Call for Papers and Proposals: LYRIC CANADA 2010

[David Vivian]

***PLEASE CIRCULATE***

Call for Papers and Proposals: LYRIC CANADA 2010
October 21-23, 2010
Brock University and the Shaw Festival, Niagara, Canada

CALL FOR PAPERS for this inaugural international conference

Lyric Canada 2010 will bring creators of lyric theatre in Canada and
abroad together with academics, researchers, and critics concerned with
historical and contemporary expressions of lyric theatre. For this 
conference the term "lyric theatre" encompasses a wide range of dramatic
works in which sung text is an integral part, including cabaret,
musicals,operetta, opera and all points in between.

We are inviting proposals for papers about all aspects of lyric theatre
in Canada and abroad. Accepted proposals will be programmed into theme
specific panels. Possible areas of exploration might include, but are
not limited to:

• An enquiry into the possibility of a uniquely Canadian lyric theatre
• The aesthetic/political/societal significance of Canadian lyric 
theatre in our time
• Charting the development of lyric theatre in Canada: examining roots
and influences from diverse ethnicities, language communities, and 
orientations
• Contributions of specific nations that populate the idea of Canada 
(for example, la Francophonie, First Nations): How have they 
written/been written into the idiom, and is there anything Canadian 
about it?
• Lyric theatre: synthesizing art and popular culture into hybrid 
performance
• The intersection of opera and the musical: challenges and 
opportunities
• Visual, spatial, and intermedia expressions of lyric theatre: new 
trends in creation, production, and the performing venue. Lyric 
theatre on the digital screen.
• The absence of lyric expression on the stages and shelves of the 
Canadian Academy: whither the examining eye?
• The reinvention of lyric theatre in 21st century explorations of 
the sung text
• Diverse approaches to a sustainable practice: how do composers and
librettists prosper in commercial and marginal spheres of activity?
• The challenge of creating and maintaining the lyric theatre audience

Please send abstracts (<250 words) or proposals (<500 words) in 
English or French to the Chair of the Organizing Committee, 
Professor Virginia Reh, at info at lyriccanada.ca by May 17, 2010.

The conference will take place at Brock University in St. Catharines
and at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Programming will 
include Guest Plenary Speakers, tables, posters, and showcases of new
and recent lyric works. A separate call for showcase proposals will 
follow.

Lyric Canada 2010 is a collaboration between the Department of 
Dramatic Arts of the Marilyn I.Walker School of Fine and Performing 
Arts of Brock University, Opera.ca and the Shaw Festival Theatre. 
Other key collaborators include Tapestry New Opera Works and Script Lab.

Abstracts and conference-related material will be published for 
participants and attendees. Publishers, promoters, agents and other 
members of the profession are welcome. All expressions of interest 
should be directed to info at lyriccanada.ca Please visit our website at
lyriccanada.ca for further information.

***PLEASE CIRCULATE***