Mischa's interests include European theatres of the avant-garde; Afro-European cultural politics; historical-theoretical questions of empathy and mimesis; Performance Philosophy; Memory Studies.
Dr Mischa Twitchin FHEA teaches courses on Polish Theatre, the legacies of Artaud, East European theatres, an under-graduate workshop on “touch”, and a post-graduate workshop, “Thinking Theatre”. His book, “The Theatre of Death – the Uncanny in Mimesis: Tadeusz Kantor, Aby Warburg and an Iconology of the Actor” is published by Palgrave Macmillan in their Performance Philosophy series; and examples of his own performance- and essay-films can be seen on Vimeo.
Besides this academic and artistic work, Mischa is a founder-member of the performance collective Shunt, and has also worked as a freelance lighting designer (at the Young Vic, the Barbican Pit, and the Royal Court, amongst other places). He has taught at various institutions, including Central School of Speech and Drama, the University of Kent, and Queen Mary, University of London, where he did his PhD and also held a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2014-17).
Research interests
Mischa's main research interests include: European theatres of the avant-garde; Afro-European cultural politics; historical-theoretical questions of empathy and mimesis; Performance Philosophy; Memory Studies; and dialogues between anthropology, museum ethnography, and art. He would welcome PhD applications in any of these fields.
Wittgenstein and Performance Twitchin, Mischa , ed. 2024. Wittgenstein and Performance. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538175095
Edited Journal
On Repertoire Twitchin, Mischa , ed. 2024. On Repertoire, Performance Research, 29(1). 1352-8165
On Animism Twitchin, Mischa ; and Lavery, Carl, eds. 2019. On Animism, Performance Research, 24(6). 1352-8165
Book Section
Remembering (in) the absence of memorials Twitchin, Mischa . 2025. Remembering (in) the absence of memorials. In: Tiziana D’Amico, ed. Cultural Discourse on the Holocaust in East-Central and Eastern Europe. Szombathely, Hungary: Savaria University Press, pp. 119-136. ISBN 9786156489579
The Space Between Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. The Space Between. In: Daria Feherova, ed. Theatre in Exile. Bratislava, Slovakia: Theatre Institute, Bratislava, pp. 42-51. ISBN 9788081901171
On the Subject of Chance Remarks: Practising Patience Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. On the Subject of Chance Remarks: Practising Patience. In: Ne Barros and Eugenia Vilela, eds. Performances no Contemporaneo II. Porto, Portugal: Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Porto, pp. 171-176. ISBN 9789899082779
Mnemotechnics, Echo and the Discrete Voice Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. Mnemotechnics, Echo and the Discrete Voice. In: Bart Buseyne; Georgios Tsagdis and Paul Willemarck, eds. Bernard Stiegler: Memories of the Future. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 205-215. ISBN 9781350410442
Tragedy and the Gender of Sacrifice: On "The Difference between Poetry and Rhetoric" Twitchin, Mischa ; and Gruszczynski, Piotr. 2024. Tragedy and the Gender of Sacrifice: On "The Difference between Poetry and Rhetoric". In: Ramona Mosse and Anna Street, eds. Genre Transgressions: Dialogues on Tragedy and Comedy. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 199-222. ISBN 9780367218300
Wittgenstein and Performance: Introduction Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. Wittgenstein and Performance: Introduction. In: Mischa Twitchin, ed. Wittgenstein and Performance. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 1-4. ISBN 9781538175095
Philosophical Problems and Stochastic Parrots: Between Aphorism and Algorithm Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. Philosophical Problems and Stochastic Parrots: Between Aphorism and Algorithm. In: Mischa Twitchin, ed. Wittgenstein and Performance. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, pp. 219-233. ISBN 9781538175095
'There is nothing like a dead man to demand existence' (Antonin Artaud) Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'There is nothing like a dead man to demand existence' (Antonin Artaud). In: Sharon Coleclough; Bethan Michael-Fox and Renske Visser, eds. Difficult Death, Dying and the Dead in Media and Culture. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 175-188. ISBN 9783031407314
