No Event Available March 7, 2008 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL NOTICE 2008-09 September 26, 2007 IFTR 2008 Conference in Seoul, South Korea --- RE-CONSTRUCTING ASIAN-NESS(ES) IN THE GLOBAL AGE September 23, 2007 "Indian Theatre & The West": ISTR conference (Bangalore, Jan. 2008)

March 7, 2008 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL NOTICE 2008-09 September 26, 2007 IFTR 2008 Conference in Seoul, South Korea --- RE-CONSTRUCTING ASIAN-NESS(ES) IN THE GLOBAL AGE September 23, 2007 "Indian Theatre & The West": ISTR conference (Bangalore, Jan. 2008) March 13, 2007 NEW JOURNAL - CALL FOR PAPERS February 13, 2007 IFTR-FIRT ELECTION RESULTS December 1, 2006 CALL FOR PAPERS: Inaugural Symposium, Irish Society for Theatre Research October 31, 2006 Call for papers: Storytelling in Contemporary Theatre October 31, 2006 Call for papers: Arabic theatre & performance October 23, 2006 URGENT: London Theatre Museum at risk October 23, 2006 Report: 15th World Congress in Helsinki October 3, 2006 Call for papers - IFTR-FIRT Conference 2007 September 20, 2006 Inaugural Symposium of The Irish Society for Theatre Research 13th - 15th April 2007 September 16, 2006 In Memoriam: Professor Kalman Aaron Burnim July 3, 2006 Indian Society for Theatre Research: upcoming conference November 21, 2005 Proposed Working Group: Popular Entertainments October 28, 2005 Working groups October 24, 2005 NEW AND IMPORTANT! THE HELSINKI PRIZE October 10, 2005 Proposed Working Group: Performance and Consciousness September 27, 2004 Jack Reading (1916 - 2004) October 1, 2003 New Journal on Scenography MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL NOTICE 2008-09 March 7, 2008 Dear Member I hope you have enjoyed the benefits of membership of IFTR-FIRT during 2007. This is a reminder to renew your membership for 2008. The membership of the International Federation has four categories: 1. Institutional Members including University Departments or Institutes, Libraries, Museums and other organizations which include theatre research in their activities, and which provide a link between the Federation and individual scholars. The annual subscription for Institutional Members is € 185. 2. Individual Members: research workers and supporters of the work of the Federation. The annual subscription for Individual members is € 75. 3. Student Members with a subscription to TRI. The annual subscription for Student Members is € 25. 4. Student Members without a subscription to TRI. The annual subscription for Student Members without TRI is € 15. The benefits of membership include the right to attend all conferences and meetings organized by the Federation and to receive the journal Theatre Research International (with the exception of the fourth category). For new members: Once we have received your membership payment for 2008, you will be issued with a membership number, user ID and password that will enable you to access the 'members only' area of the web site – www.firt-iftr.org - and you will receive copies of Theatre Research International journal as it is published throughout the year as part of your membership subscription (unless you have opted for basic student membership - 4 above). Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries regarding your membership or to update your postal address or e-mail details. I look forward to hearing from you. Nancy Erickson Administrator, IFTR-FIRT ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR 2008 from January 1st to December 31st 2008 Institutional Member (2008) 185 Euro * Individual Member (2008) 75 Euro * Student Member (2008) 25 Euro * Student Member without Theatre Research International (2008) 15 Euro * Including supply of the journal Theatre Research International ) IF YOU PAY NOW FOR BOTH 2008 AND 2009, YOU WILL RECEIVE A DISCOUNT! Institutional Member (2008 + 2008) 333 Euro * Individual Member (2008 + 2009) 135 Euro * Student Member (2008 + 2009) 45 Euro * Student Member without TRI (2008 + 2009) 27 Euro * Including supply of the journal Theatre Research International Already paid your 2008 dues through ASTR? Please disregard this renewal notice. If you have questions about your membership, please contact Nancy Erickson at nericksn@aol.com. