Call for Papers

Ancient Drama in Performance: Theory and Practice will coincide with the 2010 Randolph College Greek Play: Euripides’ Hecuba, an original-practices production. The play and response to it will be the culmination of a day of scholarly and practical exchanging of ideas on ancient theatre. We are inviting proposals from scholars and practitioners of all levels for papers on topics to do with ancient drama in performance, including but not restricted to the staging, texts, design, repertory, personnel, and the social impact of plays in the ancient Greek and Roman world, as well as of plays as re-performed in the modern world. Papers will be delivered in an outdoor Greek theatre (or a round indoor space if it rains), which means that papers that deal with original practices in some way would find a comfortable setting, but all topics concerned with the plays as a practice are welcome. Presenters who would like to demonstrate their performance ideas will be provided with student actors (with or without masks), with whom arrangements can be made prior to the meeting. Papers are limited to 10 minutes (presentation without actors) and to 13 minutes (presentations with student actors).* Presenters should be aware that they will hear the sound of a drum when two minutes remain and will exit pursued by a Fury when time is out.

The conference will feature a keynote address by Kenneth Reckford, and a response to Hecuba by Mary-Kay Gamel.

Please submit a 300 word abstract and a short bio here by 18 June 2010 (please note new deadline).

A longer description of the conference is at http://faculty2.randolphcollege.edu/ancientdrama/about. Another notice will go out when general registration for the event opens.

* Ten minutes is a perfect amount of time to present one idea very well and to tantalize an audience into wanting to know more from you when you meet later.