Theater History Symposium

45th Mid-America Theatre Conference

Deadline for Submissions: November 1, 2024

Submit your proposals here

Click this link for a downloadable PDF of the CFP:

  MATC Theatre History 2025 CFP

DEADLINE EXTENDED!!

MATC Theatre History Symposium

Call for Papers

We are happy to extend the submission deadline for Mid-America Theatre Conference’s 2025 Theatre History Symposium through Sunday, November 24!

We will gather for MATC from March 6-8 in Atlanta, GA to share research and exchange ideas on all topics theatre history. We will be joined by esteemed symposium respondents Dr. Martine Key Green-Rogers, Dean of the Theatre School at DePaul University (bio), and Dr. Noe Montez, Associate Professor of Theatre at Emory University (bio). 

Going themeless last year in Madison generated exciting work that got us out of our comfort zones and began pushing against the boundaries of the typical conference. Continuing in that spirit, MATC’s Theatre History Symposium invites contributors to bring their work to the table for the 2025 conference. We are seeking proposals for projects that discuss, debate, theorize, and/or challenge all aspects of theatre history, including (but not limited to) work that:

• Analyzes any facet of theatrical or performance events and/or practices with historical significance.
• Theorizes historically significant performance trends, techniques, and philosophies.
• Engages with historiography in relation to theatre and performance history.
• Thinks creatively and against dominant narratives of theatre and performance history.

We welcome any and all works that showcase the themeless nature of the conference; we are especially open to submissions that focus specifically on Atlanta, as it is a charged site for historical inquiry. We seek to break down the barriers that constrain the form and content of work that is deemed conference-worthy, and we invite you to take part in a little well-behaved academic anarchy!

Please submit individual and/or full panel proposals by Sunday, November 24 at 11:59pm EDT via the online form available here. Be prepared to include:

• An abstract of up to 250 words that includes a title
• A brief biography for each presenter.
• If you are challenging typical modes/formats of conference presentation, please include a full description of how you imagine your presentation/session will unfold.
• Any audiovisual requests for your presentation (please note that we cannot guarantee AV support, but we will do our best to accommodate requests).

We specifically encourage:  

• Submissions by and about members of minoritized/marginalized groups.  
• Research and presentations that challenge traditional norms of conference paper presentations. Some potential formats to propose include papers, co-authored presentations, full panels, roundtable discussions, workshops, performances, etc.

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.

Please note: Applicants may participate in up to two MATC symposia. This limit is put in place to provide more individuals the opportunity to present and to limit scheduling conflicts. 

Symposium Co-Chairs: Dennis Sloan, PhD Michael Lawrence Franz, PhD

DePauw University The University of Mississippi

Please email the Symposium Co-Chairs at theatre_history@matc.us with any questions.

Robert A. Schanke Award

The Robert A. Schanke Research Award is given annually to an untenured faculty presenter in the Theatre History Symposium and carries a cash award of $500 as well as consideration for publication in Theatre History Studies, the Mid-America Theatre Conference Theatre History Symposium journal. 

For consideration, submit the full, conference-length version of your paper to the co-chairs at the email address above by Monday, February 3, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.