The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 22.0023 Thursday, 27 January 2011
From: Sarah Enloe <
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>
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 12:19:29 PM ET
Subject: 2011 Conference Announcement
As January draws to a close, we look forward to the new year and all that it promises, and at the
American Shakespeare Center, the promise of 2011 is the Sixth Blackfriars Conference, at which we will be
celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Blackfriars Playhouse. Our keynote speakers will be Tiffany
Stern, George T. Wright, Stephen Booth, and Barbara Hodgdon, and, new this year, the panels immediately
following each keynote session will further explore the topic addressed by the talk. We will expand the
successful Staging Sessions we introduced at the 2009 conference and invite you to consider what textual
crux you might wish to explore on the Blackfriars Stage with the help of the ASC resident troupe. We will
continue to hone our Roundtable discussions, both in topic and in format. In addition to the five ASC
productions and the traditional Saturday night Menzerama, we will also offer some shorter entertainments.
And remember: the more events we have, the more opportunities you have to compete for the Truancy Award
by ignoring them. For more information on any of the above, or to register or submit an abstract, please
visit http://americanshakespearecenter.com/v.php?pg=1000.
You don't have to wait until October to enjoy the work at the Blackfriars. On January 8th our actors --
after three days of rehearsal -- opened the first of five early modern plays in our Actors' Renaissance
Season. This season the actors, working from cues scripts without a director, will stage The Comedy of
Errors, The Malcontent, Look About You, 3 Henry VI, and A Trick to Catch the Old One. By showcasing the
remarkable energy and connectivity created by the text, the process, and the playhouse, the Actors'
Renaissance Season generates new devotees of early modern theatre every year, so if you haven't been in
Staunton during the season -- January through the first week of April -- try not to miss it this year.
The success of the Actors' Renaissance Season has encouraged us to develop programs take advantage of
their work. One such program is our Actor-Scholar Council. This group gathers for conversations with the
actors throughout the season. Past meetings have provided anecdotes and insights into the plays, many of
which have found their way into conference papers and presentations. We would love to see you at one of
the Actor-Scholar Council meeting, but if you can't get to Staunton you can participate by posting a
question for us to ask on our Facebook page, or by emailing one to
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.
We will also be recording and podcasting our meetings this year, so check our website to hear the
discussion and your questions answered. For more information, see
http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com/v.php?pg=987.
Other innovations brought about by the ARS include our courses for college students, our new magazine The
Playhouse Insider, and many new workshops and lectures dwelling on the lessons of our process and our
productions. We already have eight college groups scheduled for the season, and anticipate adding more as
we go along. We encourage you to consider making the Blackfriars Playhouse your classroom, the plays your
curriculum, and the conversations generated your seminar by signing your students up to attend. Our new
periodical, The Playhouse Insider, considers the insights of three groups essential to the success of
plays at the Blackfriars: the artists, the audience, and the scholars. Several of your colleagues have
already contributed articles for the first edition, and we will be inviting more input from you in the
coming months. Finally, consider attending our week-long camp for adults this summer, and, in addition to
seeing several plays, attending rehearsals, enjoying the social events that bring our actors and scholars
together, you will find a wealth of possibilities for your own classroom.
Hoping to see you in Staunton, and more than once, in 2011.
All best,
Sarah Enloe
American Shakespeare Center
Director of Education
540-885-5588 x28
540-292-3395
The American Shakespeare Center recovers the joy and accessibility of Shakespeare's theatre, language,
and humanity by exploring the English Renaissance stage and its practices through performance and
education.
[Editor's Note: Long-time subscribers -- bless you -- to this list are aware of my unabashed love for the
American Shakespeare Center and the Blackfriars Conference and all the folks associated with these
projects. But you don't know that Steve Urkowitz and I are planning our second annual trek to the Actors'
Renaissance Season. Also, I think it about time that I break out of my protective shell of shyness and
host a gathering of the many SHAKSPEReans who will be in attendance at the Blackfriars Conference. More
to come. --Hardy ]
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S H A K S P E R: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook,
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The S H A K S P E R Web Site <http://www.shaksper.net>
DISCLAIMER: Although SHAKSPER is a moderated discussion list, the opinions expressed on it are the sole
property of the poster, and the editor assumes no responsibility for them.
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