'Keeping the Magic Alive': Some Arcane Speculations Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'Keeping the Magic Alive': Some Arcane Speculations. In: Alice Lagaay; Anke Haarmann; Tom Bieling; Torben Körschkes; Petja Ivanova; Frieder Bohaumilitzky and Barbro Scholz, eds. Specology. Hamburg: adocs, pp. 48-52. ISBN 9783943253719
Baffling Dramaturgy: Between the Obvious and the Obtuse Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. Baffling Dramaturgy: Between the Obvious and the Obtuse. In: Harry Robert Wilson and Will Daddario, eds. Rethinking Roland Barthes Through Performance: A Desire for Neutral Dramaturgy. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 157-170. ISBN 9781350330849
Modernism, medium and memory Twitchin, Mischa . 2020. Modernism, medium and memory. In: Thirthankar Chakraborthy and Juan Luis Vazquez, eds. Samuel Beckett as World Literature. Bloomsbury, pp. 87-99. ISBN 978-1-5013-5880-7
A Dice Thrower Twitchin, Mischa . 2020. A Dice Thrower. In: Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca and Alice Lagaay, eds. The Routledge Companion to Performance Philosophy. Routledge, pp. 326-329. ISBN 9781138495623
Between 'Counter-movement' (Ingold) and 'Living with Ghosts' (Demos) Twitchin, Mischa . 2020. Between 'Counter-movement' (Ingold) and 'Living with Ghosts' (Demos). In: Agnieszka Piotrowska, ed. Creative Practice research in the Age of Neoliberal Hopelessness. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 288-303. ISBN 9781474463560
Shunt: A performance collective Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. Shunt: A performance collective. In: Teresa Brayshaw; Anna Fenemore and Noel Witts, eds. The Twenty-first Century Performance Reader. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 468-473. ISBN 9781138785342
What chance failure? Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. What chance failure? In: Tony Fisher and Eve Katsouraki, eds. Beyond Failure: New Essays on the Cultural History of Failure in Theatre and Performance. London: Routledge, pp. 37-54. ISBN 9780815370994
Kantor after Duchamp Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. Kantor after Duchamp. In: M. Kobialka and N. Zarzecka, eds. Tadeusz Kantor's Memory: Other Pasts, Other Futures. TAPAC: Theatre and Performance Across Cultures (London, UK) and the Grotowski Institute (Wrocław, Poland).: Polish Theatre Perspectives (PTP). ISBN 978-1-910203-06-4
“On ‘the live effigy of man emerging out of the shadows...’” Twitchin, Mischa . 2013. “On ‘the live effigy of man emerging out of the shadows...’”. In: Carole Guidicelli, ed. Über-Marionettes and mannequins: Craig, Kantor and their contemporary legacies. Lavérune: Institut Internationale de la Marionette/ L’Entretemps, pp. 273-291. ISBN 978-2-35539-169-9
Drawing a Line Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. Drawing a Line. Widok/View: Theories and Practices of Visual Culture(38), ISSN 2300-200X
A Spectre is Haunting Europe... Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. A Spectre is Haunting Europe... Contemporary Theatre Review, 34(1), pp. 101-106. ISSN 1048-6801
'Do we still remember?' (Warsaw, June 2022) Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'Do we still remember?' (Warsaw, June 2022). Contemporary Theatre Review, 33(1-2), pp. 162-165. ISSN 1048-6801
How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare? Twitchin, Mischa . 2016. How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare? Art School (Exhibition Catalogue), pp. 197-207. ISSN 0-6110000015-4-611-15
In Search of an Audience Twitchin, Mischa . 2013. In Search of an Audience. Theatrama, 1, pp. 13-18.
“Making Sense of ‘Seeing’” Twitchin, Mischa . 2012. “Making Sense of ‘Seeing’”. Frakcija Performing Arts Journal, 62-63, pp. 166-177. ISSN 1331-0100
“What kind of play is it?” Twitchin, Mischa . 2012. “What kind of play is it?”. Puppet Notebook (Journal of British UNIMA), 22, pp. 24-25. ISSN 1745-1086
“The Invisible Theatre of Antonin Artaud” Twitchin, Mischa . 2008. “The Invisible Theatre of Antonin Artaud”. Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies, 4(3), ISSN 1557-2935
“On the Dreamwork of Hearing” Twitchin, Mischa . 2007. “On the Dreamwork of Hearing”. Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies, 3(3), ISSN 1557-2935
Conference or Workshop Item
The Cave of Remembered Dreams Twitchin, Mischa . 2025. 'The Cave of Remembered Dreams'. In: ANTS Annual Conference: Theatre and Natural Intelligence. Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, Lithuania 25-27 September 2025.
