The Project Team

This project is led by Dr Haili MA across the UK-China research and industry team. Dr. Ma is Associate Professor in Performance and Creative Economy and the International Director at School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds.

Dr. Scott PALMER is Innovation Fellow and teaches in digital performance at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds.
His areas of expertise are: scenography; performance design; lighting; design for audience experience; immersive & relational performance; digital technologies & interactivity; performance histories, site-specific performance.

Prof. Zhixin LIU is the Executive Artistic Director of The National Digital Performing Arts Lab (NDPAL), which is funded by the National Ministry of Culture, and hosted within Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA).

Dr. Zi YANG is Senior Research Fellow at Shanghai Arts Research Institute (SARI) which was first established in 1979 and was the very first Arts Institute in China. SARI holds an integral role within the Shanghai Arts and Social Science Research Strategic Office; administratively, it receives direct leadership from Shanghai Cultural and Tourism Bureau and acts as the think-tank of Shanghai Municipal Government.

Prof. Zhipeng ZANG is Professor in communication and creative industries from East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL). He leads the University's New Media Group, a fully operational educational and commercial entity, located within the Faculty of Communication.

Nick BAX is the founder and Executive Director of Human Studio, a Sheffield-based SME driven by the discovery of knowledge, culture and technology. Human VR is the Research and Development division of Human Studio. Nick is currently second year PhD candidate at University of Sheffield focusing on XR immersive story telling.

Robin Hawkes is Executive Artistic Director at Leeds Playhouse. The Playhouse is a permanent home for modern and contemporary theatre in Leeds, hosting a wide range of productions and engaging in outreach work for the local community. Today, it is the largest regional repertory theatre in the UK outside London and Stratford.

Ann Wishart is the Manager of the Arts Development Unit at the Leeds City Council, which funds Leeds based key innovative arts companies include Invisible Flock, Leeds Playhouse and Opera North. The ambition and innovation developed through the project will play a key role with building further links with Shanghai, China and supporting transnational arts and business development of UK companies.

Liangjie CHAI is the Vice Director of Shanghai Yue Opera House and responsible for UK-China arts projects development. Shanghai Yue Opera House was established in 1955 and remains the largest Yue Opera House in China today. The Opera House hosts a wealth of talented artists and performers producing traditional and contemporary works.

Rongjun (Nick) YU is the Artistic Director at The Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, the only national theatre company in Shanghai. Established in 1995 SDAC has three in-house theatres and an impressive team of professional playwrights, directors, actors and stage designers. It is famous for its experimental nature and diverse style, producing more than 50 productions and engaging an audience of more than 300,000 every year.

Dr. Jian ZHOU is Vice Director of Pudong New District Municipal Government, and holds a PhD in Aesthetics. Pudong New District Municipal Government was established in 2000 to lead strategic cultural financial development in Shanghai and China. In late 2017, Pudong New District Municipal Government developed the world’s first “Chinese Opera Village” in Chuansha County which aims to present traditional Chinese opera as an organic way of local community life.