Emerging Scholars – Graduate and Undergraduate

44th Mid-America Theatre Conference

Emerging Scholars Symposium

Two Emerging Scholars Debut Panels: One Graduate & One Undergraduate

Undergraduate and Graduate students who have not yet presented at a national conference are invited to submit papers for the Emerging Scholars Symposium, two debut panels of the Mid- America Theatre Conference. Papers for the two panels are welcome on any topic in theatre history, theory, or dramatic literature. For more information on the conference theme, please consult the MATC website: http://matc.us.

Up to three participants will be selected for each panel, and each panelist will have fifteen minutes to deliver their paper. Students whose papers are accepted will receive free conference registration, free admission to the conference luncheon, a one-year membership in MATC, and a cash prize of $150. Winners will also be paired with a conference mentor.

The Emerging Scholars Symposium will also sponsor a series of pre-conference, online events in that will help prepare Emerging Scholars for the conference, answer their questions, and address issues of professionalization and the changing job market. These sessions will be designed to involve little outside preparation.

Papers should be 7-10 pages in length (1750-2500 words) and will be evaluated on the quality of their writing and research, their critical/theoretical sophistication, and their originality.

For consideration, please complete the Google Form at https://forms.gle/QGqKmYkrbKzxFrMU7.  

The Google Form will ask for:

Your name, student status, and the name of your academic institution.

Contact information (including mailing address, e-mail, and telephone number).

A brief biography (no more than 100 words).

For undergraduates: an upload of your COMPLETED paper (no abstracts, please).

For graduate students: an upload of your completed paper OR an expanded abstract (500+ word). Full papers will be due by January 15, 2024.

Submissions will be considered by the Symposium Co-Chairs, Dr. Julia Moriarty, Millikin University and Dr. Rachel Bauer, Sacred Heart University. Any questions may be sent to the Symposium Co-Chairs at emerging_scholars@matc.us.

Submissions MUST be received by:

Graduate Panel – NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Undergraduate Panel – NOVEMBER 15, 2023

Click this link for a downloadable PDF of the CFP:  MATC Emerging Scholars 2023 CFP

For consideration, please complete the Google Form at https://forms.gle/pmuytGWAgccEptR97

The Google Form will ask for:

• Your name, student status, and the name of your academic institution.
• Contact information (including mailing address, e-mail, and telephone number).
• A brief biography (no more than 100 words).
• For undergraduates: An upload of your COMPLETED paper (no abstracts, please).
• For graduate students: an upload of your completed paper OR an expanded (500+ word) abstract. Full papers will be due by January 15, 2023.

The form will require you to upload a full COMPLETED draft of your paper in Microsoft Word format for review by the Symposium Co-Chairs:

• Julia Moriarty, Millikin University
• Rachel Bauer, Sacred Heart University

The Mid-America Theatre Conference is held every March with symposia in Theatre History, Practice/Production, Pedagogy, and Playwriting. Graduate students are welcome to submit proposals either to these forums or to the Emerging Scholars Symposium. All proposals are refereed. Because of its small size, MATC serves as an ideal setting for graduate and undergraduate students to begin to share their work with and get feedback from established scholars. Membership in MATC also includes a subscription to Theatre History Studies, a leading journal in the field. Please visit http://matc.us for more information.

No individual may present in more than two symposia. This limit is put in place to avoid scheduling conflicts and to provide more individuals the opportunity to present.

The Mid-America Theatre Conference commits to advancing intersectional equity, inclusivity, and diversity; creating a conference that is welcoming and fully accessible; and to disrupting the ongoing damage of white supremacy within MATC and the broader academic and theatrical worlds. As part of this effort, we highly encourage a broad range of submissions by presenters or about theatre of historically disenfranchised and underrepresented populations, particularly those of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. To request specific conference accommodations, please contact our Accessibility Officer at access@matc.us. MATC prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind, including during all associated meetings, the annual conference sessions, and within publications. For MATC’s full statement on anti-racism, accessibility, and inclusivity please see our website at http://matc.us.