A Crisis of Legitimacy Twitchin, Mischa . 2025. 'A Crisis of Legitimacy'. In: Memory Studies Association Annual Conference, 2025. Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic 14-18 July 2025.
Questions of Belonging Twitchin, Mischa . 2025. 'Questions of Belonging'. In: Memory Studies Annual Conference 2025. Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic 14-18 July 2025.
Masks, Museums, and Memory Twitchin, Mischa . 2025. 'Masks, Museums, and Memory'. In: Museums, Memory, Politics. Online, United Kingdom 24 - 25 January 2025.
The Site of Shadows Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. 'The Site of Shadows'. In: Masterclass, Family Film Project. Porto, Portugal 15-19 October 2024.
On the 'reflexivity of forms of experience' (Foucault) Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. 'On the 'reflexivity of forms of experience' (Foucault)'. In: 'Private Collection' in Family Film Project Festival 2024. Porto, Portugal 15-19 October 2024.
Suffocating Meaning Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. 'Suffocating Meaning'. In: Antonin Artaud: New Critical Reflections. Kingston University, United Kingdom 30-31 July 2024.
Between "object lessons" and "omissions" Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. 'Between "object lessons" and "omissions"'. In: Doing and Undoing with Anthropology: EASA Biennial Conference. University of Barcelona, Spain 23-26 July 2024.
Photographic Memories Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. 'Photographic Memories'. In: Vestiges of Memory. University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury, United Kingdom 18-19 July 2024.
Staging the gaze in museum ethnography Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. 'Staging the gaze in museum ethnography'. In: Anthropology and Education - Royal Anthropological Institute 2024 Conference. Senate House, University of London, United Kingdom 25-28 June 2024.
"Taking the piss" (or the "scandal of realism") Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. '"Taking the piss" (or the "scandal of realism")'. In: "Theatre and Political Correctness" (International Association of Theatre Critics Annual Conference). Novi Sad, Serbia 26-29 May 2024.
Exposed memory Twitchin, Mischa . 2024. 'Exposed memory'. In: Subtle Transitions. Prague City University and Charles University Prague, Czech Republic 5 April 2024.
What’s Hamlet to us? (Or us to Hecuba?) Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'What’s Hamlet to us? (Or us to Hecuba?)'. In: "Acting, Reacting, Enacting. Theory and Practice in Performing Arts." ANTS Conference 2023. Latvian Academy of Culture Theatre House, Latvia 3-4 November 2023.
Translation, memory, and an “aesthetics of care” Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'Translation, memory, and an “aesthetics of care”'. In: Post-Socialist and Comparative Memory Studies (PoSoCoMeS) Conference. University of Tallinn, Estonia 20 - 23 September 2023.
Concerning the "wisdom" of dramaturgy Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'Concerning the "wisdom" of dramaturgy'. In: "Dimensions of Dramaturgy", 6th EASTAP Conference. University of Aarhus, Denmark 14-18 June 2023.
The Space Between Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'The Space Between'. In: Theatre in Exile. Slovak Theatre Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia 18-19 May 2023.
Remembering (in) the absence of memorials Twitchin, Mischa . 2023. 'Remembering (in) the absence of memorials'. In: Memories of the Shoah. Universita Ca'Foscari, Venice, Italy 11-12 May 2023.
On the Subject of Chance Remarks Twitchin, Mischa . 2022. 'On the Subject of Chance Remarks'. In: Performances in the Contemporary. Institute of Philosophy, University of Porto, Portugal 12 December 2022.
"A kind of warning to the West" - Vaclav Havel today Twitchin, Mischa . 2022. '"A kind of warning to the West" - Vaclav Havel today'. In: Kosovo Theatre Showcase, 2022, panel: Theatre Beyond Our Own Backyard. Prishtina, Kosovo 25 - 30 October 2022.
Do we remember? Twitchin, Mischa . 2022. 'Do we remember?'. In: Online Launch of Memory Studies 15(3). Institute of Art History and Visual Culture, Tallinn, Estonia 29 September 2022.
"...striking on stone clocks" (Mandelstam) Twitchin, Mischa . 2022. '"...striking on stone clocks" (Mandelstam)'. In: Why Remember? Peace, Conflict and Culture Conference. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-8 July 2022.
Disturbing things Twitchin, Mischa . 2022. 'Disturbing things'. In: Museums as Spaces of Cultural Translation and Transfer Conference. Tartu University, Estonia 10-11 May 2022.
