Tuesday 08 July 2025: 2024 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholar Emma Nihill is a Shakespearean actor and English literature scholar, intent on combining her knowledge of literature and the theatre to pursue a career in artistic directorship. Trained in performance at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Arts Educational Schools, she is bilingual in Spanish and English, and prior to being awarded her scholarship, played lead roles in Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet in theatres throughout Europe and Latin America.
Now in the final stages of her Master of Studies in English Language and Literature (650-1550) at the University of Oxford, Emma has just finished directing and translating a production of Federico García Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) at the Oxford Playhouse. Emma won an extremely competitive bid to show her production at this famous playhouse, which has hosted performances from UK theatre royalty, including Rowan Atkinson, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, John Gielgud, and Richard Burton, among many others. Her efforts saw her win a prestigious St Cross College prize.
Emma has also just submitted her Master’s dissertation, the culminating piece of work for her degree. It focusses on the Old English poem known as Genesis B, “a rare example of inter-vernacular translation from the late Anglo-Saxon period”. She has additionally completed her first half marathon to raise funds for blood cancer research.
Emma says she is incredibly grateful for her Ramsay scholarship which has enabled her to learn from world-leading experts in theatre and early medieval literature, explore Oxford’s incredible cultural heritage, and connect to a network of young Australian leaders studying all over the world. After more experience in the UK theatre industry and the “amazing array of cultural institutions in London”, she hopes to return to Australia to pursue a career in artistic directorship.
In her own words:
I feel incredibly fortunate to be a Ramsay Postgraduate Scholar.
I was drawn to the scholarship because of its scope; the scholarship is ambitious, encompassing a broad sweep of disciplines and an incredible array of international institutions. In becoming a Ramsay Scholar I joined an inspiring, global, multidisciplinary community.
In March, this community ethos came to life as the Ramsay Centre hosted scholars based in Europe and the UK for its inaugural Leadership Development Workshop in Berlin. A meaningful geographical base from which to consider Europe’s intellectual and geopolitical history, Berlin was also where we came together as an international cohort for the first time since I’d arrived in Oxford. I really loved chatting to fellow scholars about their research into Baroque music, twentieth-century philosophy, and the life cycle of the malaria parasite. I also loved learning more about the amazing places where fellow scholars are living and studying.
With my scholarship, I am reading for a Master of Studies in English (650-1550) at Oxford, with a particular interest in pre-Norman Conquest vernacular poetry. This week, I submitted my master’s dissertation, the final piece of work for my degree. My dissertation focused on the Old English poem known as Genesis B, a rare example of inter-vernacular translation from the late Anglo-Saxon period. The poem is witnessed by one manuscript, MS Junius 11, which forms part of the extraordinary special collections held at the Weston Library here in Oxford.
Last term, I spent many hours in the Weston poring over a Breton Gospel Book from the late ninth century (MS Auct. D 5 3). In remarkably good condition given its transmission history, this codex made its way across the English Channel and was extensively handled when it arrived in England, containing evidence of consistent and varied insular interaction in the form of scribbles and annotations. I particularly loved deciphering a series of drypoint glosses in this manuscript (Old English translations of the Latin Gospel text that had been scratched into the parchment without the use of ink). The early medieval literary landscape was multi-lingual, and I’ve really enjoyed developing my skills in Latin and Old Norse this year, writing papers on the Icelandic Sagas and the relationship between Latin and Old English in ninth- and tenth-century Gospel texts. I have also absolutely loved receiving training in palaeography and codicology, which has opened up my analysis of manuscripts and other material texts in unexpected and exciting ways.
This year, alongside my Master’s, I was given the wonderful opportunity to direct a production of Federico García Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) at the Oxford Playhouse – a 630-seat auditorium. I translated and adapted the play, and was very grateful to have been able to work so closely with Lorca’s text. We developed a live, original score and choreography inspired by Flamenco, and also preserved moments of Lorca’s original Spanish throughout the play, supported by subtitles. Our creative team and 22-strong ensemble represented an incredible blend of Hispanophone and Anglophone perspectives that combined to make a really beautiful piece of bilingual, cross-cultural theatre. The opportunity to stage a professionally budgeted, full-scale show with the support of the Oxford Playhouse creative team is something I’ll never forget and will always be grateful for.
I’ve also loved being Arts Representative on the St Cross College Student Representative Committee (SRC). In this role, I’ve sat on the college Art Committee and facilitated arts-related events, competitions, and initiatives around college.
Oxford is an old city full of gargoyles and ancient books. It is also a place that is much bigger than the university which resides within it. The city of Oxford has been beautifully mapped out by multimedia artist Rawz, who has created a series of spoken word poems called Forgotten Stories of Oxford, each tied to a particular location in the centre of town. I found Rawz’ poems when I moved to Oxford, and I’ve been slowly learning more about the people, streets, and waterways that make up the fabric of this city. Grateful for the magic and wisdom I’ve found in the university’s colleges and libraries, I am also very appreciative of Oxford as a place, and Oxfordshire as an area of extraordinary natural beauty.
Last year marked the ten-year anniversary of a close friend’s passing, and I ran a half-marathon in Richmond Park, London, in order to remember her and raise funds for Blood Cancer UK. It was my first time racing at half-marathon distance, and it was such a special day!
I am very grateful for the support of the Ramsay Centre, without which I would not have been able to embrace the full range of wonderful opportunities that have come my way in Oxford. From handling 1000-year-old manuscripts to directing my first production at the Oxford Playhouse, I have learned so much from world-leading experts in theatre and early medieval literature. Connected to a network of Australians studying all over the world, I’ve also been so excited to meet and learn from fellow scholars here in Oxford and abroad.
As to what’s next, I’m excited to re-enter the theatre industry in London this autumn. I hope to develop a portfolio of directorial work whilst gaining more experience from the amazing array of cultural institutions in London, before returning to Australia to pursue a career in artistic directorship.
Interested in a Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship? Our scholarships support outstanding, thoughtful and imaginative young Australian leaders to study at the world’s best overseas universities and are valued at up to AUD$90,000 p.a. For more information go to: https://ramsaypostgradscholarship.com/
To read more about Emma Nihill and her cohort of 2024 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholars go to: https://ramsaypostgradscholarship.com/scholars/
Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098/ sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org
For more information on the Centre please visit our website: www.ramsaycentre.org