Theatrical Movement

Late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century theatres were sites of constant movement: playwrights and their texts moved back and forth between Britain and the continent, resulting in the emergence of hybrid genres such as melodrama that brought together music and visual effects in innovative ways; performers travelled across the country and between continents, reprising roles at both provincial and urban theatres; in playhouses, bodies moved in unexpected ways as actors abandoned the declamatory style of the previous century and as dance became an essential element of an evening’s entertainment; scenery glided across stages thanks to innovations in machinery such as the panorama that provided the illusion of the passage of time and space; backstage, money moved hands as managers sought to maximize profits while feeding the public’s demand for such increasingly elaborate—and expensive—spectacular effects.

This day-and-a-half symposium will focus on the broad theme of “movement” as a framework through which to explore the theatre at a moment when it—along with the period’s political, economic, and social structures—seemed in flux. It will consist of a series of traditional conference papers alongside 5-minute “provocations” which intended to generate innovative thinking and lively discussion. We will also hold practical sessions involving bodily movement as a way of more closely approaching the embodied practices of the theatre.

Organizers:

• Michael Gamer (Queen Mary / University of Pennsylvania)
• Deven Parker (University of Glasgow)
• Ian Newman (Notre Dame)

Participants:

• Matthew Buckley (Rutgers University)
• Jeff Cox (University of Colorado)
• Franca Dellarosa (Università degli Studi di Bari, Italy)
• Lisa Freeman (University of Illinois Chicago)
• Kathy Fry (King’s College London)
• James Grande (King’s College London)
• Moira Goff (The Garrick Club)
• Katherine Hambridge (Durham University)
• Jo Hicks (University of Aberdeen)
• Essaka Joshua (Notre Dame)
• David Kennerley (Oxford University)
• Greg Kucich (Notre Dame)
• Jonathan Mulrooney (College of the Holy Cross)
• Daniel O'Quinn (University of Guelph)
• Terry Robinson (Toronto University)
• Diego Saglia (University of Palma)
• David Taylor (Oxford University)
• Susan Valladeres (Durham University)

This symposium is being co-sponsored by Notre Dame and The Department of English and Drama at Queen Mary University of London.

This is a closed event.