8:30 am-4:45 pm Registration Desk/Conference Info Center  

2nd Floor

  8:00-8:45 am Pre-Session  

Practice/Production Pre-Session Movement Session: Room 226

Qigong / Tai Chi

Dennis Schebetta, Skidmore College

  9:00-10:15 am Session 7 

History Symposium 8: Room 213

Performing Womanhood

Chair: Erin Bone Steele, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

“The Mutilated Female Folk Figure: The Sacrifice of the Irish Warrior Woman for an Elitist Nationalism in Early Irish Drama”

Maeve Riley, University of Washington

“The Materiality of Domesticity: How an Afternoon Coffee Gathering Reveals the Violence of German Home-Life”

Greta Gebhard-McKeever, University of Minnesota

“Bye Barbie! A Hauntological reading of essential femininity in contemporary Western society through a revisiting of Charles Mee’s Big Love and Greta Gerwig’s film Barbie!”

Julia Moriarty, Millikin University

History Symposium 9: Room 225

Blood, Violence, and Collective Imaginaries

Chair: Ali-Reza Mirsajadi, DePaul University

“Violently Queer: HIV, Blood and Temporality in the Works of David Wojnarowicz and Ron Athey”

Eric Villiers, University of Washington

“Psychological Horror and the Fear of the ‘Abnormal’ Mind: The Grand Guignol Plays of André de Lorde and Alfred Binet”

Rob Shimko, University of Vermont

“If Cena Wins, We Riot: Performances of White Mob Mentality by Pro Wrestling Audiences”

Rob Yoho, Florida State University

Practice/Production Symposium 5: Room 226

Challenging Ableism: Toolkits & Practice

  Chair: John Berst, University of Miami

“Access Granted: Identifying and Addressing Institutionalized Barriers to Inclusive Audience Practices”

David Reed, University of Arkansas

 “Reframing the stage – Alternative modalities for delivering the text Or How not to enable ableism”

Ralph Janes, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 

Bill Watson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

 “How Using CAD (computer aided design) to CAM (computer aided machining) Workflows is Fighting Ableism in Theater Shops”

Carissa Knitowski, Ohio University

Pedagogy Symposium 8: Room 232

“A Romance with Time: Using 20th-Century Performance Tools for New Play Development in the 21st Century”
Chair: Ron Zank, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Panelists:

Jackie Rosenfeld, Texas A&M University - Commerce

Cade M. Sikora, Ball State University

Kiley Towne, Baylor University

Pedagogy Symposium 9: Room 235

“Creating Agency in Theatre Education”

Chair: Catherine (Katya) Vrtis, Independent Scholar

“Ungrading in the Acting Classroom: A Paradigm Shift in Assessing Artistic Growth"

Christopher Eastland, Michigan State University

“Navigating Authenticity: Intimacy Direction for Neurodivergent Actors”

Katie Clemons, Michigan State University

“Improving your Reflexes: Prioritizing Reflexivity in the Theatre Classroom”

Amanda Boldt, Emerson College

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room A: Room 313

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room B: Room 335

 10:30-11:45 am Session 8 

History Symposium 10: Room 225

Whose Body Is It, Anyway?

Chair: Julia Moriarty, Millikin University

“No Age Limit: The Pleasure and the Power of Burlesque Dance”

Deborah Kochman, University of South Florida

“A Strange Occurrence in Irish Theatre: Two Abortion Plays in Mid-Century Dublin”

Nic Barilar, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

“Perfume, Cross-dressing, and Sex: Classical Greek Comedy in Context”

Erin Bone Steele, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Pedagogy Symposium 10: Room 232

“Acting and Directing Pedagogy Strategies”

Chair: Wes Pearce, University of Regina

“Scaffolding the Method of Physical Action: Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to the Work of Konstantin Stanislavski”

Eric Kildow, Kent State University at Trumbull

“Truth in Performance: Dramatic Theory and Practice in the Classroom”

Anthony Santirojprapai, Maryville University

“The Imperative Need for a Well-Rounded, Differentiated Movement Curriculum”

Rebecca Johnson, Texas Tech University

Pedagogy Symposium 11:Room 226

Workshop: “Embodying the Song: Text and Music through Michael Chekhov Technique”

Chair: Greer Gerni, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Panelists:

David Ronis, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Julian Stetkevych, Elon University

History Symposium 11: Room 235

Staging Resilience

Chair: Weston Twardowski, Rice University

“‘Can’t Fight This Pullin’ Down’: Trauma, Shame, and Recovery from ‘Strong Black Womanhood’ in Morisseau’s Pipeline”

L. Bailey McDaniel, Oakland University

“Innovation in LGBTQ+ TYA; from Bullying to Bravery”

