Dr. Linda Lorenza
PhD (University of Sydney), M.A. (Theatre) UNSW, Grad Cert. Gifted Education (UNSW), B.A. (Linguistics) Macquarie University, Grad Dip. Education (UNE)
Senior Lecturer - Acting and Theatre, Head of Course - Theatre
School of Education and the Arts
Centre for Research in Equity & Advancement of Teaching & Education (CREATE), Creative Arts Research Training Academy (CARTA)
- l.lorenza@cqu.edu.au
- ORCID: 0000-0002-0005-8531
- (07) 4940 7814
-
Mackay Ooralea
G22 - 06
My Networks
About Me
Linda Merewyn Lorenza (BA, MA, PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Theatre at CQUniversity. She is a qualitative researcher and arts practitioner whose interests are in the performing arts, arts education, and applied arts in health and rehabilitation contexts. Linda is Head of Course for the Bachelor of Theatre in which she lectures and teaches theatre, acting and drama. Her interdisciplinary research is predominantly associated with applied arts cutting across social innovation and change, regionality, rehabilitation and youth. She uses participatory action research methods and works across disciplines with collaborators from Schools of Business and Law, Social Education and the Arts, Health, Medical and Applied Sciences and Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences. Recently her participatory action research has focussed on young people and social media.
With 23 publications (174 citations, h-index 5), and >$2.3M in funding, her social research informs policy and empowers individuals to make informed health and justice decisions. As Chief Investigator on four externally funded qualitative research projects, Linda Lorenza works with co-designed social research and has led the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method using applied theatre and short-form video to explore participants/community concerns. She leads and participates in collaborative multidisciplinary research teams connecting arts, health and community. She has considerable experience in qualitative research methods using case studies, surveys, interviews and focus groups.
General
Background
Linda Lorenza's professional career spans arts industry, education policy development, research and academia. Her vast work experience includes Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Curriculum Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA).
Linda's involvement research came early in her career. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree in Linguistics at Macquarie University, she was employed as a research linguist in Speech Technology research, GLASS Consortium, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Sydney. This was the first speech recognition research in Australia.
Linda studied Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium and with the Juilliard School, having performed locally and overseas. She taught drama and music in schools for more than a decade prior to becoming Head of Education for Bell Shakespeare where she expanded the theatre company’s educational and outreach programs. Identifying the ongoing need for teacher professional development she initiated the Bell Shakespeare Regional Teacher Mentorship in 2007, and in 2009 secured a partnership with the University of Sydney enabling teachers to include this training in the Masters of Education. Linda's applied theatre work included programs for Mission Australia and Young Carers. She successfully acquired government funding to pilot Shakespeare programs in Juvenile Justice centres in 2010, a program which continues today.
At the Australian Curriculum Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) Linda facilitated the development of the first national arts curriculum in Australia. The curriculum in five artforms: dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts, was endorsed by all States and Territories for implementation from 2015. She has been a Director Producer with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra where she oversaw the emerging artists program, programmed and produced concerts for schools, families and regional communities and initiated the Young Ambassadors program. In her determination to make symphonic music accessible she enabled primary teachers to perform Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with the orchestra using paper lunchbags!
Linda is an active advocate for arts access and education in regional Australia.
Universities Studied At
University of Sydney
University of NSW
University of New England
Macquarie University
Universities Worked At
University of Sydney
Western Sydney University
Awards
Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Researcher – Early Career Research for 2022
Dean’s Award for Outstanding Researcher – Early Career Research for 2023
Commendation for the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Researcher – Early Career Research for 2022
Media Citations
- Music – a path to health and well-being, Music Cities, International panel. October 2020.
- Jail Guitar Doors, This music program is giving Australian inmates skills to reconnect in their communities, Cut Common, October 6, 2020.
- Federal arts funding package, Radio interview with Paul Culliver, ABC Capricornia, June 25, 2020
- War in our World, student production, Radio interview with Paul Culliver, ABC Capricornia, June 22, 2020
- Jail Guitar Doors launches Australia, Music Australia, June 21, 2020
- ‘A Mackay CQU lecturer has broken through the Zoom barrier’, War in Our World, Student online production, 7 News Mackay, May 26, 2020
- Federal budget and the Arts industry, The Morning Bulletin, April 24, 2020
- Jail visit music to Linda’s ear, Daily Mercury (Mackay) March 3, 2020
- Ballads Behind Bars: How Music is Used as Therapy in Some Australian Prisons, Rolling Stone, October 5, 2021
- Research: Young Queenslanders and TikTok Radio interview with Adam Stephen, ABC Far North, February 6, 2023
Previous teaching
School of Education, Western Sydney University 2015
Faculty of Education, University of Sydney, 2010
The Macdonald College of Performing Arts, 2002-2005
Professional Experience
Director, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Head of Education, Bell Shakespeare
Senior Project Officer/Curriculum Lead: The Arts, Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
Professional Memberships
ACEA Australasian Corrections Education Association
ANATS Australia New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing
APRA/AMCOS Australasian Performing Right Association and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society
Drama Australia
Responsibilities
Head of Course, Bachelor of Theatre
Consultancy Work
Curriculum connections for arts organisation teaching resources
Recent Research Projects
Enhancing Academic Preparedness: A Comprehensive Study of Individualised Digital Pedagogy for Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Readiness - CTR-21150
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 3: Industry and Other)
Funding Schemes: Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) Equity Frontiers Small-Scale Trials Grants Program 2024
Total Funding: $179,883.00
Dean's Awards and Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Outstanding Researchers - Early Career Research Category
Grant: Award - Internal (Internal Grant)
Funding Schemes: 2023 School of Education & the Arts Dean's Award; VC's Award - CQUniversity Awards for Outstanding Researchers 2023
Total Funding: $7,000.00
SIL - Our Strengths Central Queensland (IF-SILL213) (583733) (con_16329)
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Schemes: Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy (Qld) Community Innovation Fund: Responses to Social Isolation and Loneliness 2022-2023
Total Funding: $427,829.00
Broadening career options for undergraduate students through community-based learning projects
Grant: Scholarly project (Internal L&T Grant)
Funding Schemes: CQU Learning and Teaching Research and Development Grants 2022
Total Funding: N/A
An examination of primary student, teacher and parent experiences of arts learning online during COVID-19 lockdown.
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Schemes: DESE Emerging Priorities Program
Total Funding: $190,630.00
No Dramas: participatory action research using applied theatre to enable Indigenous youth-led communication on health and justice priorities (YRGP003)
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Schemes: Department of Environment and Science (QLD) Youth Research Grants Program
Total Funding: $200,000.00
CQUniversity Destination Australia Scholarship, commencing 2021
Grant: Scholarship (Not Specified )
Funding Schemes: Destination Australia Scholarship - Commonwealth/CQU Funded, Commencing 2021
Total Funding: N/A
Creative Business Champions (CBC) ++ 2022
Grant: Competitive Grant (Category 2: Other Public Sector)
Funding Schemes: Arts Queensland Creative Business Champions 2022
Total Funding: $998,201.00
Research Supervision
Accreditation
I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:
- 3901 Curriculum and Pedagogy
- 3604 Performing arts
- 3902 Education policy, sociology and philosophy
- 3999 Other Education
- 3699 Other creative arts and writing
Current Capacity
Current Supervision
Research Interests
Curriculum and Pedagogy - Creative Arts, Media and Communication Curriculum and Pedagogy
Performing Arts and Creative Writing - Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies
Performing Arts and Creative Writing - Music Performance
Performing Arts and Creative Writing - Music Therapy
