ATHE 1999

[Brian Quirt]

Herewith some more information on the ATHE conference,
or, rather, the Dramaturgy component of the conference:


Border to Border:  The Scope of Dramaturgy
ATHE Convenes in '99

Dramaturgs from the United States and Canada gathered in San
Antonio, Texas last August to share ideas and experiences at the
annual conference of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education
(ATHE).  Sessions sponsored by the Dramturgy Focus Group included
explorations of the director-dramaturg relationship, dramaturgical
methods, case studies and cross-departmental collaborations, dance
dramaturgy, adapting non-dramatic texts for the stage, working with
solo performance artists, the competitive dramaturgy debut panel, and
many other professional exchanges.  Dramaturgy Focus
Group Representative John Lutterbie and Conference Planner Geoff
Proehl have worked diligently over the past several years to advance
our programming, and as a result attendance at these sessions
continues to increase.

Next year's conference is scheduled for July 28-31 at the Sheraton
Centre in Toronto, Canada.  Although there is no general conference
theme in 1999, many of the focus groups are interested
in border crossings and international collaborations, and we are
very fortunate to have such excellent personal and
professional connections with Canadian dramaturgs through the
auspices of LMDA.

Toronto is a culturally rich city with an abundance of theatrical
activity, so please consider placing ATHE '99 on your schedule for
next summer!  For membership inquiries and conference information,
contact Nancy Erickson (NErickson at aol.com).

You are cordially invited to submit a conference proposal!  Proposal
forms may be obtained from Geoff Proehl  or Cindy SoRelle
(see below). The form will also be printed in the upcoming
edition of ATHENEWS.  Completed proposals are due to Cindy, incoming
Conference Planner, by November 1.

The Dramaturgy Debut Panel will be chaired by Klaus van den Berg (U
Tennessee).  Look for forthcoming information about this opportunity
for graduate student and/or new professional dramaturgs.

Conference proposals should be directed by mail or fax to:

Dr. Cynthia SoRelle
Theatre Department
Fine Arts Division
McLennan College
1400 College Drive
Waco, Texas  76708
cms at mcc.cc.tx.us

(254) 299-8903
(254) 299-8935 (fax)

Please call if you have questions or suggestions.  Deadline, again,
is November 1.

*****************

ATHE 1999, Toronto, Canada
July 28-31
Debut Panel
Klaus van den Berg

The Dramaturgy Focus Group of ATHE is organizing its third debut panel for
dramaturgs at the 1999 ATHE conference in Toronto.  The goal of this
project is to spotlight outstanding and innovative work by new dramaturgs
in educational and professional theatres and to encourage dramaturgs to
address both creative and collaborative processes. Graduate students,
interns, or new professional dramaturgs who have provided dramaturgy for
productions during the 1998-99 academic year are eligible to apply.  The
deadline for submission of a prospectus is April 1, 1999.  For detailed
information contact Klaus van den Berg, Department of Theatre, University
of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996. Phone: (423) 974-8972, email:
kvandenb at utkux.utcc.utk.edu.

********

Call for Directors, Actors, Dramaturgs
For the Toronto '99 New Play Development Workshop

ATHE's Playwrights Program is seeking directors, dramaturgs and actors to
work with the tenth New Play Development Workshop at the ATHE '99
Conference in Toronto, July 28-31, 1999.  Directors, dramaturgs and actors
are invited to submit applications to work with the six to seven short (10
minute) scripts which will be selected for this event.  Each playwright
will be assigned a director, a dramaturg, and a group of actors;  these
creative teams will work on the scripts throughout the four-day conference
for an average of two to three hours per day (attendance at the rest of the
ATHE conference is possible and encouraged).  The Workshop will culminate
in a public, script-in-hand reading of the plays in a SHOWCASE OF SCRIPTS
on Saturday afternoon.

The New Play Development Workshop affords playwrights, actors, directors
and dramaturgs the opportunity to work with artists from all over the
country who are experienced in dealing with original material and to have
their work presented at the conference.  Actors, directors and dramaturgs
should send letters of application, along with a two-page resume which
indicates, in particular, the applicant's experience with original scripts;
actors should indicate age-range and include a photo.  The letter of
application should indicate the applicant's willingness to attend all
sessions of the workshop, from Wednesday morning, July 28, through Saturday
afternoon, July 31;  the letter should also include mailing address and
telephone/fax/e-mail numbers.  The DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS is December 1,
1998.

Director, actor, dramaturg applications should be sent to:  Judith Royer,
7847 Flight Ave., Los Angeles, CA  90045.  Phone:  (310) 670-0362; FAX
(310) 215-0967;  <jroyer at lmumail.lmu.edu>.