Sprechen Sie Loewe? Twitchin, Mischa . 2022. 'Sprechen Sie Loewe?'. In: Peter Friedl: Report 1964–2022. KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany 23 February 2022.
Giving a local habitation to the dead Twitchin, Mischa . 2021. 'Giving a local habitation to the dead'. In: Colloque International de Lomé: Sépultures, deuils et incarnations. Université de Lomé, Togo 1 – 3 February 2021.
Mnemotechnics and the Discrete Voice Twitchin, Mischa . 2020. 'Mnemotechnics and the Discrete Voice'. In: Memory for the Future: Thinking with Bernard Stiegler. University of Leiden, Netherlands 3 – 4 December 2020.
On the ‘heritage’ of objects: between racism and restitution Twitchin, Mischa . 2020. 'On the ‘heritage’ of objects: between racism and restitution'. In: RAI Conference 2020: Anthropology and Geography - Dialogues Past, Present and Future. London, United Kingdom 15 – 17 September 2020.
On the Memory of Ethnography Twitchin, Mischa . 2020. 'On the Memory of Ethnography'. In: Ethnographic Returns. University of Gothenburg, Sweden 30 June 2020.
Refracting Implication: the Uses of Silence Twitchin, Mischa . 2020. 'Refracting Implication: the Uses of Silence'. In: Prisms of Silence. Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia 21-22 February 2020.
Terezin - contemporaries Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. 'Terezin - contemporaries'. In: Arts Working Group of the Memory Studies Association Seminar. Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom 13-14 December 2019.
The Voice of Things Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. 'The Voice of Things'. In: Arte e Antropologia: Oggetti fuori posto, oggetti che parlano. Antonio Pasqualino International Museum of Marionettes, Palermo, Italy 15-16 October 2019.
Red Peter and Josephine Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. 'Red Peter and Josephine'. In: Shared Memory(ies): Second EASTAP Conference. School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Portugal 23 -25 September 2019.
Performance, Parable, and Paradox Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. 'Performance, Parable, and Paradox'. In: Memory Studies Association Third Annual Conference. Complutense University, Madrid, Spain 25-28 June 2019.
Tragic consequences Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. 'Tragic consequences'. In: Between Myth and Memory: Contemporary Politics and the Performance of History. University of Surrey, United Kingdom 25 April 2019.
Considering Square Circles Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. 'Considering Square Circles'. In: London Theatre Seminar. University of London, United Kingdom 28 March 2019.
Toxicity at Work Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. 'Toxicity at Work'. In: Performance Philosophy Biennial Conference. University of Amsterdam, Netherlands 14-17 March 2019.
"Time crystals" Twitchin, Mischa . 2019. '"Time crystals"'. In: Global Traces Conference: Art Practice, Ethnography, Contested Heritage. University of Oslo, Norway 7-8 February 2019.
Theatre 'between returns to diversity' and 'memory laws' Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. 'Theatre 'between returns to diversity' and 'memory laws''. In: Decentering the vision(s) of Europe, EASTAP Conference. Theatre de la Cite, Paris, France 25-27 October, 2018.
On “a discourse related to the historical dynamics of its time” (Araeen). Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. 'On “a discourse related to the historical dynamics of its time” (Araeen).'. In: Re-imagining the Museum in the Global Contemporary, annual ICOM-ICME conference. National Museum. Tartu, Estonia 9-12.10.2018.
Indifference or irony? Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. 'Indifference or irony?'. In: TaPRA annual conference. University of Aberystwyth, United Kingdom 5-7 September 2018.
"In the name of your image" (Senghor) Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. '"In the name of your image" (Senghor)'. In: Memory and Performance in African-Atlantic Futures conference. University of Leeds, United Kingdom 31 August-1 September, 2018.
On 'the eye that listens' (Claudel) Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. 'On 'the eye that listens' (Claudel)'. In: Art, Materiality and Representation. SOAS and the British Museum, United Kingdom 1-3 June 2018.
On 'drawing unexpected analogies' (Attia); or on 'living with ghosts' (Demos) Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. 'On 'drawing unexpected analogies' (Attia); or on 'living with ghosts' (Demos)'. In: Creative Practice: Research in the Age of Neoliberal Hopelessness. University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom 10-12 May 2018.
Between Truth and the Inexplicable Twitchin, Mischa . 2018. 'Between Truth and the Inexplicable'. In: Theatre and Memory Wars. Vytautus Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania 26-28 April 2018.