Andy Waldron, Bass State University

“Queering Theatre History: an (Im)possible Narrative of Nostalgia and South Korea’s ‘Women’s National Theatre’”

Shea Hwang, University of Pittsburgh

“Beyond Influence: Neuber, Gottsched, and the Quest to Reform German Enlightenment Theater”

Inga Schwemin, University of Washington

Practice/Production Symposium 6: Room 309

Nitty Gritty Workshop: Raw Materials and Words 

Chair: Cade Sikora, Ball State University

“(Re)Scripting Sex”

Jessamyn Fitzpatrick, NYU Tisch

 “Ecoscenography: A Design Responsibility in Commercial Theatre”

Alivia Cross, The Pennsylvania State University

Playwriting Symposium 2: Room 213

Chair: Bella Poynton, Buffalo State University 

Demon in the Sack
By Justine Maxwell, University of New Orleans
Director: Penelope Cole, Independent Scholar
Dramaturg: Lucas Skjaret, Baylor University
Man: Dan Dennis, Ohio University
Woman: Lana Sugarman, University of Minnesota, Morris

Gen Xers Move into a Retirement Community
By Helen Cheng Mao, Independent Artist
Director: Matthew Reeder, Ball State University
Dramaturg: Mike Franz, Chestnut Hill College
David: Aaron Scully, University of Central Missouri
Lisa: Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, University of Illinois, Springfield
Michael: David Janowiak, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Michelle: Kathy Privatt, Lawrence University

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room A: Room 313

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room B: Room 335

  12:00-2:00 pm Lunch Break  

Committee Meetings – All are welcome!

Conference Planning Committee: Room 213

Anti-Racism Committee: Alumni Lounge
(See linked flier for more information!)

Accessibility Committee: Room 226

Land Acknowledgement Committee: Room 232

  2:00-3:00 pm All Conference Session 

IMPOSSIBLE CONFERENCE 2025 - Alumni Lounge

Convener: Jeanmarie Higgins, University of Texas at Arlington

  3:00-4:15 pm Session 9  

History Symposium 12: Room 213

Staging Resistance
Chair: Katie Morris, Independent Scholar

“At Least Forty Years: Friends of the Los Angeles River and Performance Advocacy as Repair”

Weston Twardowski, Rice University

“Manipulation by Consent: Rethinking the Methods and Function of Agitprop Performance”

Catherine (Katya) Vrtis, Independent Scholar

“Outing Jonathan Ned Katz’s Coming Out!”

Amber Palson, University of Wisconsin-Madison

History Symposium 13: Room 225

Undergraduate Emerging Scholars

Chair: Rachel E. Bauer, Sacred Heart University

“Traitorous Executions: A Theatrical Performance”

MaryRose Jones, Millikin University

“From Sexual to Spectacle: An Analysis of Early and 

Golden Age Grand-Guignol Plays”

Grace Laughton, University of Missouri - Kansas City

“Producing Panic: The Melodramatic Conventions of Moral Panics”

Ella Millet, Louisiana State University

Practice/Production Symposium 7: Room 226

Meeting the Audience Half-way: New Dramaturgical Connections  

Chair: Claire Wewers, University of Arkansas

“BABA: Pursuing a Dramaturgy of Egyptian-American Family”

Suzi Elnaggar, Northwestern University

“The Dramaturgical Dimensions of Content Disclosures”

Sheridan Schreyer, Indiana University of Bloomington

 “Violating Dramaturgy: Breaking Expectations/ Expanding Boundaries”

Ron Zank, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Practice/Production Symposium 8: Room 235

Involvement & Invitation: Cultivating Engaged Communities 

Chair: Andy Waldron, Ball State University

“Centering Community in Theatre Making”

Kim McKean, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Adriana Dominguez, University of Texas at El Paso 

“Unintended Outcomes: Reframing through Applied Theatre”

Karen M. Dabney, University of Virginia (UVA Acts)

 “Moving the Work Forward: Criticality in Community”

Emily Harrison, Hamilton College

Jess Buttery, Hamilton College

Nathaniel Klein, Oracular Studios

Pedagogy Symposium 12: Room 226

“Reimagining and Reformatting Curricula”
Chair: Cate Heiner, Middle Tennessee State University

“You Can’t Stop the Beat (Down): Building a Stage Violence Training Program Within Existing Post-Secondary Musical Theatre Curricula”

David Reed, University of Arkansas

“Applied Theatre in Professional Training: Performativity and Responsibility”

Dan Dennis, Ohio University

“Reset and Review: Theatre Departments Mission Adjustment”

Macy Jones, University of the Ozarks

“Devising a New BFA and Herding Cats Have a lot in Common”

