[New-Poetry] Violence on Stage

[Anny Ballardini]

*VIOLENCE ON STAGE*

* *

*III INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AMERICAN THEATRE AND DRAMA*

* *

*Cádiz, May 27-29, 2009*



Ever since the Greeks, drama and violence have rarely been far from one
another, at least within the Western dramatic tradition. The staging of
violence, apart from being a representation of one of the most powerful and
recurrent of human traits, can also be a reflection of larger social and
cultural forces. As a matter of fact, the existence and continuity of a
nation such as the United States cannot be adequately explained without a
study of the use/abuse/containment of violence and, among others, its
representation on stage. Serious drama in America has resorted to literal or
figurative violence to pass judgment on an unfair, violently repressive
society; to denounce the self-deceiving drives of many individuals; to
expose the brutalizing effects of traditional family patterns and the
violent exclusion of (non-mainstream or otherwise) individuals from the
American Dream; or to (violently) break with inherited theatrical forms and
open up new avenues of artistic experimentation. We believe that an
exploration of the role of violence in American theatre and drama will
result in fruitful and fresh insights into a dramatic tradition which has
rarely been approached from this angle.



Among the specific issues which the conference hopes to address --always
through their representation on the American stage-- are:



-         Theatrical theories of violence (Grotowski, Artaud, The Living
Theatre,…).

-         The history of violence. Violence in history.

-         The aesthetics of violence. Theatrical strategies for the
representation of violence.

-         Collateral effects: the violence of conflict as suffered by both
the invader and the invaded, the winner and the loser, the soldier and the
civilian.

-         Violence experienced (or inflicted on) those of other gender,
racial, sexual groups.

-         Institutional, social and structural violence.

-         Violence in the workplace: abuse, mobbing, harassment, bullying.

-         Psychological abuse. The psychology of the abuser; the effect on
the abused. Justification of the abuser. The abused as guilty.

-         Linguistic excess as violence. The strategy of silence.

-         Audience reaction to violence on stage.

-         The failure of the American Dream and the subsequent generation of
violence.



The conference will take place on May 27, 28 and 29, 2009, in Cádiz, one of
the oldest and most harmonious nicest cities in Europe (site of Phoenician
and Roman ruins), situated in southern Spain and literally surrounded by the
often violent but always suggestive ocean, in an environment propitious for
scholarly reflection and the exchange of ideas. Across the Cádiz bay lies
the US Rota Military Base, a useful reminder of the kind of world we live in
and the role of violence in it. The University of Cádiz, with its upgraded
technological infrastructure, is one of the most modern in all Spain and
will prove an excellent venue for the conference. The city, on the other
hand, boasts one of the mildest climates in Southern Europe and offers a
rich cultural background and ample opportunities for leisure and recreation.
Among the keynote speakers that will honor the conference are Paula Vogel,
Cheryl Black, John Frick, and (to be confirmed) Bob Vorlicky.

Those wishing to present a paper at the conference or organize a round-table
discussion should send a 500-word abstract, in English, *by September 30,
2008, *to the following e-mail address:



berceo at gmail.com



Authors of accepted papers will receive confirmation of acceptance by *December
15, 2008. *The organizers intend to publish a volume of essays based on a
selection of the papers presented at the conference. Authors will be duly
informed of the style specifications for manuscript submission and the
editors' expectations for such a volume. For upgraded information on the
conference please visit



www.violenceonstage.com





Conference organizers: University of Cadiz, University of Seville,
University of Málaga and the American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS).




-- 
Anny Ballardini
http://annyballardini.blogspot.com/
http://www.fieralingue.it/modules.php?name=poetshome
http://www.moriapoetry.com/ebooks.html
I Tell You: One must still have chaos in one to give birth to a dancing
star!
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