American Theater in Higher Education (ATHE) Conference 2019

Orlando, FL

August 7-11, 2019

The ATHE Religion and Theatre Focus groups invites current and recent graduate students and/or independent scholars who have not yet presented at a major national conference to submit papers for its 2019 Emerging Scholars Panel.

The theme of the 2019 ATHE conference explores “Scene Changes: Performing, Teaching, and Working through the Transitions.” We encourage papers that engage with notions of religion and theatre/performance and that relate to this overall theme. With this in mind, papers may examine what transition looks like in regard to religion and theatre, as well as the relationship between transition, religion, and performance. Papers should address how religion/spirituality and theatre interact and intersect, but these concepts can be conceived broadly.

Possible topics may include (but are not limited to):

• The role of religious ritual in performing transitions.
• Transition as a spiritual, religious, and/or liturgical performance.
• The relationship between religious/spiritual/liturgical practice as performance and transitional moments in history.
• The relationship between religious and spiritual organizations and performative protest in cultural transitions.
• The effect of spiritual/religious performance on the physical body in terms of transitions.

Submission Guidelines:

• Papers should be approximately 8 to 10 pages in length.
• Please include a cover page with your name, paper title, institutional affiliation, contact information, and a brief abstract (250 words). Please remove your name from the body of the submission, as it will go through a blind vetting process.
• In your submission email, please include a brief bio and any requests for AV equipment, if applicable. (Equipment may be requested, but is not guaranteed.)

Please send your paper and cover page as a single word document by 24 MARCH 2019 to Catherine Heiner at cateheiner22@gmail.com. PLEASE NOTE: In cases of extenuating circumstances, abstracts may also be considered for this panel. Please contact the panel coordinator for further information if this is the case.

For more information about the 2019 conference, please visit www.athe.org. Please contact the Religion and Theatre Graduate Representative, Catherine Heiner, with any questions or concerns at the email address above. We look forward to reading your submissions!