Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett is trading the red carpet for the lecture hall. The acclaimed Australian star has been appointed as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at the University of Oxford’s St Catherine’s College for the 2026–27 academic year. She called the opportunity “electrifying” and promised to bring a “creative rumpus” to the historic institution.
The visiting professorship, established in 1990, brings internationally significant figures from theatre, film, and performance into direct dialogue with students and the wider university community. During her tenure, Blanchett will contribute to a programme of lectures, conversations, and student engagement activities, continuing the role’s tradition of connecting contemporary artistic practice with academic life. She follows in the footsteps of previous holders including Stephen Sondheim, Sir Ian McKellen, Arthur Miller, and Dame Diana Rigg.
Blanchett is widely regarded as one of the most influential artistic voices working today. While globally celebrated for screen roles in films like Elizabeth, Blue Jasmine, and Tár, she also has a distinguished theatre background. She served as co-Artistic Director and co-CEO of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013 alongside Andrew Upton, overseeing one of the world’s leading theatre institutions . Her stage work includes productions directed by Liv Ullmann, Benedict Andrews, and Katie Mitchell.
Blanchett described the professorship as an opportunity to engage directly with the next generation . “Art breaks down the borders and boundaries of our imagination,” she said. “My years of creative practice have granted me the opportunity of sharpening feelings into ideas and offered pathways to insight. I look forward to beginning this creative rumpus”.
Sir Cameron Mackintosh, the producer who established the professorship, said he was “thrilled” Blanchett had accepted. Jude Kelly CBE, Master of St Catherine’s College, praised Blanchett’s “extraordinary breadth of work across theatre and screen” and her “longstanding commitment to cultural dialogue, collaboration and public engagement”. Blanchett’s appointment will coincide with her return to the London stage this year in Electra / Persona at the National Theatre.
