During the French Revolution, the theatrical representation ofcurrent events (be it directly or allegorically) grew to an unprecedentedpopularity. Yet even in the decades prior-- for most of the eighteenth century,in fact -- France witnessed significant changes to the relationship betweendramatic texts and contemporary events, performances and criticism, and thepresent and the past. These transformations both reflected and contributed toimportant debates, notably about the social and political function of theaterand the aesthetic merits and perils of such a contemporary focus, especially inan art form characterized by mutability and impermanence.
This panel invites proposals, in French or in English,which analyze any aspect of "théâtre et actualité(s)," broadlyinterpreted, and certainly not limited to:
-- The staging of current events
-- Dramatic criticism
-- Theater anecdotes/the reporting of spectator behavior
-- The uses and abuses of censorship
-- The relationship between politics and theater
-- Journalism and theater
-- Aesthetic rebirth and decadence
-- Theories on acting
-- New representative strategies
-- Architectural changes to the playhouse
Please send a one-paragraph proposal (in Frenchor in English) as an email attachment to both Logan Connors and Yann Robert @ logan.connors@bucknell.edu and yrobert@stanford.edu
The ASECS conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on March 20-24, 2012.