Wes Pearce, University of Regina

Playwriting Symposium 3: Room 309

Chair: Lucas Skjaret, Baylor University 

For Your Eyes Only
By Season Ellison, Bemidji State University
Director: Eric Kildow, Kent State University at Trumbull
Dramaturg: Straton Rushing, Theatre Arlington
Annie: Jane Purse-Wiedenhoeft, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Google: Abigail Labbe, University of Michigan 

Moon Zoo

By Elle Thoni, Carnegie Mellon University

Director: Nancy Taylor Porter, Illinois College

Dramaturg: Anna Tatelman, Independent Artist

Moonie 1: Nathan Bowman, Benedictine College

Moonie 2: Katherine Clemons, Michigan State University

Racoon: Kiley Towne, Baylor University 

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room A: Room 313

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room B: Room 335

  4:30-5:45 pm   Session 10  

History Symposium 14: Room 213
Respondent Forum: Part 1

THS Co-Respondents: Paola S. Hernández and Josephine Lee

Professional Development: Room 225 (Virtual Closed Session)
Pitch Your Book

Participants:

Ashley Bellet, Assistant Professor: Purdue University
Sarah Lee Chic, Adjunct Faculty: Hudson County Community College; Southern New Hampshire University; and CUNY, Baruch College

Javier Hurtado, Assistant Professor: Colorado State University

L. Bailey McDaniel, Associate Professor: Oakland University

Mona Merhi, Lecturer: James Madison University

Victoria Nooe, Lecturer: University of Texas at Arlington

Shadow Zimmerman, Full Time Faculty: Long Beach College

Editors:

Laura Hussey, Routledge

Gianna Mosser, Vanderbilt University Press

Claire Margerison, Routledge

Heather S. Nathans, University of Iowa Press

Shannon Walsh, Palgrave

Harvey Young, University of Michigan Press

Articles in Progress 1: Room 232 (Closed Session)

Participants:

“MYCELIA MUSICA: Dancing with Shrooms and Unruly Entanglements of Fungi sculpture, somatics and sound”

Iván-Daniel Espinosa, University of Colorado Boulder

Editors: 

Karin Waidley, Theatre/Practice

Practice/Production Symposium 9: Room 232

Is there more than one way to solve a maze?: Reconsidering Scenography

Chair: Alivia Cross, The Pennsylvania State University

“Decentralizing Design or Can we get rid of Designer as Guru?” 

Wes Pearce, University of Regina,

 “What’s in a Rectangle: Shape as Witness to Trauma in Performance Design”

Leah Mazur, University of Texas at Arlington

 “Scenographic Spatiality: A Multidisciplinary Study in Favor of Cultural Heritage and Its Preservation”

André Brandão de Castro, The Pennsylvania State University

Tereza Bruzzi, Federal University of Minas Gerais

Playwriting Symposium 4: Room 309

Chair: Nathan Bowman, Benedictine College

A Baby’s Cry
By Lizzy Santana, University of New Orleans
Director: Kiley Towne, Baylor University
Dramaturg: Shelby Alexander, University of Michigan
Russell: Aaron Scully, University of Central Missouri
Alyssa: Emily K. Harrison, Hamilton College

I Had My Suspicions
By Mikki Gillette, Independent Artist
Director: Shawna Mefferd Kelty, SUNY Plattsburgh
Dramaturg: Kristi Good, Carnegie Mellon University
Mara: Siobhan Jackson, Independent Artist
Britt: Mike Franz, Chestnut Hill College

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room A: Room 313

Playwriting Symposium Rehearsal Room B: Room 335

  6:15-7:30  pm Graduate Student Social  

UW English Department - 7191 Helen C. White Hall

  6:15-7:30  pm Evening TBA 

At UW English Department

UW-Madison Department of English - 6191 Helen C. White Hall (6:15 - 7:45 PM)

TransPerformance: a 90-minute Workshop 

**participants please bring laptop, wear comfy clothes, & prepare to utilize Google drive

Chair:  Kassy Skoretz, Anoka Ramsey Community College

“The Shared Book: The TransPerformance Harvesting Process”

Roberto Prestigiacomo, Trinity University

Around Madison

Children’s Theatre of Madison at the Overture Center: The Lightning Thief

University Theatre: Wine in the Wilderness
Ronald E. Mitchell Theatre in Vilas Hall - 821 University Avenue
Thursday, March 7th at 7:30 PM
Friday, March 8th at 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 9th at 2:00 and 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 10th at 2 PM

Lathrop Hall: Li Chiao-Ping Dance Concert
H'Doubler Performance Space

Thursday, March 7th at 8:00 PM

Friday, March 8th at 8:00 PM

Saturday, March 9th at 2:30 PM