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A RENEWAL NOTICE WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS PLEASE E-MAIL: membership@firt-iftr.org IFTR 2008 Conference in Seoul, South Korea --- RE-CONSTRUCTING ASIAN-NESS(ES) IN THE GLOBAL AGE September 26, 2007 The Topic: This new millennium foresees the coming of New Asia-Pacific era. The word ‘Paradigm shift’ has been long talked about and heard. In relation to the concept of ‘old’ Asia, how do we, then, re-construct Asian-ness(es) as we see us and as others see us in this new age? How do tradition, modernity and post-modernity intersect with Asian-ness(es) in all their different levels and configurations? How are such cross-cultural convergences and differences translated into theatre and performance in theory and practice as well as in theatre education? Relatively speaking, whereas in the West, tradition, modernity and post-modernity have developed sequentially, for many Asian countries including Korea these different socio-cultural phases seem to happen and co-exist simultaneously. After all, for many Asian countries, modernity and post-modernity are Western cultural ideologies, which began to be introduced around the beginning of the 20th century and the post World War II period respectively. The accommodation of these different cultural ideologies within Asian societies coevally has prompted multiple and complex cultural encounters and clashes within different sectors of the respective societies. The IFTR 2008 conference aims to examine, learn, and bring to discussion how different theatre traditions of East and West come to play for, against, amongst each other to transform and re-create their respective new ones, ultimately in order to enrich and reinforce Theatre as an important cultural asset of the global community. The conference theme will include the following related topics: 1. Constructions and Imaginative Representation of Asian-ness in World Performance. 2. Religion and Theatre: influences of religions in Asia such as Shamanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, etc. on theatre. 3. New media and Theatre: impact and uses of new technology on Asian traditional theatre and theatre education. 4. Adaptation and Appropriation: local Asian adaptations of international theatre influences including Shakespeare, Brecht, Chekhov, etc. 5. Cultural Translation: ideologies of the West such as modernism, Marxism, feminism, etc. as translated and historically practiced in Asian cultural contexts and their representations in theatre. 6. Asian and Transnational Women’s Issues in Performance. 7. Spatial Issues in Performance. 8. Corporeality and Representation in Performance 9. Festivals as sites of performance. 10. Concepts of Asian-ness in Cyberspace. Please note: Individuals who feel that the conference theme does not appeal to them, can of course still submit a proposal to one of the many Working Groups. The Working Groups are not bound by the theme of a conference, and have their own themes and ways of working. For details, contact the Convener of the particular Working Group you are interested in. (See Working Groups) Also, it is important to note that while the New Scholars' Forum is an inherent part of the larger conference, the papers presented here need not be tied to the theme for the General Conference. New scholars may submit topics of their own choice for consideration. (See New Scholars’ Forum) The Art Center and the Graduate Center and the Law School of Chung-Ang University Seoul, Republic of Korea (South Korea) Monday, July 14 ~ Saturday, July 19, 2008 Hosted by: The Division of Performing Arts & Film • Video (http://www.pafv.cau.ac.kr:8090/) and the Department of Theatre at Chung-Ang University will host the conference. Choi, Jeung-Il (organizer2008@gmail.com) Abstract submission deadline: November 30 , 2007 Abstract registration link: http://iftr2008.org/abs_registration.php Abstract login: http://iftr2008.org/abs_login.php Registration information: http://iftr2008.org/registration.php Registration: http://iftr2008.org/registration_field.php Working Groups: http://iftr2008.org/abstracts.php#workinggroups Web Site "Indian Theatre & The West": ISTR conference (Bangalore, Jan. 2008) September 23, 2007 The 2008 annual conference of the Indian Society for Theatre Research on the theme of "Indian Theatre & The West" will be held in Bangalore, 24- 26 January 2008. For details, links etc. see under Upcoming Conferences or go direct to www.istr-sirt.net/conferences.htm NEW JOURNAL - CALL FOR PAPERS March 13, 2007 This is a call for papers for a new, peer-refereed electronic journal, MOFA, to be launched in autumn 2007 by IATR, the Israeli Association of Theatre Research. MOFA ("performance" in Hebrew) will be devoted to the publication of refereed articles in English, covering all areas of the Performing Arts. It will be issued by IATR, the association of researchers of theatre and performance from all Higher Education Institutes in Israel which grant academic degrees in theatre. In accordance with IATR's agenda, MOFA , as its written organ, will aspire to artistic and academic excellence. It will be a vehicle of expression for all artists, creators and academics, representing the range of affiliations and concerns embodied