SETC Theatre Symposium – Theatre and Race
SETC Theatre Symposium Volume 29
“Theatre and Race”
DATES: April 3-5, 2020 LOCATION: Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA
The performative nature of political and cultural discourse about race has recently been highlighted, both in the U.S. and around the world, by tweets and talk shows, parades and protests, movements and mass shootings, comedy routines and court decisions. These events and expressions invite a scholarly exploration of the histories, legacies, and responsibilities of theatre’s long engagement with race.
What is the historical and ongoing role of theatre in framing our ideas and conversations about race? How is current theatre practice challenging established paradigms, if at all? The organizers of the 2020 Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Theatre Symposium invite the contributions of scholars, artists, and educators from a wide range of fields who wish to address the intersection of race and theatre. Those whose proposals are accepted will gather to collectively listen and comment upon each others’ work. Subsequent submissions of essay-length versions of conference presentations will be peer reviewed, and if selected will be published in Volume 29 of SETC’s annual Theatre Symposium journal. The conference fee of $150 includes registration, conference materials, and selected meals at the event.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
• Historical dramas or theatrical productions that reflected and shaped constructions of race
• Theatre’s role, historically and presently, in the formation and perpetuation of racial hierarchies
• Current plays and productions aimed at challenging audiences’ perceptions of race
• Theatrical and performative fomentations of, and responses to, racialized violence
• Theatrical work that seeks to link race to gender, class, sexuality, nationality, or religion
• Drama or theatrical practice that posits a “post-racial” world
Keynote speaker Dr. Soyica Colbert of Georgetown University will present an address on this year’s topic, and will provide a concluding response. Dr. Colbert is the Idol Family Professor of Georgetown College of Arts and Sciences, Director of Theater and Performance Studies in the Department of Performing Arts, and a Professor of African American Studies. She is the author of The African American Theatrical Body: Reception, Performance and the Stage and Black Movements: Performance and Cultural Politics, and the co-editor of The Psychic Hold of Slavery. Her work has appeared in multiple journals and edited collections. Her research interests span the 19th-21st centuries, from Harriet Tubman to Beyoncé, and from poetics to performance.
On or before 6 January 2020, please send abstracts of no more than a single page to Andrew Gibb, Editor, at andrew.gibb@ttu.edu. Please use “LastName TS Abstract” as your subject line. Abstracts should include complete contact information (email, phone, postal address).