July NUI Galway Host Largest International Theatre Studies Conference

NUI Galway will host the annual conference of the International Federation for Theatre Research from 12-16 July. With 800 speakers from more than 40 countries around the world, the conference will discuss the theme of “Theatre Ecologies”, exploring topics related to the environment, ecology, the impact of Covid-19 on theatre, and much more.

In a first for the International Federation for Theatre Research, the conference will be held virtually, allowing international delegates to experience a Galway academic event from their own homes. It is also the first time that the conference has been hosted by an Irish university.

The conference also features a specially curated showcase of theatre from the West of Ireland, celebrating NUI Galway’s partnerships with TG4, Druid Theatre, Galway 2020, and many others.

Speaking ahead of the opening of conference, Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway, Patrick Lonergan said: “The event is a major moment for Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway. The University launched its BA in Drama in 2011, and it is particularly fitting that, a decade later, we have the opportunity to welcome the world’s theatre scholars to this Galway event. This gives us an opportunity to showcase the excellence of theatre-making and theatre research in Galway, to celebrate our partnerships with local arts organisations, and to create new international relationships and networks.”

The move online has produced unexpected benefits, according to Professor Lonergan: “While the postponement of our conference last year due to Covid-19 was disappointing, the development of an online conference has shown us that there are new ways to stage academic events. Given that our conference explores the theme of theatre ecologies, it seems particularly fitting that the 2021 conference will have a very limited carbon footprint. We’ve also benefitted enormously from the specialised help and advice of the NUI Galway conference office, and our conference secretariat Abbey Conference and Events.”

The International Federation for Theatre Research was founded in 1957 and exists to facilitate communication and exchange between scholars of theatre and performance research throughout the world. Its recent annual conferences have previously been hosted in China, Sweden, Serbia, the UK, Brazil, Japan, and in many other countries.

For more information on the International Federation for Theatre Research visit https://www.iftr.org/conference.

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