Call for papers

[Sophie Bastien]

Call for Papers
 
CAMUS ON STAGE / CAMUS À LA SCÈNE
 
7 – 8 May 2009
 
Royal Military College of Canada (Kingston, Ontario)
 
The theatre of Albert Camus has not revolutionized dramatic art and stage aesthetics. Many critics – specialists in theatre or in Camus – consider it to be conventional, cerebral and moralistic. Yet it possesses a clear vitality, as is witnessed by the remarkable stage success which it enjoys. Indeed, for several decades, it has been frequently brought to the stage which testifies to the loyal interest of theatre practitioners and spectators. In this respect, one cannot but note its popularity and international influence. In French-, English-, German- and Slavonic-speaking countries within Europe, as in America, it regularly forms part of the programmes for theatres, from the most famous, vast or prestigious to the most modest, including student companies.
 
In Francophone Canada for example, where although the population is small, Caligula, Le Malentendu and Les Justes have all been brought to the stage more than once in the course of the last fifteen years. Each of these plays has been staged in theatres amongst the most prestigious and in others of lesser standing. Three of Camus’s novels have also been staged there.
 
A further fact which binds together Camus’s work and dramatic art is that his narrative corpus has given rise to numerous theatrical adaptations. L’Étranger, La Peste and especially La Chute, a narrative which is particularly oral and theatrical, but also some of the short stories, have been staged several times, sometimes with continental or overseas tours. The scenic potential not only of Camus’s drama but also of his narrative corpus is thus worthy of mention.
 
It is through the medium of theatre that we would like to approach and, hopefully, rediscover Camus, within the framework of a bilingual conference entitled “Camus On Stage / Camus à la scène” which will take place at the Royal Military College of Canada at Kingston (Ontario) on 7 – 8 May 2009. This new approach is likely to bring together Camus scholars, practitioners and theoreticians of the theatre, as well as those who are looking into transgeneric adaptations.
 
A fundamental question which is to be raised is how do readings proposed by theatre practitioners – directors, actors, set designers… – provide a different perspective or a new contribution to the body of knowledge already known about Camus’s work? How do the various codes of meaning from the performance (costumes, settings, masks/make-up, music and sound effects etc.) contribute to the hermeneutics?
 
The following areas, amongst others, could prove interesting to explore:
 
-         Analysis of a particular representation, whether this be a play or a narrative;
-         Diachronic study of the evolution of successive productions of the same text;
-         Problems of translation, adaptation, cuts and additions, prior to production;
-         Treatment of stage directions and paralinguistic speech, in the tension between text and representation, between dialogue and scenic language;
-         Cinematographic inspiration or use of various media on the stage;
-         Links between a text and the social context of its representation: actualization?  ideological assertion? 
-         Critical and public receptions of productions;
-         Scenic realization of Camus’s work in terms of geographical, linguistic and cultural distribution;
-         Interpretations of inequality in Camus’s four plays as construed by theatre practitioners;
-         Assessing feasibility for the stage and popularity;
-         Stage value of Camus as adapter and translator of foreign plays;
-         Relations between dramatic representation and literary judgment, between stage and university professionals;
 
It should be mentioned that film or audio adaptations of Camus’s works are also relevant.
 
Proposals for papers, in French or English, of approximately 300 words, together with a short biography, should be sent by e-mail to Sophie Bastien – sophie.bastien at rmc.ca, before 1 September 2008. Proposals should indicate any audio-visual requirements.
 
An international round table will also be convened, made up of theatre practitioners who have brought Camus to the stage. A further way of participating in the conference would be to take part as a contributor to this initiative. To this end, you should send a letter of intention, summarizing relevant theatrical experience (to sophie.bastien at rmc.ca) before 1 September 2008.
 
Steering Committee:
 
-         Sophie Bastien, Royal Military College of Canada
-         Mark Orme, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom
-         Geraldine F. Montgomery, independent researcher
 
Keynote Speakers:
 
- Agnès Spiquel, President of the Society for Camus Studies, University of Valenciennes, France
- Raymond Gay-Crosier, Vice-President of the Society for Camus Studies and Director of volumes III and IV of the New ‘Pléiade Camus’; Emeritus Professor, University of Florida
 
Steps are underway with a view to publishing the conference proceedings.

Sophie Bastien, PhD
Professeure adjointe
Département d'études françaises
Collège militaire royal du Canada
CP 17000, Succ. Forces
Kingston, Ontario
Canada, K7K 7B4
téléphone: (613) 541-6000, poste 6090
télécopie: (613) 541-6405

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