Theatre Topics Special Issue Call for Papers: Whose Story? Resisting and Reimagining Master Narratives 

Theatre tells stories; and theatre historically have been telling certain stories more than others. Examining several larger factors such as classicization, canonization, colonialism, racism and sexism, this special issue of Theatre Topics invites inquiries into ways in which theatre classics and canons may have formed historically, and the ways in which we are grappling with epistemic violence of erasure in our contemporary relationship with master narratives across the world. 

Our approaches inevitably shape and are shaped by the multiple, often interconnected, phenomena that characterize our contemporary societies, such as globalization, migration, digitalization, environmental crisis, social movements, pandemics, and most recently the turmoil and tremors of war and conflict in Ukraine and in the Middle East with their global impact. Therefore it is imperative to interrogate and challenge the dominant discourses and practices, or ‘the master narratives’, which have participated in reproducing and reinforcing race, gender, sexuality, class and caste inequalities and oppressions, among others. 

When we question ‘whose story?’, we aspire towards unearthing perspectives that compel a re-vision of history, myth, classics and the ‘canon’. We invite submissions that echo the necessity to ‘reread the texts of western philosophy from the various points of view that have been excluded, not only to reveal the particular perspective and set of interests informing those ostensibly transparent descriptions of the real, but to offer alternative descriptions and prescriptions; indeed, to establish philosophy as a cultural practice, and to criticize its tenets from marginalized cultural locations.’ (Butler, 1998). 

We invite inquiries into practice, pedagogy, and scholarship and research methodologies that delve into re-imagining, re-thinking, re-visioning and re-forming ideas around canonicity and classicization for this special issue of Theatre Topics. Explorations may consider including the following areas: 

Practice: What are the ways we have traditionally practiced the ‘canon’ and the ‘classics’, and what are the ways we intentionally depart or imagine departing from ‘tradition’ in our contemporary practices? What are the ways we can think of dramaturgical practices in re-shaping master narratives? 

Pedagogy: Classics and canons necessarily are bound by a certain relationship with the past, and their affiliation with master narratives. Are there pedagogical disruptions that we can imagine in classrooms to learn and unlearn the ways in which power, prestige, class and status may have been perpetuated through classics and canons? Whose voices are heard and whose are silenced? What kinds of pedagogical practices can we engage in for our reimagination of the canon? We invite discussions of inventive pedagogical practices, syllabi, and acting and performance pedagogies that intentionally depart from a western Euro-centric lens. 

Research and scholarship: What are the ways in which research and scholarship grapple with works from antiquity and the new/experimental adaptations? What are the ways in which historiographical and

dramaturgical interventions have contributed to the reassessment and resistance of what constitutes the ‘canon’ and the ‘classics’? 

The following are a few suggestions as topics of exploration: 

1. Deconstructing Master Narratives: How does the cannon reinforce hegemonic ideologies and exclude marginalized voices? Contributions may critically analyze the ways in which master narratives are constructed and perpetuated within theatrical texts, performances, and institutions, and explore strategies for deconstructing and subverting these narratives. 

2. Gender Performativity on Stage: How do practices and performances disrupt and challenge traditional understandings of gender? Contributions may examine the ways in which gender is performed, embodied, and represented on stage, exploring how theatrical practices contribute to the production and negotiation of gender identities and norms. 

3. Intersectionality and Representation: How do intersecting forms of oppression, such as race, class, sexuality, and disability, intersect with gender performativity within the cannon? Contributions may investigate the ways in which intersectional identities are represented and negotiated in texts or on stage, and explore strategies for centering marginalized voices and experiences in their approach. 

4. Reimagining Classics and Canons: How can theatre practitioners and scholars reimagine classic texts and canons to foreground marginalized perspectives and voices? Contributions may examine innovative approaches to adapting, interpreting, and staging the classics or canonical works, and explore the potential for theatrical interventions to challenge dominant narratives and expand the boundaries of theatrical representation. 

We invite submissions for our ‘Notes from the Field’ section on these and other questions for the July 2025 print and online issues of Theatre Topics. The deadline for submissions is Friday, January 31, 2025. Early submissions are encouraged. This issue will be edited by Sukanya Chakrabarti (San Jose State University) and guest editor, Proshot Kalami (Norfolk State University and Leuphana Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture and Society, LIAS) 

We invite submissions in the formats of Notes from the Field, limit 4,000 words, which are carefully considered and critically informed personal reflections, interviews, or from the-trenches accounts. For instructions for submission, visit our website: 

https://www.jhuptheatre.org/theatre-topics/author-guidelines. Additionally, feel free to contact the editors with any questions or inquiries: 

• Sukanya Chakrabarti, Co-Editor, Theatre Topics at sukanya.chakrabarti@sjsu.edu

• Proshot Kalami, Guest Editor, at pkc.work@gmail.com

Theatre Topics is an official publication of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE).