[Candrama] Roundtable Call to Participants: Historicizingcross-gender casting in 21st century theatre education (CATR)

[Cameron Crookston]

*Canadian Association for Theatre Research Conference 2020 Roundtable Call
to Participants: **Partitions of Gender: Historicizing cross-gender casting
in 21st century theatre education *

In 2019-20 Canadian theatre scholars and educators are providing a vital
contribution to a global conversation on the representation of gender in
the arts. From Langara College’s cross-gender reimagining of *Antoni and
Cleopatra*, to Dalhousie’s gender bending *La Calandro*, to York
University’s theatre season theme of “performing gender,” Canadian
Universities are on the very forefront of conversations about gender
identity in the twenty-first century. And while conversations around gender
visibility in the media and other disciplines are so often framed as
“forward thinking,” theatre, rich and complex history of cross-gender
casting on stage, is poised to make particularly vital contribution to this
conversation as it pertains to histories of gender expression. This round
table invites scholars, directors and theatre educators to share their
experiences working with cross-gender casting in historical performance.

Two weeks prior to the conference, selected participants will be asked to
submit a paper of 2,000 words. Participants will have a chance to read each
other's work to brainstorm questions and themes for discussion. At the
roundtable, each participant will have a maximum of five minutes to
summarize and contextualize their paper, followed by forty minutes of
moderated discussion between panellists. In the final twenty minutes, we
will open the floor to questions for the audience for further discussion.

-How can cross-gender casting draw attention to and open up productive
conversations around feminist histories, queer histories, and issues of
gender erasure in historical narratives?

-How do historic instances of cross-gender casting such as Kabuki, Beijing
Opera, The Travesti of western opera, and Elizabethan boy players,
influence and inspire twenty first century gender performance on stage?

-How do we interpret cross-gender casting in classroom settings in which
enrollment necessitates alternatives to traditional gender casting?

-How do contemporary gender and identity politics, with respect to queer,
trans, and twospirited visibility, intersect with theatrical traditions and
innovations onstage?

*To Apply:*

Please submit the following to brief abstract of up to 500 words and a bio
of 200 words to Cameron.crookston at mail.utoronto.ca by *1 February 2020*


*Facilitator’s Biography: *Cameron received his PhD from the Centre of
Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, in collaboration with the Mark S.
Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto in
2019. His research focuses on drag, LGBTQ2+ history and queer cultural
memory. His work appears in *Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture* and *New
Essays on Canadian Theatre*. He is also currently co-editing an upcoming
issue of *Canadian Theatre Research* on Canadian drag performance. Cameron
currently teaches at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Sexual
Diversity Studies.

*Conference Info: *

The Canadian Association for Theatre Research Conference (CATR) will be
held at Université du Québec à Montréal and Concordia University in
Montreal, Quebec in Canada, May 25-28th, 2020. For more information please
visit the conference website:

http://catracrt.ca/conference/conference-2019/
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