Conferences & Convenings

2027 Conferences

SANKOFA, an African word and Adinkra symbol, translates to: "It is not taboo to go back for that which you have forgotten."

Originating from the Akan people of Ghana, Sankofa is typically depicted as a bird reaching backward to take an egg from its back, or as a stylized heart.

The philosophy of Sankofa offers us a powerful way to connect the past with the future, inspire meaningful change, and validate the necessity of confronting painful histories before we can heal and move forward. It reminds us as theatre makers, scholars, students, and leaders that looking back isn't about being stuck in the past, but about extracting lessons, wisdom, and data to build a better future.

Before we offer you the ATHE 2027 call, let us look back at the prevailing conference themes since 2023... (CLICK HERE for full conference call and info on how to submit to be a presenter)

2026 Conference

ATHE Governing Council

Kudos to me! I've been elected to serve on the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Governing Council as the Vice President of conference 2027!

Looking forward to seeing colleague/old friends and meeting new colleagues over the next two years!

2024 Conferences

Invited panelist

ATHE 2024 Panel: Navigating Whiteness and White Psychopathy at PWI's and HBCU's

Conference colleagues!

Fun with colleagues!

2024 Centering Blackness:

Nurturing the Creative Spirit

37th Annual Convening

July 26-29, 2024

Winston Salem North Carolina

Brookstown Inn

Keynote speaker Harry Lenox (in back) and conference attendees

BTN Panel: Black Brilliance at PWI's and HBCU's

BTN Board Induction

BTN 2024 Attendees

Past Conferences

Black Theatre Network Conference

July 20 - 23, 2023St. Louis MO

“SCRIPTING THE FLIP:

Black Theatre ACT III”

July 24 - 27, 2022Detroit Michigan

Black Theatre Network

"Liberation Theatre: When Black Theatre Works"

July 26-30, 2018, Memphis TNConference presenter "Beyond Respectability Politics - the Evolution of Black Theatre at Howard University"

Black Theatre Network Conference

Invited Speaker/presenter: Archival Research Presentation at the 2018 conference of my initial research for eventual lecture series and book focused on the Howard Players.

For the delivery of the presentation of my research at the 2018 Black Theatre Network Conference I utilized my expertise in public-focused dramaturgy. Public-focused dramaturgical efforts function to contextualize and offer frameworks for interpretation, critique and analysis.

I created and executed a slide presentation that moved the audience through select time periods in the 108 year production history oftentimes sharing information that had not been previously shared publicly.

I also posed questions to the audience inviting them to critique their perspectives on the evolution of black theatre, as well as shared the ongoing questions I seek to answer as I continue to conduct my research.

Conference Program

The Black Theatre Network conference is an annual conference which serve as a national forum for the exchange of ideas between professionals, educators and students of Black Theatre.

Black Theatre Network Conference (BTN) 31st Anniversary Conference "A Look Back as we Move Into the Future" August 6-9, 2016, Chicago IL

- Black Theatre Network Scholarly Conference (BTN) "Staged Presence: The Evolution of Black Theatre as the Voice for Protest, Social, and Creative Change" July 31 - August3, 2015 (Winston Salem NC). 4 days of scholarly presentations, networking and workshops.

National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) 8/4 - 9/2015 (Winston Salem NC). 5 days of theatre workshops, networking and play attendance.

2019 August WIlson Society Lecture Series

August Wilson Society Lecture Series Co-Chair

August Wilson Society "August Wilson Ground" inaugural Lecture Series

An annual lecture series whose mission is to advance August Wilson Studies by introducing cutting edge and creative new critical treatments of his American Century Cycle plays and encouraging ongoing informed discussions on the enduring relevance of his life and his work. Guest speakers from multiple disciplines “ground” their talks in one of the multiple disciplines featured in Wilson’s work—art, activism, religion, music, African retentions, economics, gender dynamics.

- - - Guest speaker: University of Maryland’s American Studies Chair and foodways scholar Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson speaking on—Cornbread, Biscuits, and Coca-Cola: Foods and Food Practices in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle Plays
    - Additional Speakers - Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick; Constanza Romero Wilson, August Wilson’s wife and the executor of his estate; Janis Burley Wilson, President and CEO of Pittsburgh’s August Wilson African American Cultural Center; and Paul Ellis, Executive Director and Legal Counsel for the August Wilson House Restoration Project.

2011 Black Playwrights Convening, Arena Stage

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