44th Comparative Drama ConferenceText & PresentationCall for PapersApril 2-4, 2020Orlando, Florida

Featuring a 2020 Keynote Event with Anne Washburn                                              Abstract Submission Deadline: 3 November 2019 

Papers reporting on original investigations and critical analysis of research and developments in the field of drama and theatre are invited for the 44th Comparative Drama Conference, hosted by Rollins College in Orlando, Florida, to be held April 2-4, 2020 .

Papers may be comparative across nationalities, periods and disciplines; and may deal with any issue in dramatic literature, criticism, theory, and performance, or any method of historiography, translation, or production. Papers should be 15 minutes in length, written for oral presentation, and accessible to a multi-disciplinary audience.

Scholars and artists in all languages and literatures are invited to email a 250 word abstract in English to Dr. William C. Boles at compdrama@rollins.edu by 3 November 2019. Please include paper title, author’s name, status (faculty, graduate student, other/scholar-at-large), institutional affiliation, and postal address at top left. Abstracts must present a clear argument and have an appropriate scope (usually two or fewer works).  Please send your abstract in .docx, .txt, or .rtf format.  If possible, please avoid sending a .pdf. (PLEASE be sure to add compdrama@rollins.edu to your accepted email list so that conference emails will not be rejected by your server. Ask your IT administrator how to do so.) If you do not receive e-mail confirmation that we received your abstract/submission within 14 days, we did not receive your submission. Please contact us immediately at wboles@rollins.edu. Those whose abstracts are accepted for presentation are expected to attend the conference. Due to the number of submissions, the adjudicators are unable to offer specific feedback on panels, abstracts, or scripts. 

Pre-organized Panels

Pre-organized Panels and Roundtables will also be considered. A pre-organized panel should include three papers. Each paper should be 15 minutes in length. Panel proposals should include (1) a copy of each panelist’s 250 word abstract with paper title, author’s name, institutional affiliation, status, postal address and email address at top left, and (2) a succinct, 50-word rationale for the grouping of the papers. The panel organizer should email the abstracts and rationale to compdrama@rollins.edu by 3 November 2019.  Please send your abstract in .docx, .txt, or .rtf format. If possible, avoid sending a .pdf.

A pre-organized round table should include at least four participants. Round table proposals should include (1) a succinct, 50 word explanation of and rationale for the round table topic, (2) a timeline of the program, including time for audience interaction and Q & A, and (3) clear evidence of each participant’s expertise in the topic area. Do not send entire vitae. Include only evidence applicable to the round table topic. The panel or round table organizer should email the abstracts and rationale to compdrama@rollins.edu by 3 November 2019. Please send your abstract in .docx, .txt, or .rtf format.  Please avoid sending a .pdf file.

If you would like to advertise a pre-organized panel on the CDC website, please send the panel title, organizer contact information, deadline, and description to compdrama@rollins.edu immediately. Please send your abstract in .docx, .txt, or .rtf format.

To see the call for pre-organized panels, visit our Pre-organized Panels page.

Staged Readings

The conference board invites proposals for staged readings of new plays.  Two full-length (one-act or more) new plays will receive staged readings during the course of the conference.  Each staged reading will be followed by a talkback with the audience led by a dramaturg.  This year, we will have two slots for a 90-minute staged reading.  If you would prefer to have your play staged by a director and/or with a cast of your own choosing, please include their information as part of the proposal; otherwise, a director and actors may be assigned by the Conference Director in coordination with the Resident Dramaturg and a director from the Comparative Drama Conference.  Those proposing a staged reading should submit the play’s title, character list, a 200 word summary of the play, a 100 word rationale for staging a reading of the play at this conference, and an exemplary scene or act in Word Document form to compdrama@rollins.edu by 3 November 2019.

The Conference

The Comparative Drama Conference is an international, interdisciplinary conference founded by Dr. Karelisa Hartigan at the University of Florida in 1977. Every year, approximately 175 scholars are invited to present and discuss their work in the field of drama and 2 new plays receive a staged reading. The conference draws participants from both the Humanities and the Arts. The papers delivered range over the entire field of theatre research and production. Over the past 40 years, participants have come from 32 nations and all 50 states. Each year a distinguished theatre scholar or artist is invited to address the participants in the Keynote Event.