Associate Professor
Caroline Heim

Biography

Associate Professor Caroline Heim is a global authority on theatre audiences and the psychology of relationships in the theatre. Her first book Audience as Performer: the changing role of theatre audiences in the twenty-first century (Routledge 2016) is regarded as a leading authority on theatre audiences and her second book Actors and Audiences: conversations in the electric air (Routledge 2020) received an Honorable Mention in the Rob Jordan book prize. Heim has given 5 keynotes internationally and her published articles cover various topics from global audiences to the mental health of her university students. Specialising in empirical research, she has interviewed over 200 actors and audience members internationally. She has just completed the largest global cross-sectional study on long-term relationships to date: Building Resilient Relationships: techniques for surviving hyper-individualism, social isolation and the mental health crisis (Routledge, 2023). This book, co-authored with a clinical psychiatrist, applies her methodologies and research to real world issues. In the Creative industries, Education and Social Justice Faculty at QUT she coordinates and lectures into units such as European theatre history, Australian theatre history and acting. Caroline’s PhD  (University of Queensland) explored and trialled a new model for post-performance discussions. She was the theatre critic for The Australian for 2 years. Before entering academia, Heim graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York with a Drama League Award. She worked as a performer on the New York and major US capital city stages in lead roles for seven years.