Parenthood and Performance
Product details
- ISBN 9781032848204
- Weight: 660g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 10 Mar 2026
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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This book explores the collision of worlds when an artist becomes a parent by looking at the profound ways in which parenthood transforms the creative process and artistic expression.
Through in- depth interviews, analysis of work across the performing arts, and the author’s personal anecdotes, it is revealed that becoming a parent can both challenge and enrich the artistic process, with work and life shifting and changing as parenthood is navigated. Parenthood and Performance uncovers the many myths of an artist- parent and embarks on the topic with honesty, insight, and empathy. The interviewed artists add to the conversation on the balance between care and creation, gendered expectations, and the resilience required to sustain a creative career amidst the nappies and school runs. This book also discusses the impact of infertility, baby loss, and choosing not to have a family – factors which contribute to the make- up of an artist and to their work.
Parenthood and Performance is ideal for scholars, students, and artists interested in the interplay between parenthood, creativity, identity, and human experience.
Alice Marshall (Vale) is a Senior Lecturer and Research Academic at the University of Derby, UK, as well as Artistic Director of Adaire to Dance, an Arts Council England- supported company creating work across the UK. Her interdisciplinary practice blends choreography, original music, and digital media to explore unheard social themes. Alice explores this through accessible dance and the emotional resonance of movement. She has presented internationally on her research and solo- authored Entertainment in the Performing Arts (Routledge). She is a dedicated advocate for regional arts, serving on the boards of Arts Derbyshire and Hubbub Theatre, and co- directs the East Midlands Dance Artists Network CIC.
