January 2021 President’s Note

January 2021

Greetings ATDS colleagues, 

As we begin 2021, we hope you and your loved ones and communities are healthy and safe.  

In August 2021, Lisa’s term as president will conclude, and Dr. Jocelyn L. Buckner will assume the presidency of ATDS.  We write now, together, as we look forward to a collaborative transition in leadership. 

We are excited for additional transitions in 2021 with the election of three Board members, four officers (Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and International Secretary), and a Graduate Student Rep.  Please send all nominations and self-nominations to ATDS Board Member Donatella Galella  (galella@ucr.edu) by February 1, 2021. We are indebted to our colleagues who have served in these roles over the past years. Thank you Jordan, Laura, Fonzie, Josh, Dorothy, James, Heather, and Megan. Your labor, wisdom, and friendship has been invaluable to us and to ATDS.

ATDS hosted two anti-racist training workshops this fall.  Thank you to Dr. Koritha Mitchell and Dr. Claire Syler for leading these workshops. We will host a third workshop in January with Dr. Brian Herrera.  Click here to register for “Responsive Pedagogy with Dr. Brian Herrera.”  These workshops are available at no cost to ATDS members. Thank you to Board Members Donatella Galella, Ariel Nereson, and Digital Media Secretary Peter Wood for organizing and stewarding these events. 

Please take a moment to peruse the many ATDS awards and opportunities coming up this winter and spring.  Please share widely, and please submit your work.  Reviewing and celebrating our field through our awards is a true highlight of the organization.  Thank you to all our committee chairs and members.  

We look forward to the next Theatre Annual issue, as well as the Spring 2021 issue of the Journal of American Drama and Theatre, co-edited by the American Theatre and Drama Society, the Black Theatre Association, and the Black Theatre Network, and focusing on the theme: Milestones in Black Theatre.

ATDS has had a very busy year. Archives of officer reports and messages from the president can be found on our website.  

We are pleased to offer ATDS memberships on a sliding scale; we hope you will renew, join, or gift a membership today: https://www.atds.org/membership-shop/.  We look forward to working with you in 2021. 

Lisa Jackson-Schebetta, President
Jocelyn L. Buckner, Vice-President/President-Elect