KDS | Theatralia 2023: Call for Papers

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Theatralia: Journal of Theatre Studies, vol. 26, no. 1, issue topic:

‘The Roaring Twenties: Theatre and Theatre Theory of the 2020s’

Issue Editors: Eva Šlaisová & Martin Revermann

Proposal deadline: 30 April 2022

The term ‘Roaring Twenties’ refers to the period after World War I, which was marked by wealth and economic prosperity; questioning of social, gender, and racial boundaries; and a surge of scientific and technological discoveries (e.g., radio, TV, sound film, aviation, cars). The period is also characterised by heightened creativity and innovation in art, which is epitomised in various avant-garde movements (such as Constructivism, Surrealism, Poetism), as well as innovative approaches (semiotics, structuralism, Marxism, phenomenology, etc.) to the study of social, cultural, and artistic phenomena. Recently, some voices have drawn parallels between the 1920s and 2020s in terms of art, fashion, economics, and the euphoric and hedonistic; as well as a post-traumatic atmosphere in society, interest in social, gender and racial questions, and the role of technology and visuality in various cultures.

This current issue invites an open discussion of the question of whether the parallel between the 1920s and 2020s is justifiable in the fields of theatre/performance practice and theory. Are there analogies between these periods in terms of innovation and creativity in theatre/performance practise and theory? What are the current trends in theatre theory? Are they as innovative as their one-hundred-year-old forerunners (structuralism, semiotics, theories of epic theatre, lyrical theatre)? To what extent are current theatre/performance practice and theory original, and to what extent do they rely on their precursors (as terms such as post-colonialism, post-structuralism and neo-avant-garde may suggest)? How are contemporary theatre theory and practice created? Is it the collective and cooperative work of scholarly and artistic groups, which declare their founding principles through manifestos and statements, as was the common practice of the 1920s (Surrealist, Dada, and Poetistic movements in terms of art; the Frankfurt School and the Moscow and Prague linguistic circles in terms of theory); or is theory and art developed mostly by individuals?

In addition, is there the same sort of inspirational dialogue between artists and theoreticians these days as we witnessed in the 1920s, or more precisely between the 1910s and 1930s (e.g., Russian Formalists and Russian Futurists and Constructivists, and Prague Structuralists and Avant-garde artists)? Do contemporary theatre thinkers and practitioners draw inspiration from other disciplines as was common in the 1920s, when ethnology, philosophy, linguistics, psychology, sociology, and so on, played a significant role in shaping both theatre practice and theory? If interdisciplinarity is still an important approach, how does it differ from the 1920s; what disciplines are at the centre of attention, and which are on the periphery? Does current theory and theatre/performance reflect gender and racial issues, as well as other topical issues (such as globalisation, inter-culturalism, extremism, etc.)? What similarities and differences exist between the interests of 1920s and 2020s artists and theoreticians in terms of intermediality, multimediality, technology, and visuality? Finally, has current theatre/performance theory and practice created anything as groundbreaking, innovative, and inspirational as their one-hundred-year-old predecessors?

We invite contributions in the form of essays for Yorick, the peer-reviewed section of the journal (4,000 – 7,000 words), on the following suggested topics:

• Current theatrical trends in theatre/performance theory (performance philosophy, cognitive approaches, semiotics, etc.)
• Relationships between theatre/performance theories of the 1920s and 2020s: repetition vs. innovation; criticism/distance vs. adoration
• Relationship between current theatre/performance practice and recent theatre/performance theories
• Reflection of present topical social issues in contemporary theatre/performance practice and theory (globalisation, inter-culturalism, LGBTQ+ issues, racial themes, ecology, political trends, etc.)
• Interdisciplinarity in theatre/performance theory
• Technology and visuality in 1920s and 2020s theatre/performance and theory: progress vs. stagnation; innovation vs. repetition

Important dates

Proposal submission deadline: 30 April 2022

Manuscript submission deadline for peer-reviewed sections (Yorick, Spectrum): 31 June 2022

Manuscript submission deadline for non-reviewed sections (Reviews, Events): 30 September 2022

Issue Publication: April 2023

All issue-related enquiries, as well as submissions, should be sent to the issue editors: theatralia@phil.muni.cz.

General guidelines for submission, formal requirements and citation style are available at the section for authors on the Theatralia website.

Theatralia is a peer-reviewed journal of theatre and performance history and theory, issued by Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, and indexed in SCOPUS, EBSCO and ERIH Plus and listed in Ulrich’s Web Global Serials Directory.