Call for CATR seminar participants

[Ginny Ratsoy]

Hello, Everyone,

I thought I should join the chorus on this. Please note the deadline
for notification of interest in participating in this seminar is January
15th. Please contact me at gratsoy at tru.ca  if you wish to join us.
The other seminar leaders are TRU folk: Jim Hoffman (jhoffman at tru.ca)
and Heidi Verwey (hverwey at tru.ca).




CATR 2011 Seminar  
Theatre in Small Cities


To date, there has been little Canadian scholarship devoted to theatre
in small cities. Why is this? According to James Hoffman, *It is
conventionally understood that*theatre produced by small cities is
inferior to and imitative of that produced in large cities, where
theatre is seen as professional and meaningful  (the two terms are often
non-problematically conflated), and that if there is value in the
cultural performance in a small city, it is negotiable only in relation
to metropolitan formations* (Hoffman, 286-7). 

Is theatre in the small city derivative and inferior, or is it
distinctive and engaging? We believe there is considerable evidence of
significant, engaging theatrical activity in small centres across the
country. This seminar will involve participants in discussion of the
specific challenges and opportunities that professional theatre
companies located in small cities face.  While we invite papers on any
aspect of small-city theatre, we especially welcome those that directly
address the conference theme of *Coasts and Continents: Exploring
Peoples and Places* by examining theatre-community relationships,
theatre-university collaborations, co-productions of all types, and
other methods by which small-city companies engage with other entities. 
Theoretical perspectives, case studies, narratives, and comparative work
on contemporary theatrical activity in small cities in Canada are among
the anticipated approaches.

The purpose of this seminar is to engender dialogue on the topic to the
ends of fostering connections among professors working with theatres in
small cities nationally and internationally and  producing scholarship
on theatre in small cities.
Possible Questions
1.	Is a distinct identity for professional theatres in small cities
possible?
2.	What special challenges and opportunities present themselves to
theatre in small cities?
3.	Do the media take on a special role in small-city theatre?
4.	Are affiliations with other arts organizations fostered by
*smallness*?
5.	What special challenges and opportunities for university-theatre
collaborations present themselves in a small city?
6.	Can university-theatre relationships thrive in small cities?
7.	What does *community engagement* mean in small-city
theatres?
8.	What do small-city audiences perceive as the role of theatre in
their communities?

Call for Participants: Theatre in Small Cities
CATR conference delegates are invited to share their knowledge of the
nature of theatrical production in small cities.  This two-hour session
will involve delegates in a discussion of the special challenges and
opportunities faced by small-city theatre practitioners. For example,
small cities often have only one professional company, in which case the
company may be in the enviable position of having a somewhat captive
audience and the less enviable position of feeling an obligation to be
all things to that audience.  Depending on the small city*s
geographical location, such theatre companies may face formidable
competition from nearby better-known companies or feel somewhat isolated
from the national scene.  On the other hand, the small size of their
cities may foster closer relationships of theatres with audiences and
other arts and non-arts organizations. 
This discussion of the specific situation of small city theatre aims to
engage scholars and practitioners in productive dialogue for the
purposes of creating ongoing professional relationships and
collaboration and generating scholarship on theatre in small cities. 
In preparation for an email discussion in which the agenda for the
seminar will be jointly decided, each participant should have, by March
1, 2011, prepared a list of five issues he/she deems most relevant to
the topic of theatre in small cities and read *Political Theatre in a
Small City: The Staging of the Laurier Memorial in Kamloops* by James
Hoffman.  Copies of Hoffman*s article, from The Last Best West: An
Exploration of Myth, Identity & Quality of Life in Western Canada, will
be provided upon request.
By April 1, 2011, seminar participants will have developed an agenda
based on the March email discussion.  Should seminar numbers warrant it,
volunteers will have the opportunity to take on specific tasks such as
leading discussion on specific topics and recording parts of the content
of the seminar. 
Work Cited
Hoffman, James. *Political Theatre in a Small City: The Staging of
the Laurier Memorial in Kamloops.*             The Small Cities Book.
Ed. W.F. Garrett-Petts. Vancouver: New Star Books, 2005: 285-301.
Print.



Ginny Ratsoy
Associate Professor of English
Department of English and Modern Languages
Thompson Rivers University
Box 3010 Kamloops BC V2C 5N3
(250) 828-5238
ratsoy at tru.ca
Phone (250) 828-5238