(Apologies in advance for cross-postings!)

CALL FOR PAPERS:
American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS)
at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Conference
July 26 =96 29, 2007, New Orleans, Louisiana

=93Regenerations: Theatre and Performance as a Regenerative Force=94

In 1842, a witness to the burning of the St. Charles Theatre reported in=20
the New Orleans Bee:

=93We gazed in mute amazement of the terrific sight until the colossal=
 statue=20
of Tragedy, which adorned the front of the building caught on fire, and the=
=20
mask of her dramatic sister, Comedy, was likewise in flames.... From the=20
extended arms of Tragedy the fire glowed with surprising effect. When the=20
blaze died away, after having consumed the outer painting, her hands were a=
=20
coal of fire, red as Lady Macbeth's after dipping hers in the blood of=20
Duncan; whilst the face of Comedy was as Lady Teazle when discovered in the=
=20
apartments of Joseph Surface. They were the last mementos of the exquisite=
=20
and sublime representations we had witnessed in the Temple, and when they=20
fell from their pedestals, we turned with a moist eye and heaving bosom; we=
=20
had witnessed the last scene of the St. Charles. The curtain had fallen to=
=20
rise no more, and the glory of the drama has vanished forever.=94

Yet, phoenix-like the St. Charles Theatre was rebuilt the following year by=
=20
impresario Solomon Smith. Subsequently, New Orleans re-emerged as one of=20
the United States=92 leading cultural centers, a position unshaken until the=
=20
devastations wrought by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

Just two years after Hurricane Katrina, in 2007 the American Theatre and=20
Drama Society will convene in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Historically, the Crescent City has alternately embraced and grappled with=
=20
issues of rebuilding, re-growing, repetition, re-imagining, and=20
referencing. Post-Katrina, these themes are all the more immediate. New=20
Orleans, an eminently theatrical city of deep contrasts, divides, and=20
cultures, prompts a myriad of scholarly enquiries.

The same themes of rebuilding, re-growing, repetition, re-imagining, and=20
referencing that resonate so strongly in New Orleans recur throughout the=20
history of American theatre. As scholars, we have re-imagined our field in=
=20
countless new ways, re-inventing ourselves as scholars and artists with=20
each successive transformation of the theatrical, intellectual, and=20
cultural landscape that surrounds us.

The American Theatre and Drama Society encourages the submission of papers=
=20
and panels addressing any of these themes of rebuilding, re-growing,=20
repetition, re-imagining, and referencing. In addition to the =93usual=94=
=20
papers and panels addressing these topics, ATDS also welcomes proposals=20
that move =93outside the box=94 of the traditional panel format=
 (roundtables,=20
talkbacks, etc.).

ABOUT the American Theatre and Drama Society: ATDS is an incorporated=20
international organization promoting the study of the U.S. theatre and its=
=20
relationships to diversified social and cultural life. It encourages the=20
study of American plays, actors, designers, critics, audiences, and all=20
others historically or contemporaneously associated with writing,=20
producing, and enjoying U.S. drama, and it encourages the study of=20
relationships among theatrical and dramatic forms in the U.S., the Americas=
=20
at large, and non-Western Hemispheric cultures.

TIPS FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS:
1. Completed proposals (with all panel members assembled) may be submitted=
=20
directly to ATHE at <http://www.athe.org/>www.athe.org by November 1, 2006.=
=20
Please forward a copy of your completed proposal to=20
<mailto:mcosdon_at_allegheny.edu>mcosdon_at_allegheny.edu. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL=
=20
TECHNOLOGY REQUESTS AND GRANT REQUESTS MUST ALSO BE SUBMITTED BY NOVEMBER=20
1. (ATHE cannot accommodate AV needs submitted after November 1 without=20
substantial cost to the individual presenter.)

2. Individual paper proposals may be submitted to ATDS Conference Planner,=
=20
Dr. Mark Cosdon, at mcosdon_at_allegheny.edu. Please note that individual=20
proposals must be submitted by OCTOBER 9, 2006. Abstracts (250 words) must=
=20
include paper title and contact information, and must specify any AV needs.=
=20
ATHE does not accept individual paper submissions -- DO NOT submit your=20
individual proposal on the ATHE website. (Again, AV needs must be submitted=
=20
by November 1. ATHE cannot accommodate AV needs submitted after that date=
=20
without substantial cost to the individual presenter.)

3. Members of ATDS wishing to identify colleagues to create panels prior=20
to the November 1 deadline are encouraged to use the ATDS listserv:=20
ATDS_at_LISTSERV.COFC.EDU to circulate questions or possible panel topics.

4. Presenters wishing to create multidisciplinary panels must contact the=
=20
Focus Group Conference Planners for each of the THREE groups they propose=20
as sponsors (note that the new ATHE requirement specifies 3 supporting=
 groups).

5. Presenters proposing programs outside of the traditional panel format=20
are asked to be specific in their proposals concerning the structure and=20
number of participants so that ATHE can be notified about space/time needs.

6. Presenters who wish to submit grant requests for AV support (or other=20
items) are encouraged to contact the Focus Group Conference Planner in=20
advance of the November 1 deadline.

7. ATHE will notify the ATDS concerning accepted or rejected panels by=20
mid-February. Panelists should expect to hear from the Conference Planner=20
or their Panel Chair by early March.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT THE ATDS WEBSITE AT=20
<http://www.atds.org/>WWW.ATDS.ORG

Please note that preference will be given to ATDS members. If you are=20
interested in joining ATDS, please visit the website at=20
<http://www.atds.org/>www.atds.org for a membership application or contact=
=20
ATDS President Dr. John Frick at jwf8f_at_virginia.edu.

Questions? Please contact Dr. Mark Cosdon at mcosdon_at_allegheny.edu or=20
review the information on the ATHE website at=20
<http://www.athe.org/>www.athe.org for additional conference information=20
and for submission forms.

----------
Mark Cosdon, Ph.D.
Communication Arts and Theatre Department
Box 45
Allegheny College
Meadville, PA 16335
(814) 332-2304
mark.cosdon_at_allegheny.edu
http://webpub.allegheny.edu/employee/m/mcosdon/

"I forget what eight was for." =20

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Received on Sat Sep 09 2006 - 10:53:18 EDT