Call for Papers.

Theatre and Performance Notes and Counternotes seeks short articles or extended essays (1,500-3,000 words) on American (US) theatre at the United States semiquincentennial (250th anniversary). 2-3 sentence abstracts should be submitted by February 2, 2026 and essays/articles before April 6, 2026 to Harvey Young (issue editor) at cfadean[at]bu.edu. 

The issue will center critical reflections that look back on a specific moment in the history of theatre in the United States and/or provide a framing for how to think (or re-think) periods or movements across the past 250 years. 

A few potential prompts:

• Milestones in American Theatre History. What was a moment or a movement that changed the course of theatre in the United States and helped define the culture of the nation?
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• Colonial and Pre-Colonial Theatre. We’re all familiar with 20th and 21st century Broadway as well as the dynamic emergence of select regional theatres (post-1960s). However, most people are less familiar with the look, feel, sound of theatre  in the late 18th  and early 19th century? Can you tell a story about a ‘first’ or early moment in the long history of performance on this continent?
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• Correcting the Record. Is there something that historians (and the public at large) simply have gotten wrong about US American theatre? What should future generations know about the past?
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• Expanding the canon. Is there a prominent figure in the history of American Theatre whom we have overlooked? Who should be included in the expanded canon? Why? 

The style for Theatre and Performance Notes and Counternotes is Chicago (18th edition). Here is a link to the style guide.

Theatre and Performance Notes and Counternotes is a relatively new journal (founded in 2024) published by Penn State University Press. It is supported by an editorial board of established and recognizable theatre/performance scholars. 

Currently, the journal is available in print and online via Scholarly Publishing Collective.  It will become eligible for inclusion in bundled e-journal packages (for libraries and universities) on its 3rd anniversary. The potential readership for this 250th USA anniversary issue will expand following its publication.