About Me

I am an NRF-rated scholar with an 18-year career leading local and international narrative and creative research. Currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand and co-lead of the Creative Research Lab. My research, performances and facilitation work revolve around exploring intersectional identities, social justice, and transformative storytelling in theatre, education, and activism. I am the lead researcher in our Creative Research Lab. As a Creative Research Expert and Embodied Learning practitioner, I delve into participatory theatre, postcolonial and feminist theories, and drama's therapeutic potential. I work across the globe to consult on, design, and deliver highly engaging learning programs, both live and virtual, that bring about change within organisations. 

I'm a prolific black feminist director and playwright, using history, statistics, and personal narratives to address social injustice and trauma. I investigate and teach scriptwriting and theatre-making, grounded in black feminist aesthetics. My work extends to consultancy, offering narrative strategy and embodied technology insights. I have a PhD in Performance Studies and an MA in Drama Therapy and specialise in  Gender Performances, Transformational writing practices, and the narratives of social change. I am a Ford Foundation Fellow, a Global Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity, and a THInK Fellow. I am part of the Woodshed Racial Equity Collective (based at Georgetown University). 

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Affiliate 

• University of Witwatersrand 

• ORCID

• Google Scholar

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Contacts: 

tel: 0117174727

email: refiloe.Lepere@wits.ac.za