News

Please see the CFP below for a conference emerging from the AHRC funded project: ‘Playing a/Part’: exploring the identities and experiences of autistic girls through drama, interactive media and participatory arts.

Call for Contributions: Inside Out: Autistic identities, participatory research & gender; a conference with a difference: July 4 & July 5 2019

Day 1: Perspectives on participatory research practices, ethics and themes
Day 2: Perspectives on gender and creativity

When: Thursday 4th July & Friday 5th July
Where: The School of Arts, University of Kent
Cost: £25/day or £40/two days
Deadline for proposals: Friday 24th May 2019
For more information please visit: https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.playingapartautisticgirls.org&data=02%7C01%7CGlenn.Odom%40ROEHAMPTON.AC.UK%7Ce918c4d1bce943a5af9008d6d1adc0a3%7C5fe650635c3747fbb4cce42659e607ed%7C0%7C0%7C636926941527783211&sdata=EAkUsL4HQjpoRn6SrDYKOCOKUavptoGzy6d%2BxHkkkAw%3D&reserved=0 or write to: playingapartconference@kent.ac.uk

What: This two-day conference is a collaboration between the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC), and the Playing A/Part research project in which the experiences and identities of autistic girls are being investigated through participatory, interdisciplinary and creative research methods (AHRC funded, Universities of Kent and Surrey).

In ‘Making the future together: shaping autism research through meaningful participation’ (Fletcher-Watson et al, 2018), the authors identify a need for more work to create supportive and inclusive research environments, to address the methodological challenges of participatory research and encourage researchers to work with autistic led organisations within the UK:
‘The opportunity is to create a burgeoning, merged community of research practice, including autistic and non-autistic people and other partners who work collaboratively to create facilitative environments and resolve important, relevant questions.’

The Inside Out conference responds to this call as an invitation for researchers investigating autistic identities using participatory and/or interdisciplinary or creative methods to share their work. We particularly encourage contributions from the autistic community and we are designing the conference as an accessible event.

The purpose of the conference is to:
1. Understand autistic identities and experiences and how these intersect with the spectrum of gender
2. Explore and share creative practice and/or educational resources appropriate for neurodivergent ways of experiencing the world and learning.

Contributions are invited in the form of posters or creative artefacts from projects that engage with the conference themes, issues and questions. These might include (but are not confined to):
• Creative practices with autistic participants
• Participatory research, neurodiversity and inclusive practices
• Ethical issues in participatory autism research
• Creative research methodologies and neurodiversity
• Gender, sexuality and neurodiversity
• Monotropism and related concepts
• Interdisciplinary and inclusive research outcomes

Proposals for contributions are invited in the form of 150-word abstracts. These need to outline the rationale, content and form of the work to be featured (for further guidance see https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.playingapartautisticgirls.org&data=02%7C01%7CGlenn.Odom%40ROEHAMPTON.AC.UK%7Ce918c4d1bce943a5af9008d6d1adc0a3%7C5fe650635c3747fbb4cce42659e607ed%7C0%7C0%7C636926941527783211&sdata=EAkUsL4HQjpoRn6SrDYKOCOKUavptoGzy6d%2BxHkkkAw%3D&reserved=0).

Please send proposals for contributions to playingapartconference@kent.ac.uk with the subject line “Inside Out Proposal”. The deadline for proposals is Friday 24 May 2019.

Please note the preferred language for this event is identity first (i.e. autistic person/s).

References
Fletcher-Watson, S. et al. (2018) ‘Making the future together: Shaping autism research through meaningful participation’, Autism, 1-11.

Professor Nicola K Shaughnessy
Professor of Performance, School of Arts, University of Kent
Address: 2-48 Jarman Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7UG
Tel: +44 (0)1227 82 7516 |
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Twitter: @nshaughnessy1

1st International Academic Conference:*

*Theatricality ??? Antitheatricality:* *Transdisciplinary and Scenological
Studies on Contemporary Theatre* .

