III EASTAP CONFERENCE IN BOLOGNA

IMPORTANT NOTICE

http://emiliaromagnateatro.com/en/conference-eastap

Creating for the Stage and other Spaces: Questioning Practices and Theories

Organizers: Claudio Longhi, Daniele Vianello

Scientific Committee: Antonio Araujo, Christopher Balme, Maria João Brilhante, Chloe Déchery, Josette Féral, Clare Finburgh, Gerardo Guccini, Stefan Hulfeld, Lorenzo Mango, Aldo Milohnic, Elena Randi, Anneli Saro, Diana Taylor, Gabriele Vacis, Piermario Vescovo

Organizing Committee: Claudio Longhi – Daniele Vianello – Gerardo Guccini (heads), Silvia Cassanelli, Valentina Falorni, Licia Ferrari, Viviana Gardi, Stefania Lodi Rizzini, Giulia Maurigh, Rossella Mazzaglia, Debora Pietrobono, Martina Sottana, Angelo Vassalli

The twentieth century witnessed crucial changes in creation for the stage, which in extreme cases resulted in a negation of theatre itself. While trying to negotiate this legacy, two decades into the twenty-first century, further transformations and developments are taking place, requiring new theoretical languages that adopt the past as an essential matrix for examining the present and future.

The III EASTAP Conference (European Association for the Study of Theatre and Performance) intends to study this specific subject as well as helping to establish and support a dialogue between different cultures and customs in a moment, our present time, when the idea of Europe is thrown into question.
As a logical follow-up to the Paris and Lisbon editions which focused on decentralisation and shared memory(ies) of the European contemporary stage, this third EASTAP Conference will examine creating for the stage from past to present and across practice and theory. With the express intention to embed the EASTAP Conference in the Festival VIE 2020 (international theatre festival), we will foreground dialogue on the creative process with artists.

Researchers have investigated creative practices and related issues from many different perspectives. Over the course of the twentieth century, these practices and perspectives were considered to be useful knowledge for understanding artistic works; later, they turned into a set of cultural objects in their own right, requiring specific approaches and publishing. In the third millennium, as the focus has moved from the culture of the product to the culture of the process, creative practices have been included in the resulting stage works as organic and inseparable parts of the same process.

The conference structure includes two main areas of investigation which, in turn, include four major interlocking topics: theories of textual composition and practices of textual composition; theories of performance creation, or ‘writing for the stage’, and practices of ‘writing for the stage’.

By ‘textual composition’ we understand not only play-texts, but also multiple literary as well as other verbal types of languages. Examples include texts derived from improvisation; performance-‘scripts’; materials used in documentary theatre; the dramaturg’s contributions, which enable the text to shift between author, director, actors and audience.

By ‘stage writing’ we understand that stage processes can become a writing system of their own, involving all theatrical elements. The notion applies to theatre direction as well as to avant-garde and contemporary performance art, where non-linguistic features can be afforded semiotic value, adding to the theatrical language.
Both of these main areas of enquiry – ‘textual composition’ and ‘stage writing’ – include two sub-topics, namely theoretical perspectives aspects and artistic practices. Each, in turn, can be set either in a historical or contemporary context.

Artists from the Festival VIE 2020 are invited to take part in the conference by entering into dialogue with experts, journalists, researchers and theatre professionals sharing their ideas about the topics of enquiry via presentations, performances, masterclasses, round tables and audio-visual materials.

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS

VENUES AND INFO

Teatro Arena del Sole

Where: Via dell’Indipendenza 44, 40121 – Bologna

From the train station:
By bus, bus 11 and 27 (from Piazza XX Settembre, bus stop Autostazione)
Walking along Via dell’Indipendenza (10 minutes)

Shuttle “T-Days”:
Shuttle T2, stop “Arena del Sole”, runs every 20 minutes from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

From the airport:
Aerobus, stop “Mille” (20 minutes), runs every 30 minutes from 5.30 a.m. to 00.15 p.m.

From the ring road:
Exit n. 7, direction “centro” (centre)

DAMSLab

Where: Piazzetta Pier Paolo Pasolini 5/b, 40122 – Bologna

From the train station:
By bus, bus 33  stop “Porta Lame”

From the airport:
Aerobus, stop “Mille” (20 minutes), runs every 30 minutes from 5.30 a.m. to 00.15 p.m.

From the ring road:
Exit n. 7, direction “centro” (centre)