Call for Theatre Annual Editors
Calls for Theatre Annual Editor & Theatre Annual Book Review Editor
The American Theatre & Drama Society seeks applications for Editor and Book Review Editor for Theatre Annual, ATDS’s peer-reviewed journal. Both positions have four-year terms that include a training/learning period to make these positions more accessible and to maintain institutional memory.
Description of the Journal: Theatre Annual is the oldest theatre periodical continuously published in the United States. It is dedicated to examining theatre and performance of the Americas. We construe “America” broadly to include North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean Islands. Articles may treat work in these geographic areas or work from these areas that is presented elsewhere in the world. We welcome articles on the history and ethnography of performance, drawing from such areas as theatre studies, performance studies, popular culture, music, anthropology, dance, communication, philosophy, folklore, history, and areas of interest that cross disciplinary lines. Please find additional information on the Theatre Annual website: https://theatreannual.atds.org.
Editor Job Description: The successful applicant will join the editorial team as Associate Editor in August 2022 (for the 2023 issue), working closely with the Editor in preparing issues for publication and learning the process. They will transition to Editor in August 2024 (for the 2025 issue) for the remaining two years of their term, when they will also begin the process of training the incoming Associate Editor. The Editor is responsible for preparing one issue a year. This includes distributing a call for submissions; conducting anonymous peer review; carrying out production work; and liaising with contributors, the Associate Editor, the editorial board, the Book Review Editor, the Managing Editor, and the publisher, the College of William & Mary. The Editor provides an annual report to ATDS at its ATHE Business Meeting that includes information from the College of William & Mary on the journal’s finances, subscriptions, and marketing, as well as numbers of received submissions and accepted articles, updates on special issues, and so forth). The Associate Editor will assist with these duties and copy editing. Both Editor and Associate Editor are encouraged to be active and visible scholars in the field. Workload varies throughout the year, but the Editor should expect to devote approximately 80 hours to each issue, with more labor-intensive periods during peak submissions times, around major conferences, and amidst copy editing and production weeks. The Associate Editor should expect to devote 30-40 hours to each issue. The Associate Editor receives an annual stipend of $500; the Editor receives an annual stipend of $1500.
Book Review Editor Job Description: The successful applicant will join the editorial team as Associate Book Review Editor in August 2022 (for the 2023 issue), when they will work closely with the current Book Review Editor in preparing the review section for publication and learn the process. They will transition to Book Review Editor in August 2023 (for the 2024 issue) for the remaining three years of their term. In the final year, they will train the incoming Associate Book Review Editor. The Book Review Editor is responsible for maintaining up-to-date lists of books available for review; fielding inquiries for reviews; commissioning reviews; editing reviews; coordinating with the Editor and Associate Editor; meeting deadlines for publication; and establishing and maintaining relationships with book publishers. The Book Review editor should expect to devote approximately 60 hours to each issue, with an estimated 30 hours during their year as Associate Book Review Editor.
Though the application process is open to all interested individuals, it is expected that the Editor and Book Review Editor will maintain an ATDS membership in good standing while serving. ATDS currently offers Pay What You Can membership: https://www.atds.org/membership-shop/.
Please send a cover letter describing your interest and experience (1 page) and a shortened CV (2 pages)—or any questions—to Beth Osborne, Chair of the Theatre Annual Editor & Book Review Editor Search Committees, at BethOsborne@gmail.com by April 22, 2022. Search committee members include Naomi Stubbs, Derek Miller, Isaiah Wooden, and Ann Folino White.