You are encouraged to consider the suitability of the Judith E Wilson Drama Studio as a possible venue for your event/activity.

Access costs

  • To make an activity accessible to a wide range of people

Applications submitted with a full budget and seeking funding support for match-funding towards the costs of events, projects and / or initiatives will also be considered.

You are encouraged to consult both University and Government Guidance concerning health and safety to ensure that your application is able to demonstrate appropriate safe practice measures.

Not eligible

College societies, travel bursaries, refreshments, fees for Cambridge academics and graduates, past events.
Learn more

The following are not eligible for funding:

  1. College societies on a one-off or ongoing basis.
  2. Travel bursaries.
  3. Refreshments – including wine.
  4. Speaker / workshop / performance fees for Cambridge academics including Postgraduate students.
  5. Teaching costs.

Application Deadline

5pm Monday 19th October for consideration in a gathered field at the next Committee meeting on 4th November 2026.
Learn more

Yearly deadline

Applications for Practice-Led Research grants will be considered together in Michaelmas. Exceptionally, applications may be considered later in the year if budget remains.

More

Aims of the Scheme

This scheme will support original, ambitious, and long-term projects. In particular, the Fund Committee will support practice-led research projects with the potential to make a substantial difference to the English Faculty’s long-term research environment. 

Projects can be co-funded in conjunction with other funding sources, in and beyond the University. Projects can also apply for funding in support of research events and activities that deepen and extend research engagement with non-academic contexts, including helping to connect research with inter-disciplinary and external organisations and networks.

The Fund Committee will also provide seed-funding for projects attracting major external grants. 

The Judith E Wilson Fund grants are not available to fund teaching costs, though these grants may help to develop new initiatives in practice-led research that leads to new initiatives in practice-led teaching. 

All projects will be expected to develop strategies for recording and archiving their research, and successful applications will be required to provide appropriate evidence of practical outputs, outcomes and impacts.

What does 'Practice-Led' mean?

These grants will instigate new and engaging forms of practice-led research. The remit for what is understood by ‘practice-led research’ is wide and open-ended, embracing work that advances new knowledge about practice, and work that advances knowledge within and through practice.

The expectation is that applications will articulate their own methods and rationale for their respective projects. The Fund Committee will be guided by the historic spirit of Judith E Wilson’s wishes to bring together the academic study of drama and poetry with practitioners in these fields, with a particular emphasis on the work of contemporary practitioners. The remit for these new grants is nevertheless understood to include practice-led research on all areas, forms, languages and periods of literary study.

The funds available can be used to support a variety of practice-led research activities* – seminars, readings, workshops, practice research and development, rehearsal work, performance activities, field trips and networking events.

Funds can be used to pay appropriate fees for professional practitioners, along with appropriate travel and accommodation costs.

Applications can also include funds to pay for supporting equipment, training, and any associated media resources, including information technology, software, website support and publication costs. 

Funds are also available for practice-led research conferences and events.

How do I apply?

All applications should be submitted by 5pm on Monday 19th October 2026 to studio@english.cam.ac.uk and should not be longer than 2,000 words in total. Informal enquiries about these grants can be made to the Chair of the Judith E Wilson Fund Committee, Professor Drew Milne (agm33@cam.ac.uk).

Each application should indicate:

  • The Project name.
  • The Principal / Lead Investigator.
  • All co-applicants, collaborative groups and affiliated institutions.
  • The project’s main research aims, and an outline of its rationale as practice-led research, the proposed outcomes and the duration of the project.
  • Supporting evidence of existing or comparable practice-led research work relevant to the project.
  • A brief outline of longer-term impacts, outcomes and any associated future plans.
  • A budget indicating a detailed break-down of all the costs with the project and funding applied for, including, where applicable, all co-funding existent or applied for other sources.
  • See budget guidelines under 'How much' above. 
three figures staring into the sky, holding paper airplanes above their heads
Rehearsal for Maklena

The Drama Studio

The Judith E. Wilson Drama Studio is both a venue and a studio: a place where completed productions can be seen by the public, and also a place in which work can be developed and worked at, or worked out. As a flexible black-box studio, it supports everything from student productions and workshops to professional performances, artistic residencies and public events, bringing together academic study and live creative practice.

It is available to members of the English Faculty, but also to a wider public both within the university and beyond, as a room which can be booked for private work or public performance. 

Apply to use the Drama Studio

How do I book?

If you are interested in booking the Drama Studio, please email the Drama Studio Administrator with the following details: 

  • a brief description of your proposed event/activity 
  • the date(s) and timings required 
  • the number of people involved – audience, performers, facilitators 
  • any specific technical requirements e.g mics, presentation system, lighting

The Drama Studio Administrator will then be in touch for more information concerning your event/activity. Please allow at least two weeks for the processing of your booking application as you will be required to attend an in-person health & safety briefing and complete a risk assessment before your booking can be confirmed.
Email Drama Studio Administrator

Studio Technical Specs

The studio is a large black box with no natural light and a flat acoustic.

Dimensions:

  • length: 11 metre
    width: 9 metres
    height (to lighting grid): 5 metres

Technical:

  • Lighting Board: Chamsys Quick Q30
  • Dimmers: 16 double (cold/warm) houselights
  • Lights:
    • LED Color Washes x 3
    • LED Color Spots x 2
    • LED White Spots x 2
    • LED Battens x 4
    • LED Color Spots (Moveable) x 3
  • Sound
    • Sound desk – x channels
      Portable PA System – Yamaha Stagepass 600i

CRESTON Lecture Capture System including an in-house PC, visualiser and fixed remote controlled projector screen with x 2 lanyard microphones

Booking Conditions

Before you may use the Drama Studio you must complete a risk assessment and also attend a Health & Safety briefing.

Please be aware that if your event involves a combination of different activities (e.g. both rehearsals and performances), you will be required to submit a separate risk assessment for each type of activity.

The aim of your risk assessment is to be able to identify potential hazards and put into place measures that then minimise the risk to health & safety in order to ensure that your proposed event or activity can be carried out safely.

Bookings that end after 6pm or are on weekends require an English Faculty member to be part of the organising team and to attend throughout.

Coordinators

Professor Drew Milne is Chair of the Judith E Wilson Committee. Ms Lorraine Carver is the Drama Studio Coordinator.
Profile of Drew Milne
Corpus Christi

Prof. Drew Milne

University Teaching Officer
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Profile of Lorraine Carver

Ms. Lorraine Carver

Professional Services Staff
Drama Studio Administrator
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