ATHE Conference

[Kathy Chung]

Thank you to Brian Quirt for the info re ATHE.  Though not a member of
ATHE, I've been on ATHENEWS for several years and have been curious about
the association.  Certainly, a big theatre conference in one's region seems
like a boon (low or no travel costs).

However, can Brian and others on CANDRAMA (the more the merrier) share
their opinions about the pros and cons of ATHE, of joining ATHE?  and
perhaps tell us more about ATHE?  I tried their website but surfing is not
my perferred medium for gathering information.

I'm a graduate student studying Canadian theatre with a background also in
Cdn literature.  I have limited funds (energies, time, etc) and must be
selective about which associations I join.  I am quite dedicated to working
on *Canadian* theatre (and if I do other stuff it would likely be on a
comparative basis with Canadian).  In my mind, ATHE is to ACTR (the
Association for Canadian Theatre Research) as the MLA is to ACCUTE
(Association for Canadian College and University Teachers of English ...
don't you love those spiffy acronyms?), i.e. a gargantuan
international/predominently American association, a big pond for this
little guppy.  (For example, last year, the MLA was in Toronto and I
believe the conference programme took place simultaneously in 4 or 5
downtown hotels and most of the postings on ATHENEWS are related to
American happenings, job openings, cultural issue [NEA, etc] etc.... o.k.
some on international human rights issues related to playwrights.)

Am I wrong in my imagination?  I *don't think* I'm being parochial (or
*just* being parochial? ha).  I'm just working with a limited budget (in
Canadian dollars) and trying to be realistic and practical.

To be more specific:

1. What is the degree of student participation in ATHE?
2. Am I wrong? Is is a predominantly American association?
3. What is the degree of Canadian participation in ATHE?
4. Is there an existing sub-group on Canadian theatre? (not just because
    the conference is happening in Toronto)

If anyone has advice or opinions on the pros and cons of ATHE, joining
ATHE, little fishes, big ponds, they would be most appreciated.

Cheers, --- Kathy.