*20th – 22nd November 2019, University of Bielsko-Bia??a, Poland.***

**The topic of the conference*Theatricality???
Antitheatricality:**Transdisciplinary and Scenological Studies on
Contemporary Theatre*leads us directly to a fundamental question: What
is theatre? Finding an answer to this question is obviously not an easy
task. However, the very act of posing a question does not require an
immediate answer, let alone an explicit one. As a natural consequence of
exploring this subject, there appear undoubtedly other queries and
possible responses. That is why, instead of asking questions concerning
the essence of theatre, we will try to enter the ground which in itself
is more and more fluid and changeable. Possibly, as a result of our
investigation, the foundations of what we call theatre will be
undermined. Even in the eyes of those who incline towards its
contemporary definitions. It is not also about reaching a final decision
whether theatre should be pioneering or not. Theatre does not strive for
stability which would let it avoid the blurring of its boundaries. The
one and only thing that seems to be evident here is that this
metaphysics, which aims at defining theatre, does not pass any more
because of an objective to consecrate its own activity. In other words,
theatre is no longer obliged to call itself theatre and makes with its
structures whatever it wants. These displacements, sometimes temporary
and sometimes permanent, lead us to another issue underlying the proper
definition of theatre, namely theatricality. Furthermore, there would
not be theatricality if it did not have its counterpoint, which is
antitheatricality. Our conference is intended to investigate and discuss
this ???ubiquity??? considering that theatre is all around us (even though
not everything that we perceive in our surroundings is theatre). In that
sphere, notions evolve regardless of their antecedents. Originally,
theatre formed a monolithic unit of expression. Currently, the
boundaries, theatricality, as well as this very field which were
previously announced the ???everlasting theatre??? – monolithic like Greek
theatre or the theatre by Shakespeare, Beckett, Strindberg, Chekhov,
among others, or in its own scenic field: Stanis??awski, Grotowski,
Brecht, Brook or Strehler, reveal a very dynamic space for creation and
research on the basis of which new stage representations are produced.
In modernity, the space of theatre and research constituted
theatricality, but it was even earlier when this space allowed for
finding other areas of stage creations extending to antitheatricality.
For this reason, we would like to foster an international
cross-disciplinary exchange of pertinent ideas and observations which
accompany us today. We would like to invite all scholars, critics,
actors, directors, theoreticians and playwrights to contribute and share
their reflections on the topic which include, but are not limited to,
the following perspectives: dramatics, acting, direction, stage space,
theatre criticism, theatre culture, classical theatre, theatre studies
(e.g. Latin American, Asian, European, African), etc. The only binding
guidelines are the two notions which should form the core of
reflections: Theatricality and Antitheatricality.

Seminar, Discussion panels, Open debates, Presentation of authors???
monographs and journals (we invite theatre publishers and individual
authors to present their publications).

_Plenary speakers_

Prof. Paul Fryer (Director, Stanislavsky Research Centre, University of
Leeds, U.K)

Dr Lucas Margarit (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Witold Mazurkiewicz (Dyrektor Teatr Polski ??? Bielsko-Bia??a, Poland) /
For confirmation

Janusz Opry??ski (Regisseur / Teatru Provisorium) / For confirmation

_Special events_

Pau Freixa (University of Barcelona) and Dorota Mas??owska – a meeting
between a translator and an author

Conference working languages: English, Spanish, Polish.

Conference fee: *140 EURO / 600 PLN*. The fee includes a banquet, coffee
breaks, and conference materials. A selection of papers will be
published by a prestigious publishing house.

Proposals for papers with abstracts (ca. 250-300 words) should be
submitted electronically by 31st June 2019.
Length of presentations: 20 minutes.

Please send proposals to: iconf.theatre.antitheatre@gmail.com
<mailto:iconf.theatre.antitheatre>

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by mid-July. Then further
information will be distributed.

The conference will be held at the *University of Bielsko-Bia??a*, Poland
(Willowa 2, Bielsko-Bia??a, Poland).

