AFRICAN THEATRE ENCYCLOPEDIA

[Don Rubin]

THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CONTEMPORARY THEATRE (WECT) is still seeking
scholars and/or practitioners to write national articles on theatre in
Cape Verde,  Central African Republic,  Equatorial Guinea,  Eritrea,
Gabon,  Liberia,  Mauritius,  Mozambique,  Namibia,  Sao Tome & Principe,
and Swaziland.
   WECT's general editor, Prof. Don Rubin, and director of research, Dr.
Anton Wagner, are working with Dr. Hansel Ndumbe Eyoh (Cameroon) and Dr.
Ousmane Diakhate (Senegal) on collecting national articles on 42 African
countries. First drafts of other articles, ranging in size from 3,000 to
20,000 words, have been completed, but WECT needs assistance identifying
writers for the countries listed above.
   Articles consist of sections on the general history of the country's
theatre since 1945; the structure of the national theatre community; an
artistic profile of the genres of theatre found in the country; theatre
companies; dramaturgy; directing and acting; theatre for young audiences;
puppet theatre; stage design; theatre space; theatre training; and criticism
and scholarship. All writers will be paid a small honorarium.
   WECT also needs independent, outside readers for all countries in Africa.
Readers should have specific knowledge of theatre in the country whose
article they are reading and be able to correct factural errors. Readers
will be identified by name and affiliation in the published volume but WECT
is unable to offer an honorarium.
   WECT is a 6-volume, illustrated encyclopedia of world theatre in all its
forms from 1945 to the present. Based at York University in Toronto, it is
an official project of UNESCO's World Decade for Cultural Development, and
is supported by the International Theatre Institute, the International
Federation for Theatre Research, the International Association of Theatre
Critics and the International Society of Libraries and Museums for the
Performing Arts.
   WECT's first volume, EUROPE, was published in December 1994 by Routledge
in the UK. The 1,052-page volume included 47 national articles, including
essays on the now-independent countries of the former Soviet Union and
Yugoslavia. Volume Two, THE AMERICAS, covering 26 countries in North
America, South America and the Caribbean, is currently in production and is
scheduled for publication in late 1995. AFRICA will be released in late 1996.
   WECT's editors would be pleased to hear from anyone with suggestions for
writers (and information on how to reach them) for the countries listed above.
WECT's Toronto office must have the articles in May 1995.
 
Reply to Prof. Don Rubin  WECT at VM1.YORKU.CA
Theatre Department,  York University
4700 Keele St.,  North York,  Ontario
Canada  M3J 1P3
phone: 416-736-2100 ext 44751;  fax: 416-736-5785
 
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