What's Wrong with Participation? Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'What's Wrong with Participation?'. In: The Avant-Garde: Aesthetic Strategies and Participatory Art. Cricoteka, Krakow, Poland 8-10.12.2017.
In and Out of the Dark Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'In and Out of the Dark'. In: Theatricality and the Arts Symposium. Lancaster University, United Kingdom 23-24 September 2017.
Exposing ‘People’ Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'Exposing ‘People’'. In: TaPRA. University of Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom 30 August-1 September 2017.
Of What Stuff Are European Dreams Made On? Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'Of What Stuff Are European Dreams Made On?'. In: Anthropology of Race and Ethnicity Symposium (an EASA Network). Free University of Berlin, Germany 17-19 July 2017.
On ‘observing oneself as an instrument of observation’ (Levi-Strauss) Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'On ‘observing oneself as an instrument of observation’ (Levi-Strauss)'. In: First Colleex Workshop on Ethnographic Experimentation (an EASA Network). Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal 13-15 July 2017.
On Some ‘Documents of Euro-African Contact’ (MacGregor) Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'On Some ‘Documents of Euro-African Contact’ (MacGregor)'. In: Afroeuropeans: Black Cultures and Identities in Europe Conference. University of Tampere, Finland 6-8 July 2017.
Between Phantom and Phantasm Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'Between Phantom and Phantasm'. In: Performance Philosophy Conference. Academy of Sciences and Academy of Performing Arts, Prague, Czech Republic 22-26 June 2017.
Digital Catoptrics Twitchin, Mischa . 2017. 'Digital Catoptrics'. In: Re-Performing Symposium. Institute of Advanced Studies, UCL, United Kingdom 18 June 2017.
"We went with this text to Stuttgart" Twitchin, Mischa . 2016. '"We went with this text to Stuttgart"'. In: European Theatre Persepctives Conference. Wroclaw, Poland 7-9 Nov 2016.
"'Object Lessons' at the British Museum's Africa Galleries" Twitchin, Mischa . 2016. '"'Object Lessons' at the British Museum's Africa Galleries"'. In: European Association of Social Anthropologists Conference. Milan, Italy 20-23 July 2016.
"Future Pasts" Twitchin, Mischa . 2016. '"Future Pasts"'. In: Africa Research Day conference. London, United Kingdom 25 May 2016.
"Loving Memory: Anamnesis and Hypomnesis" Twitchin, Mischa . 2016. '"Loving Memory: Anamnesis and Hypomnesis"'. In: Cambridge Interdisciplinary Performance Network seminar. Cambridge, United Kingdom 9 May 2016.
"Pedagogic Materials: Tylor and Godard" Twitchin, Mischa . 2016. '"Pedagogic Materials: Tylor and Godard"'. In: Show and Tell Symposium, Materials in Practice Study Group. Conference, United Kingdom.
"This Craze for Explicitation..." Twitchin, Mischa . 2016. '"This Craze for Explicitation..."'. In: Samuel Beckett and World Literature Conference. Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom 4-5 May 2016.
Animating Phantasms: Pensive Phantoms Twitchin, Mischa . 2015. 'Animating Phantasms: Pensive Phantoms'. In: Present's Disjunctive Unity conference. Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany 26-28th November, 2015.
"Between the Rubbish Dump and Eternity" Twitchin, Mischa . 2015. '"Between the Rubbish Dump and Eternity"'. In: Today is Tadeusz Kantor. Whitechapel Gallery, London, United Kingdom.
What is 'Living' in Archives? Twitchin, Mischa . 2015. 'What is 'Living' in Archives?'. In: Kantorbury, Kantorbury. University of Kent, United Kingdom 18-19th September, 2015.
Animating Masks Twitchin, Mischa . 2015. 'Animating Masks'. In: TaPRA Interim Conference on Foucault. Kings College, University of Lonodn, United Kingdom 4th July, 2015.
On Shunt Twitchin, Mischa . 2015. 'On Shunt'. In: Conference on Troupes, Collectifs, Compagnies. La Comedie de Valence, France 1st-3rd April, 2015.
Performing Presence: Interpreting Catastrophe Twitchin, Mischa . 2015. 'Performing Presence: Interpreting Catastrophe'. In: ITI Greece Conference on the Twenty-First Century Performer. Hellenic Centre of the ITI , Athens, Greece.