“Theatre and Learning”
University of Toronto, Festival of Original Theatre (F.O.O.T)
February 2 - 5, 2012
Call for Presentations, Performances, and Workshops
The annual Festival of Original Theatre (FOOT) conference, held at the Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama at the University of Toronto, seeks presentation, performance, and workshop proposals for its 2012 Conference: “Theatre and Learning.”
FOOT 2012 is about the complex relationships between theatre and learning in both theory and practice. This conference will comprise three broad areas of exploration:
1)learning theatre (e.g., learning and teaching theatre skills)
2)learning through theatre (e.g., Theatre/Drama in Education)
3)theatre plus learning (e.g., Theatre for Social Change)
All three streams of the festival will include paper presentations, roundtables, workshops, and performances, with the latter taking place at various sites on campus and in various theatres in downtown Toronto. We expect theatre scholars, artists, educators and education scholars to be most active participants at the festival. Because of the constant interaction between theory and practice in this field, research presentations may not comfortably fit a “paper presentation” format. We recognise that demonstrations or even presentations where participants get up on their feet might be more appropriate for exploring and discussing the nuances associated with theatre and learning.
We expect that the presentations, performances, or workshops will strive to make connections between theatre and learning in specific and possibly unexpected ways.
Possible Presentations, Performances, or Workshops might include, but are not limited to:
1)Staged readings of original plays (including excerpts from a full-length work).
2)Live or filmed presentations of applied theatre work
3)Fully staged short plays, including (but not restricted to) Theatre for Young Audiences
4)Short presentations in non-dramatic theatrical forms
5)Workshops focussed on a particular theatre skill, technique or practice
6)Theatre and Learning jams, facilitated practical exchanges of ideas, projects and/or practices
Potential participants are asked to submit a proposal of 250 words or less by Friday September 30, 2011 to Festival Directors Art Babayants and Heather Fitzsimmons Frey at . Please include a short bio of theatre and/or arts education experience, and an explanation of why your proposal fits the theme of FOOT 2012. We also need a cursory list of technical requirements – tech heavy projects cannot be considered. Please include your full name, your email address, and your affiliation and status (academic or artistic institution or independent scholar/artist; student, faculty, or staff). We will acknowledge the receipt of every proposal within three days of receiving it. A separate call for papers will also be posted.