in the performing arts and their research. As an international publication, it will give platform to articles from around the world, with a special interest in articles that build bridges between artists and researchers of art and culture in the troubled area where it is published. We will regard as one of our major tasks the enhancement of dialogue, joint projects, and discussions that further the prospects for peace and mutual understanding between individuals, communities and peoples; while respecting alterity and multi-vocal approaches to performing arts and culture, and what they represent in and for humanity. The advisory board already committed to accompany the new publication (please see in attached letter), will help assure that this new publication maintains high standards. We welcome all local and international theatre and performance scholars and practitioners and urge you to contribute the fruits of your work to our new magazine. Submission deadline for the first issue (due September 2007) is: May 15th, 2007. Please address all queries, and submit papers, in electronic version, edited according to MLA style sheet, 2003 version, to mofaed@gmail.com IFTR-FIRT ELECTION RESULTS February 13, 2007 ELECTION RESULTS: The recent ballot of members resulted in the following being elected to serve as Officers and members of the Executive Committee from 2007 to 2011: President: Brian SINGLETON (Ireland) Vice-Presidents: Christopher BALME (Germany) and Christina NYGREN (Sweden) Members of the Executive: Elaine ASTON (UK), Helen GILBERT (UK), Susan HAEDICKE (USA), Hanna KORSBERG (Finland), Gay MORRIS (South Africa), Anneli SARO (Estonia), Jung-Soon SHIM (South Korea) _______________ [Election Committee: Katy Jackson, Frédéric Maurin, David Whitton] CALL FOR PAPERS: Inaugural Symposium, Irish Society for Theatre Research December 1, 2006 Irish Society for Theatre Research Cumann Taighde Amharclannaiochta na hEireann Inaugural Symposium Friday 13th April to Sunday 15th April 2007 Queen’s University Belfast Call for Working Group Submissions and Panel Paper Submissions The theme of the Inaugural Symposium of ISTR is ‘Theatre and Conflict’ which is designed to encompass notions of conflict on intra-national as well as international levels. Working Group Submissions The working group dynamic involves the submission of papers no more than 2,500 words in length which are then disseminated for all members of the working group to read before the symposium. During the working group sessions on the Friday of the symposium, working group members will give a brief synopsis of their paper lasting no more than 10 minutes, after which the group as a whole will discuss the paper for 20 minutes. The following working groups have been proposed in order to begin the process of encouraging members to develop more specialized groups in subsequent symposia in order to more fully engage with the broad spectrum of Irish theatre from page to stage: Cultural Identities: seeks papers exploring issues of Irish theatre and performance that frame the construction and categorization of cultural identities such as: gender, sexuality, race, nation, ethnicity. Performances that are a part of institutional culture as well as alternate performance cultures are included, and projects that study popular as well as elite cultural performances will be welcomed. Contact Brian Singleton: bsnglton@tcd.ie Theatre History and Historiography: seeks papers pertaining to any aspect of research into the history of theatre as a practice and as an institution in Ireland or the history of Irish theatre in its international contexts. This working group is also concerned with investigating the methodologies of theatre history and/or the theoretical and historical assumptions that underpin these. Contact Tom Maguire: tj.maguire@ulster.ac.uk Textual Practices: seeks papers which engage with the relationship between textuality and performance, specifically in terms of the transformation of the play on the page into the play on stage. Of particular interest are papers that examine the performance possibilities implied by a script, score and other textual or documentary sources. Contact Eamonn Jordan: eamonnjordan1@eircom.net Performance Studies: seeks papers which explore ways to analyse performance in its multiplicity of elements and meanings. Participation is encouraged from practitioners, critics and academics in the disciplines of theatre and drama, digital technology, and performance art. Contact Bernadette Sweeney: B.Sweeney@ucc.ie Panel Paper Submissions We invite proposals for panel papers lasting no more than 20 minutes to be delivered on the Saturday of the symposium on various conflictual issues represented in Irish theatre and performance such as: • sectarianism • class disparity • gender hierarchy • domestic violence • racial discrimination • cultural dissonance Panel Group submissions of up to 3 papers are particularly welcome. The deadline for both Working Group and Panel Paper submissions is 1 March 2007 The Registration Form and further details about the Inaugural Symposium is available on the ISTR website: www.qub.ac.uk/istr Please forward any general enquires regarding ISTR to: istr@qub.ac.uk Best wishes, ISTR Steering Group Call for papers: Storytelling in Contemporary Theatre October 31, 2006 Storytelling in Contemporary Theatre International Conference 15th-17th November 2007 Kraków, Poland PLEASE SEE THE CONFERENCES SECTION OF THE IFTR-FIRT WEBSITE FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE CONFERENCE AND HOW TO SUBMIT A PAPER. Call for papers: Arabic theatre & performance October 31, 2006 The recently formed working group in Arabic theatre and performance welcomes paper proposals for the 2007 conference. The term Arabic is meant to indicate a general geographical and cultural area of investigation, not to be exclusive, and investigations of material from related non-Arabic performance traditions (eg. Turkey, Iran) and idigenous performance traditions (eg Berber) are welcome. Proposals related to the conference theme "Theatre in Africa" are especially encouraged. For the format of abstracts see the conference call for papers. Please submit proposals by email to mcarlson@gc.cuny.edu. URGENT: London Theatre Museum at risk October 23, 2006 Urgent News Flash Dear FIRT / SIBMAS members I have some sad news, the Theatre Museum in London is once again under threat and it looks like it will close at the end of January 2007. The proposed deal with the Royal Opera House did not come to anything in the end. The V&A are cost cutting and have decided to save money by returning the Theatre Museum to a department of the V&A and concentrate on touring shows and exhibitions at its Kensington home, but the Theatre Museum will not have its own permanent space with the museum. This alternative proposal cannot be seen as being progress, it is returning the situation to the 1970s. Such a closure would quite simply be a backward step in the preservation and promotion of British performance heritage. A letter of protest to the Times Newspaper in London has been sent from the German Theatre Museum signed by former SIBMAS President Claudia Blank and a number of directors of Theatre Museums in Europe. A SIBMAS letter has been send to Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, in addition to a letter from Janelle Reinelt, President of FIRT, protesting the proposed closure. We are asking the Secretary of State for an independent review of the proposed closure. We will keep members informed of the developing situation and ways that they can protest and help. Please send any ideas to: savetheatremuseum@yahoo.co.uk You can find out news about the latest situation at http://www.theatremuseum.org.uk/news http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/14281 http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/14376/select-committee-to-probe-theatre-museum http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-2408559.html Members can also post comments and views at http://www.theatremuseum.org/news_and_views/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=3597 Alan Jones Vice-President SIBMAS / Cordula Treml Bulletin Editor Report: 15th World Congress in Helsinki October 23, 2006 Over 500 participants from 39 countries attended the 15th World Congress of IFTR/FIRT in Helsinki in August 2006. Because participants mostly registered by their home universities instead of their native countries, the geographic spectrum was in practice even wider. Especially among the American researchers who constituted about one fifth of the participants, many nations, including otherwise absent South American countries, were represented. European researchers, especially from the United Kingdom, Finland and Germany, made up the largest group, but other European, Asian, Australian/New Zealand and African participation was also visible. The participation of new scholars from all over the world was very apparent. In the New Scholars’ Forum, 78 papers were given, among them “Unveiling: Persepolis as Embodied Performance” by the New Scholar’s Prize recipient Jennifer Worth from the CUNY Graduate Center, USA. Fifteen working groups convened, including four new groups which held preliminary first meetings. Over 200 papers were given in 58 daily panels or in the keynote sessions. The panel sessions functioned to introduce new participants and long-time delegates to the world-wide spectrum of the Congress, and their participation was lively from the beginning to the