—
Prof. Paul Fryer PhD, FRSA, FHEA.
Visiting Professor, School of Performance and Creative Industies, University of Leeds.
Visiting Professor, School of Arts & Creative Industries, London South Bank University.
Director, The Stanislavsky Research Centre.
Editor-in-Chief, Stanislavski Studies (Taylor & Francis).

[cateogry cfp]

A two-day symposium on 18–19 October 2019, taking place at Christ
Church, University of Oxford, UK.

*Symposium Directors are Dr Sophie Duncan and Professor Mary Luckhurst *

The event is jointly convened by the School of Arts, University of Bristol
and Christ Church, University of Oxford, with support from The Oxford
Research Centre for the Humanities (TORCH).

Confirmed keynote speakers include Gilli Bush-Bailey (Central School of
Speech and Drama), Jacky Bratton (Royal Holloway) and Fiona Gregory (Monash
University).

We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers from scholars and
practitioners in theatre and related disciplines. Suggestions for topics
include, but are not limited to:

– older actresses on and off stage: as performers, managers,
stage-managers, playwrights, producers, directors, and teachers,
1660–present.
– older actresses – their approaches to acting and their creative and
career strategies
– older actresses and the one woman show
– older actresses – stage v. film and television
– older actresses on ageism and the politics of transgression
– writing by older actresses, e.g. memoirs
– genealogies of female performance and concepts of female ‘succession’
– retirement and its alternatives
– ‘canonical’ roles for older women; repertoire and ageing
– older actresses and non-traditional casting
– the depiction of older actresses and/or fictional older actresses in
criticism, journalism, literature, the visual arts, and film
– ageism, ageing, and the body in casting, rehearsal, performance, and
reception
– older actresses with additional marginalised identities, including LBT
older actresses, BAME actresses, and actresses with disabilities (including
age-related disabilities); the intersection of age with other kinds of
marginalisation
– the older actress in theatre historiography and as theatre historian
– retrospectives, gala performances, honours lists and becoming a
’national treasure’.

Proposals, which should be 300 words long and accompanied by a brief
biography, should be sent to the symposium’s directors, Dr Sophie Duncan (
sophie.duncan@chch.ox.ac.uk) and Professor Mary Luckhurst (
mary.luckhurst@bristol.ac.uk) by May 31 2019.

CFP: Sharing Space II

Brian Friel Centre

Queen’s University Belfast

Friday, 14thJune 2019

Proposal Deadline: 10thMay 2019

The School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s in association with the Irish Society for Theatre Research is holding a one-day symposium on Practice as Research (PaR) processes in the creative arts at the Brian Friel Centre on Friday, 14th June 2019.

The aim of the symposium is to function as a creative colloquium for university PaR researchers to connect and share their work, and to identify important questions that will inform future development of artistic research in a university context.

Following the rich discussions of the symposium’s first iteration last year, we wish to continue exploring how PaR scholars “share space” through interdisciplinary connections and collaborations across different arts practices (e.g. dance, theatre, film, music, sonic arts, visual arts and performance art).

We welcome proposals for presentations connecting with any aspect of our “sharing space” theme. Additionally, in response to the current climate of apprehension and precarity pre-Brexit, and the threatened re-establishment of a “hard” border on the island of Ireland, we are particularly interested in considering:

– how PaR processes and performances draw attention to conceptual, philosophical, or physical operations of borders in their many manifestations in artistic practice?

– how PaR work responds to the stasis threatened by borders, frontiers, partitions, or boundaries, and generates thought about how they are negotiated?

– how the rigidity of division implied by imposed borders might serve as an impetus for motion to connect?

– how oscillations between binaries (e.g. here|there, inside|outside, us|them) are experienced, made visible, and/or dissolved in artistic processes and performance?

Details on keynote speakers and workshops to follow.

Sharing Space II is generously supported by funding from Queen’s University Belfast and the Irish Society for Theatre Research. Presentation and participation is free, although spaces are limited.

