International Theatre Conference: About

Need for Dialogue

Despite the abundance of theoretical and critical material in related studies, there is a lack of communication on the role, function, and methodology of the director as it relates to issues of origin, ownership and interpretative control. Not only will the conference itself promote valuable discussion and interaction around these issues, but the published proceedings from this conference will contribute to the need for reputable, published works on directing and authorship in Western drama.

Theoretical Controversy: What is the Role of the Director?

Myriad theories of directing and literary ownership frame the debate questioning the director's role in theatre. For example, the definition of the director as an "interpretative artist" who is servant to the literary text competes with the idea of the "conceptual director" who expresses the playwright's text through a dominant theme or motif. The complexities underlying such debates will be addressed in this conference by such questions as:

• Is the director an interpreter, a co-author or a creator?
• What is the obligation of the director to the author of the play?
• To what extent is the meaning of a play encoded in the literary text?
• By what process does the director ascertain the intentions of the author?
• What is the relationship between authorial intent and directorial concept?
• By what criteria is the director's contribution in a production assessed?
• Who is author and who is proprietor of a theatrical performance?

Formats such as single paper presentations, discussions, a practitioner forum and live performances will provide opportunities for both formal and informal dialogue among academicians and profressionals from theatre and related fields.

The presenters will include established scholars of international repute, professional artists, and emergering scholars in the field from five countries: France, Italy, Denmark, the USA and Canada. Presenters will represent the varying and, in some cases, extraordinary points of view and entry into this incredibly complex field of study and practice.

The panels have been organized to encourage dialogue and exploration of the exciting links, overlaps and contrasts amongst theory, aesthetics and practice. Consequently, there are no concurrent sessions. Each panel of single paper presentations is followed by a half hour question and answer period; coffee breaks (a half hour each) are lengthier than usual to ensure fruitful discussion. Performances, a round table discussion, and a practitioner forum will provide opportunities for theorists and practitioners to interact with one another and with the attendees (for specific details, please see the preliminary program). These sessions will also refract and contexualize the issues explored in the scholarly papers.

Plans are already underway to publish a peer-reviewed collection of essays based on the proceedings of the conference. This volume will provide a valuable resource for scholars of theatre, drama and literary criticism.