The Judy Project

The Judy Project is a three-year transhistorical study of women practitioners, female gender and its representations in Punch and Judy from the 18th century to the present day. It investigates who these women are, what they have contributed, how they have shaped this iconic English tradition, and how meaning and gender, that are embedded in the performance, have evolved relative to social and cultural shifts over time. The suite of project outputs planned include publications, development of new shows, and a website https://thejudyproject.exeter.ac.uk/

This research project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101020076 and The Society for Theatre Research. The shows received additional support from the University of Exeter’s Public Engagement with Research fund and the Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, that took place 7–16 November 2024. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org. The research is being implemented at the University of Exeter in the Department of Drama.