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<DIV><FONT color=#000000>Dear Colleagues,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000>I find these thoughts (below) instructive. In
what ways does what happened in the U.S. affect Canadian (theatre) scholarship
and pedagogy? Is this an issue that we might wish to take up at ACTR 2002
in Toronto?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000>Denis.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000>(Apologies for any cross listings.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
href="mailto:Don_Wilmeth@BROWN.EDU" title=Don_Wilmeth@BROWN.EDU>Don B.
Wilmeth</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A href="mailto:ASTR-L@listserv.uiuc.edu"
title=ASTR-L@listserv.uiuc.edu>ASTR-L@listserv.uiuc.edu</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, October 03, 2001 11:11 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Message from Bruce McConachie and Harry Elam</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Dear ASTR Colleagues
--
Oct. 1<BR><BR>First, you should know that, to the best of our knowledge, none of
our<BR>colleagues in the New York City area was physically hurt or killed in
the<BR>recent terrorist attacks. Our colleagues at the major universities in
NYC<BR>report that they have heard of no ASTR members lost in the calamity.
Of<BR>course this is small relief given the immensity of the tragedy, but it
is<BR>something to be thankful for. Several of our NYC colleagues also
asked<BR>that we thank ASTR members from around the world who have helped with
the<BR>relief efforts.<BR><BR>September 11 has altered the immediate context in
which we, as theatre<BR>scholars, must continue to do our work. In the long
term, of course,<BR>these tragic events will likely change the methods and
questions that<BR>constitute our scholarship. As is already occurring in many
other<BR>institutions of North America, the nature and purpose of the
American<BR>Society for Theatre Research will likely be tested and altered in
the<BR>next few years. All of these factors make our upcoming conference in
San<BR>Diego more important than our yearly gatherings usually are.<BR><BR>Many
of the traditional functions served by academic conferences gain<BR>added
significance in the wake of September 11. First and foremost,<BR>academic
conferences, like all large social gatherings, reaffirm the<BR>importance of
community in our lives. The social ties that we have formed<BR>with each other
over the years or, for newer members, that are just<BR>beginning to shape our
lives, need the interaction of a conference to be<BR>sustained. Good academic
conferences are also an intellectual shot in the<BR>arm; the "high" we get from
our conference exchanges gives us<BR>some relief from the lonely hours we know
we'll spend staring at a<BR>computer screen. Oftentimes our conference friends
provide the imagined<BR>reading audience whose questions and orientations push
our writing to the<BR>next level. Finally, conferences allow us to recognize and
celebrate<BR>excellence in our field. The applause that greets the winners of
ASTR<BR>awards and fellowships warms us all and reaffirms the importance of
our<BR>work.<BR><BR>Amid the many responses to the tragedy of September 11, the
one that<BR>seems most relevant to us as members of ASTR is that, despite
our<BR>anguish, rage, and emptiness, we must not forget who we are. We're
not<BR>writing this letter to urge a return to "normalcy,"
although<BR>conference-going has indeed been a part of "normal" experience for
many<BR>of us over the years. Instead, we're urging attendance at this
conference<BR>because we need to remind ourselves that our scholarly
values, methods,<BR>and commitments can make a difference in these difficult
times.<BR><BR>As we write this letter, the Conference Committee for 2001
is<BR>discussing specific ways for us to address the implications
of<BR>September 11 for our teaching and scholarship in San Diego.
One<BR>likely possibility is a "brown-bag" roundtable discussion during
the<BR>lunch break on Friday. We expect that this added session
will<BR>initiate a conversation that will continue, both directly
and<BR>indirectly, in subsequent sessions, seminars, and receptions
during<BR>the conference.<BR><BR>We have extended the deadline for early
registration for the conference until<BR>October 15th. We also note that
airfares for travel this fall have remained<BR>relatively low. In addition,
increased security measures for air<BR>transportation have been announced by the
federal government and<BR>should be in place by the time of our
conference.<BR><BR>We look forward to seeing you in San
Diego.<BR><BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR><BR>Bruce McConachie, President of ASTR<BR>Harry
Elam, Conference Chair and VP of ASTR<BR><BR><BR>Don B. Wilmeth<BR>Dept. of
Theatre, Speech & Dance<BR>Brown University<BR>Providence, RI
02912<BR>401/863-3289<BR>Fax: 863/7529</BODY></HTML>