Bookings: https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.co.uk%2Fpublish%3Fcrumb%3Dfd9ee5401abfce%26eid%3D60781447947&amp;data=02%7C01%7CGlenn.Odom%40ROEHAMPTON.AC.UK%7C63760a90affd45932d7908d6c90a01fb%7C5fe650635c3747fbb4cce42659e607ed%7C0%7C0%7C636917442161854128&amp;sdata=swXkRPja%2FnIG6C6ec96S3SC22e7rdDaH%2BGXL8M1a5Ns%3D&amp;reserved=0

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FORMAT FOR SUBMISSIONS

Paper presentations are limited to 15 minutes. Proposals for practice demonstrations and other non-standard presentation formats are also accepted. Postgraduate researchers are very welcome.

Please include the following in your proposal:

– Names of presenter(s) and organisational/institutional affiliation(s)

– Technical, space and duration requirements

– Biography (max 100 words)

– Title and type of submission (panel, performance, etc.)

– 300 word abstract/description

A small number of travel scholarships (£50) are available to postgraduates travelling to the symposium from outside Belfast. Please indicate on your proposal if you would like to be considered for a travel scholarship, providing details of your cost of travel.

Proposals should be submitted to the symposium organisers, Dr Aoife McGrath, Paula Guzzanti and Argyro Tsampazi: aoife.mcgrath@qub.ac.uk; atsampazi01@qub.ac.uk; pguzzantiferrer01@qub.ac.uk

Deadline for submissions is May 10th2019

Acceptance decisions will be communicated by 17th May 2019.

For any queries please contact the organisers.

—
Dr Aoife McGrath
Subject Lead
Drama Department
Brian Friel Centre
School of Arts, English and Languages
Queen’s University Belfast

Co-Convener of the Choreography and Corporeality Working Group of the International Federation for Theatre Research

Email: aoife.mcgrath@qub.ac.uk<mailto:aoife.mcgrath@qub.ac.uk>
Phone: 0044 (028) 9097 3249

Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance
CFP themed Issue: Resilience and Resourcefulness

Co-editors: Dr Steve Greer (University of Glasgow) and Dr Margaret Ames (Aberystwyth University)

This themed issue explores the contentious status of resilience in its relationship to applied theatre and performance practice.

First coined to describe the potential for stability or equilibrium in ecological systems, the concept of resilience has migrated into the domain of social policy and political theory as a highly influential paradigm for understanding the potential for adaptation in the face of unpredictable challenges or ‘shocks’ (Walker and Cooper, 2011). In turn, resourcefulness has been deployed to describe a ‘learned’ repertoire of cognitive skills allowing individuals to regulate their response to internal events such as emotions and pain (see Rosenbaum and Jaffe, 1983) as well as a broader ability to access and deploy materials, money and power. Situating the concept of resilience as a ‘new form of political intervention’ (2014, xii) Evans and Reid propose a darker function of this power. Far from being a pro-active quality of survival in the face of vulnerability, resilience is an armament of neoliberal nihilism.

Informed by Helen Nicholson’s proposal that we ask whether the forms of social change sought through applied practice are done to its participants, with them, or by them, this special edition asks ‘resilience to what? Resilience for whom?’ (see Cretney 2014, Cutter 2016). While narratives of self- reliance and triumph over adversity may affirm the persistence of individuals and communities – and the capacity of self-organised groups to ‘future proof’ their own existence – the celebration of autonomous resilience may have normative qualities when it rationalises a neoliberal discourse of ‘responsibility without power’ (Peck and Tickell, 2002). If resilience and resourcefulness offer mutually informative lenses for thinking about power and social justice then their ecological dimensions might also suggest the relationships between human activity in its broader, non-human contexts and participants.

