‘What I thought university would be like … ’ close reading as collaborative performance

This article develops an account of an extracurricular reading group convened in a small theatre/performance department, consisting of postgraduate and honours students. The origins of the group in a formal seminar/class are discussed, including a shift in syllabus design based upon breadth of reading/content to one based upon depth, taking up the practice of reading as a core classroom activity. This activity is understood as a technē: an aided...