Theatre as Critique Congress of the Society for Theatre Studies, Frankfurt and Gießen, 3.-6. November 2016

[Alexandra Pazgu]

Theatre as Critique

Congress of the Society for Theatre Studies, Frankfurt and Gießen, 3.-6. November 2016

Organisers: The Institute for Applied Theatre Studies, Justus Liebig University Gießen (Professor Dr Gerald Siegmund), and the Theatre Studies Chair of the Institute for Theatre, Film and Media Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (Professor Dr Nikolaus Müller-Schöll), in collaboration with the Hessian Theatre Academy (HTA), the Frankfurt LAB and the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm.

Under the heading “Theatre as Critique”, the organisers of the 13th Congress of the Society for Theatre Studies invite researchers to examine theatre as a critical practice. With the crisis of the classical groundings of both theatre and critique in mind, the congress aims at a reconsideration of, on the one hand, the history, theory and issues of theatre and, on the other, the concept of critique. At the heart of the debate, therefore, is not just the subject matter of theatre critique but rather critique itself. Plenary speeches and shorter contributions on 8 different subject areas will be complemented by performative formats, visits to the theatre, talks and scenic contributions from students of the Hessian Theatre Academy (HTA). 

ignificant academics and artists are intended as keynote speakers. There will also be a group of young academics that will present the results of their discussions in a keynote speech. Alongside the classical keynote and panel formats, the latter with three lectures of 20 minutes, the congress would like to encourage contributors to try out other contribution formats. We are also seeking suggestions for lecture performances or group presentations at a length of 60 minutes, given by up to six academics with a discussion afterwards. Alongside single talks, entire panels with three corresponding lectures may also be suggested, although the organisers reserve the right to enlarge or reconfigure the panels with respect to the suggestions they receive. A special young academics forum is not planned, although young academics are particularly encouraged to take part in this congress with their own contributions. Furthermore, one elementary component of the congress is mutual visits to theatre performances in local theatres as well as scenic contributions from students of the Hessian Theatre Academy.

The congress will advance the internationalisation of German-speaking theatre studies by putting on a series of panels in English that will run parallel to the German-speaking panels. We would thus like to encourage contributors from abroad to submit abstracts. We will endeavour to provide funding for the travel and accommodation costs of contributors from abroad from the German Research Community (DFG). In order to be eligible for this funding, please submit your abstract by the 1st of April.

For those of you who do not need funding, please send your abstract or suggestion for a panel (max. 500 characters) by the 30th of April 2016 to the following email address:

[e-mail]

The organisers will arrange the financial means to free those whose suggestions for a lecture or a presentation are accepted from the conference fee, inasmuch as they do not have the opportunity to receive this funding elsewhere. Please tell us when you send us your suggestion if this applies to you.

For hotel reservations, please check the list of hotels on the congress homepage from the 1st of May on:

www.theater-wissenschaft.de/kongresse

If you want to take part in the congress, please register on our website from the 1st of June 2016 on. 

For a detailed description of the congress, please check the attached file.