In response, this issue considers how applied practice might respond to and emerge from evolving and multiple types of resilience and resourcefulness – whether personal, environmental, physical and/or political. We are particularly interested in how performance may subject definitions of those terms and their priorities to ethical scrutiny, and imagine – or begin to practice – alternatives to those preferred within neoliberal economies (which prize resilience and resourcefulness as the qualities of self-mastering, competitive subjects capable of thriving with limited support from the state). Though these concerns may be most immediately felt in the fields of disability arts and ecological performance, and in practice developed within marginalised or precarious communities, they also suggest the broader conditions within which contemporary applied practice unfolds.

We are also interested in how the relationships between resilience and resourcefulness may unfold in relation to a third term – sustainability – which calls attention to the timebound, finite and irreversible nature of the wider human use of natural resources and, perhaps, of the act of performance-making itself. How do we perform sustainable acts? What are we sustaining in performative terms? In exploring these questions, we do not understand resilience and resourcefulness as oppositional terms but as concepts which are mutually implicated in each other’s meaning.

Specific contributions may address the following:

* Where do social and ecological understandings of resilience intersect in and with applied performance?
* What can applied performance tell us about the relationship between resilience and vulnerability/precarity, or between resilience and resourcefulness?
* How can resilience help us understand the relationship of applied practices to space, community and place? How do different cultural contexts shape the meaning – and consequence – of resilience and resourcefulness?
* How do applied performance practices elaborate the relationship between collective resilience and self-care? How do we understand resilience and resourcefulness in relation to disability, impairment and ‘wellness’?
* How does resilience thinking inform and shape theatre practice? (e.g. demands for impact, ‘sustainable’ business models, emphasises on networks over institutions)
* How does applied performance practice help us reconsider – or better understand – sustainability on an individual or group level?
To support less pressurised working practices, we have deliberately adopted a longer than usual development process for this issue.

Please send initial proposals of approximately 300 words for articles (6-8,000 words), provocations (1500 words) and interviews / dialogues with and between practitioners, activists and researchers to both Stephen Greer (stephen.greer@glasgow.ac.uk<mailto:stephen.greer@glasgow.ac.uk>) and Margaret Ames (mma@aber.ac.uk<mailto:mma@aber.ac.uk>) by Friday June 28th. Full articles will be due in Spring 2020, with publication intended for volume 26, issue 1 in February 2021.

References

Cretney, Raven (2014) ‘Resilience for whom? Emerging critical geographies of socio-ecological resilience’, Geography Compass 8(9): 627-640.
Cutter, Susan L. (2016) ‘Resilience to What? Resilience for Whom?’, The Geographical Journal 182(2): 110-113.
Evans, B and Reid, J (2014) Resilient Life. The Art of Living Dangerously. Cambridge: Polity.
Peck, Jamie and Tickell, Adam (2002) ‘Neoliberalizing space’, Antipode. Wiley Online Library 34(3): 380-404.
Rosenbaum, Michael and Jaffe, Yoram (1983) ‘Learned helplessness: The role of individual differences in learned resourcefulness’, British Journal of Social Psychology. Wiley Online Library 22(3): 215-225.
Walker, Jeremy and Cooper, Melinda (2011) ‘Genealogies of resilience: From systems ecology to the political economy of crisis adaptation’, Security dialogue. SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England 42(2): 143-160.
Peck, Jamie, and Adam Tickell. 2002. Neoliberalizing space. Antipode 34 (3): 380-404.
Walker, Jeremy, and Melinda Cooper. 2011. Genealogies of resilience: From systems ecology to the political economy of crisis adaptation. Security dialogue 42 (2): 143-160.

Dr Stephen Greer
Senior Lecturer in Theatre Practices
School of Culture and Creative Arts
University of Glasgow
G12 8QQ

[category cfp}

https://www.astr.org/page/2019-working-sessions

2019 Working Sessions – ASTR www.astr.org ASTR is a US-based association dedicated to theatre and performance scholars by serving hundreds of members globally. Questions? Call us at 651-288-3429.

Glenn Odom
Associate Editor Studies in Theatre and Performance
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