Fw: Call for Papers ATHE Extended

[Adam Blatner]

Confronting the Silence: Building Bridges of Engagement

Call for Papers
Women and Theatre Program (WTP) Conference
Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
July 30, 2008 ~ Denver, Colorado

Location in Denver TBA


*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE FOR CONFERENCE SUBMISSIONS HAS BEEN
EXTENDED TO JAN. 31 AND THAT, UNLIKE PREVIOUS YEARS, THE CONFERENCE
WILL BE ONLY ONE DAY LONG.


On July 30, 2008, the Women and Theatre Program will convene for its
annual conference in Denver, sharing the city and this week with the
larger Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference and the
Democratic National Convention.  ATHE's conference theme this year is
"Difficult Dialogues: Theatre and the Art of Engagement," and though
theatre and the art of engagement are also at the heart of the WTP's
conference theme this year, we want to complicate the idea of difficult
dialogues by acknowledging that many oppressed and disenfranchised
people are often not allowed access to existing dialogues.



As a gathering of members of one of the dominant political parties in
the nation, the Democratic National Convention represents a strategic
power formation, a site for generating the dialogues which shape state
and federal policies and laws.  The WTP hopes to provide space and time
for the voices which might not otherwise be heard in extant
conversations about politics, power, and national identity.  We call
into question the forces which give voice to some and silence others
and seek ways to rethink capitalism and democracy while taking into
account the perspectives of the disenfranchised.



The city of Denver sits on the Continental Divide, and as we map our
conference onto this geographical locale, we seek ways of articulating
and describing the often ignored forces which divide us as a people,
the things which perpetuate inequality through rigid concepts of
nation, citizenship, and language, among others.   This year's
conference will include a feminist pedagogy workshop, a community
building workshop with Joan Lipkin, and a reading of the Jane Chambers
Student Play Competition as well as other highlights.  Su Teatro, one
of the few extant theatre groups from the Chicano Movement, will
perform as our keynote.



We are especially concerned with the ways in which people of color,
immigrants, refugees, non-English speakers, the illiterate, the poor,
the disabled, the undocumented, the incarcerated, and religious,
political, and ethnic minorities have been excluded from public
dialogues and how women in these groups have felt the effects of this
silencing and responded to them.



Describing silences and absences proves more difficult than critiquing
what has already been made visible and public.  The WTP wishes to use
the 2008 conference as a moment to explore ways to include those who
have not been included, to listen to voices we have previously ignored,
and to implement measures which will prevent future silencing. Methods
for responding to disenfranchisement-that queer, disrupt, disable,
circumvent, and possibly change of the paradigms that perpetuate
silence-often indicate where these silences lie. Some topics suggested
by our membership include:

The politics of voicing and silencing
            Performing absence
           feminist aesthetics and pedagogy as ways to open new
dialogues
            citizenship and activist theatre
            drama therapy: healing/witnessing/exchanging
            the ethics of intervention
            creating affiliations - piecing together shreds of evidence
            ghosts of history: diaspora, nation, race and performance
            feminist models of engagement/collaboration/partnership
            performing democracy

politics as performance/politicians as performers

immigration/migration/documentation

constructing conversations of difference

public vs. private space

tourism and accessibility

nationality and identity

the ethics of engagement

the PATRIOT Act

language and contestation

performing religion

performing disability



The Conference Committee encourages proposals that incorporate
innovative formats, numerous voices, partnerships and active dialogue. 
You are urged to go beyond the traditional 3-speaker presentation for
seminars, roundtables, performances, workshops, and poster sessions.



SUBMISSION PROCESS:  Submissions for the WTP conference should be
emailed to Ashley Lucas at lucasa at email.unc.edu by January 31, 2008. 
In addition, feel free to contact Ashley with any questions or concerns
about the submission process.  Further information on WTP, its
membership and events (as well as how to join the WTP listserv) can be
accessed at http://www.athe.org/wtp/



For academic panels, seminars, and roundtables:
The WTP does not accept proposals indicating that presenters are still
to be determined.  All persons whose names appear on submissions must
have agreed to attend the WTP conference. Priority will be given to
proposals that include representatives from various institutions
(rather than the same university).  Potential presenters should not
apply to be on more than one panel.  Please submit proposals of no more
than 250 words.  Also, please indicate your university or theatre
affiliation and your email address in your proposal.

While individual submissions will be considered, preference is given to
proposals with a range of participants.  You are encouraged to assemble
these by networking on the ATHE and WTP listserves.  (See "Resources"
on the ATHE webpage for information on subscribing to the ATHECALL
listserv.)   If you are having difficulty assembling proposals, please
contact Ashley Lucas at lucasa at email.unc.edu by January 31, 2008.



For workshops, performances, and other creative ventures:

Please submit a 500 word proposal of your workshop, performance, or
other creative project.  Include a description of the project, any
technical needs (lights, sound, etc.), length of time needed, and the
number of people involved in the project.  The WTP is only able to
provide limited technical support, so projects with few technical needs
will be privileged in the selection process.



EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS: January 31, 2008



The Women and Theatre Program is a self-incorporated division of the
Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). Founded in 1974,
our mission is to bring theater professionals together with academics
and activists.  In the years since our inception, WTP has sponsored
panels and activities at ATHE's annual conference.  In 1980, WTP began
holding its own annual pre-ATHE conference.  The continuing goal of WTP
is to enable feminist inquiry and to provide opportunities for
discussion between those who teach, perform, and theorize about
feminism, theatre, and performance.





Ashley Lucas

Postdoctoral Fellow

Vice President of ATHE's Women in Theatre Focus Group

Center for Dramatic Art, CB#3230

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3230

Office phone: (919) 962-2496