<div dir="ltr">Please excuse cross-postings.<br><br>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Call for Papers: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Theory and Criticism Focus Group </i>of the
Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), 2016 Conference</span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chicago, IL, August 11-14, 2016</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><u><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">1) “Dis/Embodied
Capital ”—An Interactive Roundtable Event</span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In
response to the 2016 ATHE conference theme of “Bodies at Work: Performance,
Labor, and ATHE @ 30” and its location in Chicago—a city steeped in labor and
performance histories—the Theory and Criticism Focus Group seeks praxis and
scholarship that examines the dis/embodied capital of performance. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Many
forms of capital converge in the production of theatre and performance. As
cultural art forms meant to be seen, experienced, and remembered, theatre and
performance have no inherent material value in the classic Marxian economic
sense. Instead, as Pierre Bourdieu suggests, theatre and performance often
circulate as cultural and symbolic capital. Yet the means of production that go
into the creation and circulation of theatre in public and private sectors
requires an ever-increasing creative use of economic capital, creative capital,
and labor. In our 2016 Roundtable Series, we ask how the constant juxtaposition
of economic and non-economic forms of capital in the production of theatre and
performance might be theorized through the ways in which capital works both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">within</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">upon</i> bodies. Forms of capital may veer towards the disembodied:
venue locations, theatre spaces, ticket prices, business structures, scripts,
building materials, jobs, season selections, touring schedules, public policies,
laws and regulations, as well as the physical collection of archives.
Alternatively, theatre and performance depend heavily upon the less tangible
forms of capital that theatre artists, actors, and audiences already embody:
race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, language, age, body size, experience,
knowledge, training, and memory. More often than not, these forms of
dis/embodied capital intertwine to create complicated ecosystems of symbolic,
cultural, economic, social, creative, and political capital that undergird the
cultural, historical, and ideological constructions of theatre and performance.
</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Theory and Criticism Focus
Group seeks position papers from theatre artists, pedagogues, scholars,
activists, philosophers, and critics interested in examining the notion of
dis/embodied capital in our 2016 Roundtable Series.</span></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> The roundtables are designed to
encourage interactive conversation, and therefore the portion of time allotted
to formal presentation of position papers will be limited; focus instead will
be placed on stimulating dialogue amongst panelists and audience members.
Building on the tradition of our previous roundtable series, we strive to
include a diverse range of participants from graduate students and emerging
scholars, to professional critics, established artists, and senior scholars. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Position
papers can take the form of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">a short
essay, a manifesto, an outreach exercise, a critical review, a theoretical
musing, a research report, a creative project, an interview, or an embodied performance
practice</b>. Questions to consider include, but are not limited to:</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">        
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Historical
Memory:</span></i></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> How
has theatre and performance theory historically engaged with dis/embodied
capital? How do the history or public memory of theatre companies, significant
productions, or influential artists employ dis/embodied capital? What forms of
dis/embodied capital are favored in the creation of archives and institutional
memory?</span></p>

<p class=""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">        
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Casting
and/or Season Selection:</span></i></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">
How do notions of dis/embodied capital influence the actual practice of casting
and/or season selection decisions? How does the influence of dis/embodied
capital work in decisions of casting and/or season selection across time,
space, and place? What are the alternative models that try to invent new forms
of capital?</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">        
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Human
Bodies as Capital: </span></i></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">How
has theatre used bodies as capital? How can performance reveal systems of power
that use bodies as capital? What are the consequences of paid and unpaid labor
in the theatre? </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">        
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Systems
of Exchange:</span></i></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">
How does dis/embodied capital function in (trans)national exchanges of theatre
productions, artists, pedagogy, and scholarship? How does digital technology
(re)invent new relationships in dis/embodied capital? What are the boundaries
of consensual exchange and cultural (mis)appropriation? </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">        
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Educational
Value: </span></i></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">How
do educational programs in theatre and performance
understand/sustain/influence/capitalize on theatre-making?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">  </span>How does theatre education hold value in
dis/embodied forms of capital? What pedagogical techniques best address the
interplay between economics and ideology in theatre? When are students
consumers of capital and when are they creators of capital? </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The
Theory and Criticism Focus Group will be accepting individual, 250-word
position paper abstracts for the Dis/Embodied Capital Roundtable Series until<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><u>Friday,
October 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2015</u></i>. Submissions should include </b>1) an
abstract (250 words or less), 2) a title, 3) contact information (name,
institutional affiliation, email address, and phone number), 4) a brief bio of
50 words or less, and 5) any specific A/V requirements.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"> </b></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Participants
will be informed of their acceptance by <u>Thursday, October 29<sup>th</sup></u>,
and the Theory and Criticism Focus Group will oversee the submission of the
Roundtable Series panels through ATHE’s online proposal process. Send your
position paper abstracts to the Theory and Criticism Focus Group conference
planner <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Amy Guenther at </b></span><a href="mailto:akguenther@utexas.edu"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">akguenther@utexas.edu</span></b></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><u><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">2) Call for
Complete Session Proposals, Sponsored by the Theory and Criticism Focus Group</span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">We also
seek complete session proposals for the 2016 conference that include a broad
range of theoretical interrogations and applications. We encourage
multidisciplinary dialogues across the fields of performance scholarship and
praxis. We also seek participants from a variety of focus group affiliations.
Note that all multidisciplinary proposals must be authorized by TWO sponsoring
ATHE focus groups; please contact the appropriate focus group conference
planners and/or committee chair for authorizations. See the ATHE website for
details: <a href="http://www.athe.org">www.athe.org</a></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The
Theory and Criticism Focus Group supports broad definitions of criticism and
performance, and therefore encourages a wide range of examples and topics. Feel
free to explore both historical and contemporary critics and theorists, in
popular culture, academic scholarship, and performance praxis. Panel proposals
that engage scholarly conversation in creative ways are highly encouraged.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Complete
session proposals (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">separate from the
Roundtable Series</i>) should be directed directly to the ATHE website
(<a href="http://www.athe.org">www.athe.org</a>). You must have the names for all participants ready for the
proposal. The website includes submission information and forms. The session
proposal deadline in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>November 1<sup>st</sup>,
2015</u></b>.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NOTES:</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">If you
have questions about the ATHE panel proposal submission process, feel free to
email Amy Guenther at </span><a href="mailto:akguenther@utexas.edu"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">akguenther@utexas.edu</span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Single
paper submissions (outside of our annual roundtable series or a completed
session proposal) looking for a session home may contact Amy Guenther at </span><a href="mailto:akguenther@utexas.edu"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">akguenther@utexas.edu</span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Individuals
do not need to be a member of the Theory and Criticism Focus Group or ATHE to
submit single presentations or panels. However, if chosen and scheduled,
participants must become members of ATHE by the time of the conference. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>

<br></div>