end. Middle-Eastern and African representation became visible in a new and many-sided way through some panels and keynotes. The geographically varied panels united researchers from different continents and fields, which was especially visible in the panels discussing Asian performances. The theme of the Congress, Global vs. Local, was surveyed from many viewpoints but without achieving any joint conclusions concerning the meaning of the theme or the possible antagonism of the terms, but the final Round Table as well as earlier discussions throughout the week reaffirmed the importance of the topic as such. Panels like “Locating Asia on the Globe”, “The Search for Identity in the contemporary Arabic theatre”, “Dance in East and West”, “Roundtable on American Scholars and Globalization” or “Global vs Local Theatre” testify to the interest in global matters with connection to local identities, and to the respect among researchers for the world wide community. For Finland, the Congress created strong impulses which certainly will influence the country’s theatre and dance research during many coming years, not least because of large local participation and the joint efforts in making the Congress succeed. As a reminder of the Helsinki Congress, in the next four IFTR/FIRT Congresses, a special Helsinki Prize will again be awarded, founded and funded by the students of the University of Helsinki. A special Helsinki Prize, founded and funded on the initiative of students of the University of Helsinki, was awarded to Preeti S. Kurup from the University of Rajasthan for her essay "'Trickster', the Universal Ghost." So successful were the students in raising funds that the Helsinki Prize will continue to be awarded at the next four IFTR/FIRT annual conferences. Pirkko Koski, Conference Organizer Call for papers - IFTR-FIRT Conference 2007 October 3, 2006 Theatre in Africa – Africa in the Theatre A French version of this Call for Papers will be shortly be available. The Topic: The main focus of the 2007 IFTR/FIRT conference is the relationship of Africa to the rest of the world and the way this is driven by and reflected in theatre and performance across the globe. It is this symbiotic relationship between the African continent and the rest of the world that is the broad theme to be addressed, a theme which offers a number of very intriguing points for debate. The conference is interested in the full range of research addressing any of these (or any related) questions pertinent to the overarching theme and arising from, relating to or useful for discussing this meeting between Africa and the rest of the world. In the application form you will be asked to indicate your choice of a category to be in. This is to help us make the sessions as coherent as possible, and to promote enriching debate among participants. HOW TO SUBMIT A PAPER PROPOSAL To propose a paper please submit the following information in the following format: (1) your title and full names, (2) your e-mail address, (3) your fax number, (4) your exact mailing address, (4) your affiliation, (5) a 150 word biography for yourself (or all the authors involved in writing the paper, if it is a joint work), (6) the title of your paper, (7) a 200-250 word (maximum) abstract of your proposed paper, (8) if possible, an indication of which of the 14 sub-themes you feel would best apply to your proposal and (9) any technical equipment you might require. (The latter two points are to help us compile the programme) Abstracts should be prepared with great care as they will be published in the official programme of the conference if your paper is accepted. Please note: we cannot accept a completed manuscript of your paper or an abstract longer than the prescribed limit of 250 words. Submissions should be in either English or in French. Proposed papers must take no longer than twenty (20) minutes to present. This time limit will be strictly enforced in the 2007 conference to ensure that every speaker and every paper receives equal opportunity for presentation and discussion. All submissions for papers on the main programme must be sent to the IFTR/FIRT Conference Office by e-mail ( iftr2007@sun.ac.za ). The deadline for submissions: 30th November 2006. FULL DETAILS OF THE CALL FOR PAPERS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE "CONFERENCES" SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE. Web Site Inaugural Symposium of The Irish Society for Theatre Research 13th - 15th April 2007 September 20, 2006 The Inaugural Symposium of The Irish Society for Theatre Research will be held from Friday 13th April to Sunday 15th April 2007 at Queens University Belfast. A call for papers and working group submissions will follow shortly. The opening keynote lecture will