ATHE 2026

“ACTIVATING IMAGINATION IN/AND COMMUNITY”
July 22–26, 2026  |  Baltimore, Maryland

This year’s conference theme, "Activating Imagination in/and Community," asks us to think deeply and courageously about the role of theatre and performance in shaping our shared presents and collective futures. It challenges us to contemplate not just what we do, but how and with whom we do it, while recognizing that, in the face of growing political repression and institutional instability, our collaborations—across disciplines, communities, and identities—are simultaneously more vulnerable and vital than ever.

Centering collaboration not only as a practice but as a political and ethical stance, ATHE 2026 encourages sessions, performances, and conversations that also interrogate it as an aesthetic, pedagogical, and organizational framework—and imagine what becomes possible when we let go of control in favor of connection. Acknowledging that the work of collaboration and community-building is not always easy, we also seek sessions that explore the challenges and rewards of working across ideological, disciplinary, racial, gender, generational, and geographic differences.

We envision ATHE 2026 as a laboratory for rehearsing and enacting the worlds we aspire to build, ones grounded in dignity, accountability, and interdependence. As we activate imagination in/and community, we want to consider ways to reclaim collaboration as a practice and guiding principle, emphasizing collective organizing and resource sharing as forms of resistance, while also embracing the challenges of building across differences as opportunities for meaningful change.

With these goals in mind, we invite you to consider:

• What can theatre and performance look like when we center care, interdependence, shared labor, and distributed authorship?
• How can collaboration disrupt traditional hierarchies and open space for multiple truths, conflicting needs, and collective wisdom?
• What does it mean to build something with others—not despite our differences, but through them? How do we remain in a relationship when we disagree? How do we stay accountable to one another in times of harm or conflict?
• What practices already exist within our communities for mutual support and assistance?
• How can we reimagine leadership and decision-making models to reflect principles of equity, accessibility, and solidarity?
• What would it mean for our field to shift from competition to cooperation? From prestige to purpose? From How do we center the most vulnerable among us without reinscribing paternalism or saviorism?

Invitation to Focus Groups
We encourage ATHE’s focus groups to take up this year’s conference theme in expansive, daring, and imaginative ways. Consider how your work engages with the ideas of collaboration, community, and collective imagination—and how your sessions might serve as spaces of inquiry, coalition-building, and creative action.

How might your focus group:

• Create platforms for collaborative performance or scholarship?
• Explore models of resistance to institutional precarity and political repression?
• Share resources that empower others in your field?
• Build bridges across subfields, methodologies, and roles?

The questions driving the ATHE 2026 conference are too big—and too urgent—to answer alone, so we especially encourage cross-focus group sessions and interdisciplinary partnerships that challenge silos and foster unexpected connections.

Timeline

Please review the deadlines/dates for this year's timeline, noting the second round of submissions offered this year. 

2026 Conference Committee

DeRon Williams, Chair, Loyola University Chicago

Ramanjaneyulu Doosari, University of Miami
Clara Kundin, Eastern New Mexico University
Andrew Schlager, Princeton University
Jennifer Seigle, Mesa Community College
Claire Syler, University of Missouri
LaRonika Thomas, Washington College
Isaiah Wooden, Swarthmore College