No, we’re not talking about an acting gig! Two-time Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett is heading to Oxford University as a visiting professor – yes, an actual professor – of contemporary theatre!
Cate will be teaching students for the 2026-2027 academic year. I mean, can you imagine having THE Cate Blanchett as your uni lecturer?
Commenting on her appointment, Cate said, “Art breaks down the borders and boundaries of our imagination. It poses questions, and playing with and dissecting it expands and challenges our present reality. My years of creative practice have granted me the opportunity of sharpening feelings into ideas and offered pathways to insight.”
She added, “The visiting professorship is an electrifying opportunity for me to be in direct, robust creative dialogue with the next generation of thinkers and creative Doers.”
And as you can imagine, the university is thrilled to have her: “Cate Blanchett is one of the most important and influential artistic voices working today, not only through the extraordinary breadth of her work across theatre and screen, but through her longstanding commitment to cultural dialogue, collaboration and public engagement. The Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professorship exists to bring world-leading practitioners into meaningful conversations with students, academics and audiences and Cate’s appointment represents a hugely exciting next chapter in that story.”
The beloved Aussie star is not the first famous visiting professor at Oxford. Previous professors include Sir Ian McKellen, Adjoa Andoh, Stephen Fry and Arthur Miller.
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