be given by Professor Janelle Reinelt, University of Warwick, President of the International Federation of Theatre Research. The field of Irish Theatre Studies is being transformed by new approaches to the rich history of Irish theatre and by the remarkable diversity of contemporary theatrical practice. The Irish Society for Theatre Research (ISTR) is being founded in order to develop and promote new and challenging ways of thinking about Irish theatre which engage with diverse contemporary historiographical, theoretical, cultural and performance frameworks. ISTR aims to facilitate research on Irish theatre in its national and international contexts in terms of an engagement with the broad spectrum of Irish theatre from page to stage. ISTR will have a range of working groups which currently include: Performance Studies; Theatre History and Historiography; Cultural Identities; and Textual Practices. The current ISTR Steering Group will be replaced in due course by an elected Executive Committee. Further information is available on the ISTR website: www.qub.ac.uk/istr Please forward any enquires regarding ISTR to: istr@qub.ac.uk In Memoriam: Professor Kalman Aaron Burnim September 16, 2006 Long-time FIRT member Prof. Kalman Aaron Burnim died on July 30, 2006. He had been President of the American Society for Theatre Research, and Fletcher Professor of Drama and Oratory at Tufts University since1971. There, he served as department chair from1966-75 and founded the Ph.D. program in drama. He then served as Director of Graduate Studies until his retirement in 1987. Janelle Reinelt President Indian Society for Theatre Research: upcoming conference July 3, 2006 The 2007 conference of the Indian Society for Theatre Research, on the theme of Theatre and Democracy, will take place at the University of Rajasthan (Jaipur) on 4-6 January 2007. Further details on ISTR's website at www.istr-sirt.com or email conf2007@istr-sirt.com. Proposed Working Group: Popular Entertainments November 21, 2005 An initial meeting in order to discuss mission statement and program of the group will be scheduled during the World Congress in Helsinki, 2006. For more information please see under the Working Groups section and/or contact the convener, Dr. Victor Emeljanow (victor.emeljanow@newcastle.edu.au) Web Site Working groups October 28, 2005 Several pages in the working group area have been updated: - Calls for papers for Helsinki 2006 have been added to: WG Theatre from Page to Stage, WG Anton Chekhov, WG Historiography, WG Scenography - Another proposed working group has been added: Digital Technologies, Visualisation and New Media in Performance See the wg pages for more info NEW AND IMPORTANT! THE HELSINKI PRIZE October 24, 2005 The Congress Team of the 2006 IFTR/FIRT World Congress has the pleasure to announce the establishment of a new prize in association with the Federation. The Helsinki Prize will be awarded for the first time in Helsinki during the IFTR/FIRT World Congress on “Global vs. Local” August 7-12, 2006. The prize will thereafter be awarded annually until the next world congress of the Federation in 2010. The Helsinki Prize is awarded to a promising new scholar or staff member of theatre research who originates from one of the countries classified as Developing Countries (as listed in the DAC List of Aid Recipients: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/35/9/2488552.pdf), and who is interested in participating in the conferences of the IFTR/FIRT for the first time. The prize is awarded on the basis of academic merits. It strives to promote the exchange and networking of new scholars from the DC's and to encourage research in the field of theatre within the country of the prize winner. The Helsinki Prize will be awarded on the basis of an essay sample (samples must not exceed 4000 words, and should be written in English or in French), the curriculum vitae of the applicant and a letter of recommendation by the applicant's supervisor or academic mentor. The 2006 prize covers congress fees, travel expenses and accommodation in Helsinki during the 15th World Congress. Submissions should be sent electronically to iftr2006-info(at)helsinki.fi or in hard copy to: "The Helsinki Prize" 2006 IFTR World Congress Institution for Art Research Department of Theatre Research P.O. Box 3 00014 University of Helsinki FINLAND Deadline for submission: January 15, 2006. Web Site Proposed Working Group: Performance and Consciousness October 10, 2005 An initial meeting in order to discuss mission statement and program of the group will be scheduled during the World Congress in Helsinki, 2006. For more information please see under the Working Groups section and/or contact the convener, Dr. Jade McCutcheon (jrmccutcheon@ucdavis.edu).