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<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Queer Theatre and
Performance in Canada: Taking Stock<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">A conference and workshop co-sponsored by</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Simon Fraser
University</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">the frank theatre
company</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">July 21-24, 2016</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Goldcorp Centre for the Arts<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">SFU Woodward’s<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">149 West Hastings Street<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Vancouver<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">With queer-themed plays and performances now a fixture on
stages across the country, what do we mean when we talk about “queer theatre
and performance in Canada?” How might we sum up the state of the field: where
we have been; where we are now; and where we are going? This conference and
workshop event, to be held at Simon Fraser University’s Goldcorp Centre for the
Arts in downtown Vancouver from July 21-24, 2016, and timed to coincide with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">the frank theatre company</b>’s Clean
Sheets Reading Series, will attempt to answer these and related questions by bringing
together leading artists, academics, activists, producers, curators, and
critics for a series of provocative roundtable discussions and staged readings
of new work.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The starting point for our conversations will be an
interrogation of the very terms that make up our conference title. In our
post-(post?)identity politics 21<sup>st</sup> century, what aesthetic and
political traction is to be gained—if any—in retaining the label “queer” to
describe contemporary theatre and performance practice made under the LGBTT<a name="_GoBack"></a>Q banner? In a country as regionally, linguistically, and
culturally diverse as Canada, can one even adequately account for all of the
material produced under such a label? And in a performance landscape increasingly
crowded with ever more queer idioms (burlesque, cabaret, stand-up), does the
gay- or lesbian-themed play seem impossibly quaint? In short, where is here
now? And is here still queer?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Conference and workshop presenters are invited to explore
these questions in relation to some of the following possible topics:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><u>History</u>: What is Canada’s queer dramatic
heritage? Does it make sense, in 2016, to speak of a queer theatrical canon in
this country? If so, who would be included? What other voices still need to be
recovered? What archival projects have been—or need to be—undertaken to document
and preserve past work by queer companies and artists in this country? What are
some of the more important stories we would find in such archives?</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Geography</u>: Does Canada’s de facto
literary and cultural regionalism apply to queer theatre and performance as
well? To what extent does place—including the urban/rural divide—continue to
define the content of and audiences for queer live art in this country? What
are the impediments to touring work produced by queer artists/companies? How
much cultural transfer/collaboration takes place between queer theatre-makers
in English Canada and their counter-parts in Quebec? And/or are all of these
questions rendered obsolete via the globalized/financialized/festivalized
international performance circuit for art—queer or otherwise?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Economics</u>: Money, money, money: who has
it, who wants it, and how does one get it? As public funding for art and culture
in Canada shrinks generally, how has this specifically impacted queer theatre
and performance? What kind of corporate, public/private, and/or crowd-sourced
funding models are producers turning to in order to fill the gap? Relatedly,
can we make any correlations between diminished budgets and the kind and
quality of material we are now seeing on stages? Why is it important to do the
basic statistical analysis and forensic number-crunching to answer these
questions?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Politics</u>: In an era of same-sex marriage,
anti-retrovirals, and sex-positive anti-bullying campaigns, what does Canadian
queer performance still need to get angry about? Is there a danger in becoming
too complacent? How might the history of grassroots queer activism be allied to
other pressing causes, including environmentalism, First Nations rights,
(trans*)gender equity, homelessness, the decriminalization of prostitution,
etc.?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Equity</u>: Like most in North America and
Western Europe, Canadian theatres continue to remain predominantly white and male
and able-bodied—both in terms of the folks on stage, and those behind the
scenes. How has queer theatre and performance in Canada, historically,
responded to the challenge of gender and cultural diversity? What still needs
to be done? And what specific productions/festivals/collaborations/events might
speak generatively to these questions?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Aesthetics</u>: What characterizes the kinds
of queer performance being made in Canada today? How do we assess a work of
dramatic naturalism alongside the spectacle of “boylesque,” or Nina Arsenault’s
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Silicone Diaries</i>, or the retro-media
storytelling of Daniel Barrow? Is contemporary Canadian queer performance nationally
distinctive? If so, how?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Technology</u>: How have new media
technologies changed queer theatre and performance in Canada, both in terms of
the production and dissemination of new work? Who are the performers and
companies who are embracing this technology and using it most cannily? And,
how, specifically are they making the technology queer?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Criticism</u>: How has queer Canadian theatre
and performance historically been received and what new work/performers are
being anointed today? As arts reporting in print journalism continues to
decrease, how have the blogosphere and social media changed the critical
landscape for queer theatre and performance? How has the academic discourse
also evolved? What studies are being produced and what material is being taught
in university classrooms?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left:18.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0cm"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><u>Industry</u>: Who are the major players
(actors/performers, writers, producers) in Canadian queer theatre and
performance today? Where are they being trained, where are they showcasing
their work, and who is paying attention? As importantly, who were the mentors
and pathbreakers for this current generation?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In order to encourage as much dialogue as possible, the
format for the conference will be a series of curated roundtables, each made up
of a mix of academics, artists, cultural presenters and critics, etc.
Participants will be asked to submit their completed 8-10 page
papers/presentations/manifestos/statements by the end of May 2016, at which
point they will be posted to the conference website for everyone to read. Then,
at the conference itself, in lieu of reading their papers, participants will
give a brief 5-minute summative statement and response to their fellow
panelists’ work, after which things will be opened up to a general
conversation. Finally, each evening will be dedicated to a staged
reading/presentation of new work by some of the leading queer artists in the
country.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Following the conclusion of the conference, selected
participants will be invited to revise and expand their papers for possible
inclusion in a dedicated volume to be published by Playwrights Canada Press in
2018 as part of their New Essays in Canadian Theatre series. A companion volume
of plays will also be published.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Interested participants should send a short 250-word
abstract of their intended presentation to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><a href="mailto:peter_dickinson@sfu.ca">peter_dickinson@sfu.ca</a></b>,
along with a brief bio, by 15 May 2015. We will inform you of your proposal’s acceptance
by 15 August 2015, at which point conference organizers will begin the process
of applying for additional conference funding. <u>Please note that our ability
to fund in full participants’ travel and accommodation costs to Vancouver is
contingent on receiving the bulk of this funding</u>. We will inform
participants about travel booking procedures by early February 2016 at the
latest.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For more information, send enquires to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><a href="mailto:peter_dickinson@sfu.ca">peter_dickinson@sfu.ca</a></b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Queer Theatre and Performance in Canada Organizing Committee:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Jan Derbyshire, Vancouver and Toronto</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Peter Dickinson, Simon Fraser University<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Chris Gatchalian, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">the
frank theatre company</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Kathleen Oliver, Langara College<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dalbir Singh, University of Toronto<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<!--EndFragment--><div>
<div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Dr. Peter Dickinson</div><div>Professor </div><div>Department of English</div><div>Simon Fraser University</div><div>8888 University Drive</div><div>Burnaby, BC</div><div>Canada V5A 1S6</div><div>c 604-908-0993</div><div>o 778-782-3762</div><div>e <a href="mailto:peter_dickinson@sfu.ca">peter_dickinson@sfu.ca</a></div><div>w <a href="http://www.sfu.ca/~ped">www.sfu.ca/~ped</a></div><div>b <a href="http://performanceplacepolitics.blogspot.com">http://performanceplacepolitics.blogspot.com</a></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div>
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