TOWARDS AN ARAB DRAMATURGY: SYMPOSIUM
Sept. 27th & 28th, 2018
Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, GC CUNY
The PH.D. Program in Theatre at The Graduate Center &
The Theatre Initiative at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon
@ GC CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York
Symposium:
Arabic Dramaturgies and Contemporary Theatre in the Arab World – September 27th & 28th, 2018
Contemporary theatre and performance in the Arabic world is a diverse and contested set of practices that are unfolding in a fast-changing political and culturally complex region. In this situation, the performing arts are under pressure to independently produce new work, uphold traditions— and simultaneously to speak about contemporary lives, nationalism, class, race, religion, gender and new forms of theatre. In this symposium, we ask how theatre can continue to grow, develop artistically and continue to be a voice in the future of the Arabic world. How can the theatre in the region thrive?
With a focus in this symposium on Arabic dramaturgies, we hope to begin to answer these questions. As a term that bridges the ideas and practice of contemporary performance, dramaturgy draws our attention to the process of artistic production. It explores the notion that process is performance and invites us to look at the question of how artists connect ideas and forms in their work. Dramaturgy also considers questions about the state of the arts. It enables us to take stock and propose new ideas and creative forms for the future. It invites conversations between makers and theorists and artists and audiences. In addition, we examine if perhaps there is a new, specific Arabic dramaturgy emerging from all of it.
This symposium will feature research papers, artist talks and roundtable events. We invite contributions on topics including:
- What are Arabic dramaturgies?
- Are there specific local and regional approaches to performance and if so what are these?
- What are the recent trends and issues in contemporary theatre in the Arab world?
- What are examples that represent a new Arab dramaturgy?
- Politics and practice: how does theatre in the region work?
- Questions of gender, sexuality, secularity, class, city, Arabic diversity, ‘others’.
- Theatre as a source of community, audiences, sub-cultures.
- Zones of resistance and solidarity, what does theatre do?
- Tensions and conflicts; ‘occupied territories’ and theatre.
- Innovation and experimentation.
- Theatres of the real.
- Old forms of theatre and new: plays, performance, new media dramaturgy, dance, poetry, music, ritual.
The organization committee will select papers that will be presented in 15-20 minute sessions during the Symposium next to artist talks and panels. In addition to this, the sessions and papers will be compiled in a publication/book that will be generated from the discussions at the convening.
Submission deadline: July 16, 2018.
Acceptance Notification: Within 10-15 days from the date of submission
For more information and submission, please mail to:
mestc@gc.cuny.edu
The 2018 symposium TOWARDS AN ARAB DRAMATURGY is part of the exchange partnership between the Martin E. Segal Theater Center, the Ph.D. Program in Theatre and Performance, and the Theatre Initiative at the American University of Beirut (AUB) initiated by the 2017 respective visits of The Graduate Center CUNY President Chase Robinson in Beirut and AUB President Fadlo R. Khuri in New York and in close collaboration with AUB Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Nadia Maria El Cheikh and GC CUNY Provost Joy Connolly.
The symposium is organized by Sahar Assaf, Marvin Carlson, Peter Eckersall, Frank Hentschker, Robert Myers and Salma S. Zohdi.