Tradition, Transition and Transformation:
Performance and Cultural Dynamics
Institute of Technology, Tralee in association with the Irish Society for Theatre Research
This conference will address the notion of the stage as a site of cultural tradition, transition and transformation. There, performances will be viewed as lens through which indigenous cultures are preserved and promoted, westernised culture is presented, cultural hybridity become evident and where turning points in cultural development receive recognition. Themes pertaining to colonialism, nationalism, interculturalism, ethnicity, identity, and globalisation will receive attention. In addition, performances will be addressed in informal as well as formal contexts and all tools of theatrical expression will be explored, speech, music, mime, sound and dance.
Topics might include:
- Reconstructions of Identity and Hybridity
- Memory, Myth and Ritual in Performance
- Politics and Performance
- Theatricalisation of Marginalized Cultures
- Indigenous and Westernised Forms of Theatre
- Folk Theatre: Definitions, Parameters, Crossroads
- Street Performance
These are only suggestions and the conference will be open to other themes. The 2015 Irish Society for Theatre Research Conference greets keynote speakers Professor Anna McMullan, Professor of Theatre, at the University of Reading and Dr Lillis O Laoire, Senior Lecturer, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Galway. It also welcomes a wide range of panels including research papers, practice demonstrations, and performances.
All delegates will be welcome but those who attend must register and become members of the Society. Application forms will be available during the event. Please contact the organizers by email at istr2015@gmail.com
The delivery of papers, presentations and performances cannot exceed twenty minutes and the deadline for proposals (max. 250 words) along with an e-mail address and a brief biography is Monday February 2nd 2015. Please forward proposals to Dr Sharon Phelan at: sharon.phelan@ittralee.ie. The conference will welcome proposals from scholars at all points in their career and it especially supports proposals from postgraduate students. Delegates will be notified of the acceptance of their proposal by Friday 27th February 2015.