CFP: APGRD/University of London Joint Postgraduate Symposium

The Call for Papers for this year’s APGRD/University of London Joint Postgraduate Symposium is now available. The Symposium will take place online from Monday 28 to Tuesday 29 June, with the theme ‘Challenging Traditions and Traditions of Challenge in the Theory and Practice of Greek and Roman Drama’.

ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM

This annual Symposium focuses on the reception of Greek and Roman tragedy and comedy, exploring the afterlife of these ancient dramatic texts through re-workings by both writers and practitioners across all genres and periods. This year’s focus on ‘Challenging Traditions and Traditions of Challenge’ takes as its starting point the contemporary challenges to traditional forms and structures of theatre which the pandemic has precipitated, but expands to encompass a broader historical perspective on what it means to challenge a tradition, to negotiate our involvement within traditions which are themselves challenging, and to build on traditions of challenge.

This year’s guest speaker will be Professor Clare Finburgh Delijani (Goldsmiths, University of London). We will also have a guest respondent for both days: Dr Marchella Ward (Oxford) on the Monday and Dr Lucy Jackson (Durham) on the Tuesday. The first day of the symposium will include the digital premiere of the 68^th annual King’s College London Greek Play. In keeping with the symposium’s focus, this project is a first in the long tradition of the King’s Greek Play: the creation and staging of an entirely new piece of writing drawn from extant and fragmentary Greek tragedy. Symposium attendees will be among the first to experience this world premiere.

PARTICIPANTS

Postgraduates from around the world are welcome to participate, as are those who have completed a doctorate but not yet taken up a post. The symposium is open to speakers from different disciplines, including researchers in the fields of Classics, modern languages and literature, and theatre and performance studies.

Practitioners are welcome to contribute their personal experience of working on ancient drama. Papers may also include demonstrations or recorded material. Undergraduates are very welcome to attend.

Those who wish to offer a short paper (20 mins) or performance presentation on ‘Challenging Traditions and Traditions of Challenge in the Theory and Practice of Greek and Roman Drama’ are invited to send an abstract of up to 200 words outlining the proposed subject of their discussion to postgradsymp@classics.ox.ac.uk by Monday 12 April 2021 (if applicable, please include details of your current course of study, supervisor and academic institution). There will be no registration fee.

CONTACT FOR ENQUIRIES: postgradsymp@classics.ox.ac.uk