Translation, Adaptation and Dramaturgy

Previously known as Page to Stage, the Translation, Adaptation and Dramaturgy (TAD) working group was founded in Lisbon in 2009. It exits to facilitate a long-term interdisciplinary, transcultural collaboration, discussion and exchange. It meets annually and welcomes new members.

Mission Statement

Translation, Adaptation and Dramaturgy (TAD) is an interdisciplinary Working Group whose members research within the respective fields of theatre translation, adaptation and dramaturgy and, more interestingly, at the intersections of those, combining interests in the local and the global, historical and contemporary, text and performance, theory and practice, critical theory, cultural studies, ethics, politics and aesthetics. The group works towards both individual and shared outputs and involves short and long-term collaborations, as well as an ongoing commitment to rigour, curiosity and new ideas.

Papers (up to 3000 words) are pre-circulated four weeks before the conference, followed by brief (up to 10 minutes) verbal presentations at the conference to ensure time for discussion and exchange.

Individual conveners serve for four years, and are elected according to the IFTR guidelines, biannually.

Work Plan 2022-2024

The group is working towards a new edited collection Dramaturgical Interventions – Translation, Adaptation and Dramaturgy as Transformative Practices to be published with Brill in 2024. It is edited by Ann-Christine Simke, Shane Pike, Katja Krebs, Kasia Lech, and Nelson Barre. The volume explores how translation, adaptation and dramaturgy are politically intervening in, unsettling and re-centering artistic and institutional discourses and practices amidst recent political, social and technological/digital shifts. The group is also working on a multilingual TAD dictionary.

Work Plan 2017-2020

Having published an edited collection in 2017, the group is using the intervening period to consolidate new interests, renew membership and explore new topics for discussion. A new collection of articles is in development (to be edited by Bernadette Cochrane and Ann-Christine Simke). This will collate a number of previously sourced submissions under the newly defined thematic focus on politics, and additional contributions will be sourced through a Call for Papers to be published in 2019-2020.

Conference Reports

2023 Accra

During this important week, we heard and discussed ten papers covering theatre in Poland, Ukraine, Iceland, Ghana, the USA, India, the UK, and France. The papers opened up questions about different powers and positionalities also related to our key concepts - translation, adaptation, and dramaturgy - and how we are defining them. Kasia Lech shared updates on the edited collection, which will be completed in 2024. The group has also discussed how to engage with colleagues outside of the US, Australia, and Western Europe.

2022 Reykjavík

This was an exciting week during which we heard and discussed fifteen papers covering theatre related to Iceland, Tanzania, Australia, Germany, Togo, the USA, Poland, Afghanistan, Canada, France, Vietnam, and Czechia. These discussions became a springboard for our thinking about new transnational projects and publications, and alternative ways of disseminating our work. Bernadette Cochrane and Stephanie Sandberg were chosen as new co-convenors to take over from Duška Radosavljević. The group has also discussed and created new rules of how to share and feedback on papers in the most supportive way. Shake Pike shared updates on the edited collection and the group has decided to continue to work on the multilingual dictionary project.

2021 Galway

The conference took place online and, thanks to excellent technical support, the proceedings were flawless. We heard nineteen papers from presenters in Australia, India, Tel Aviv, Europe and the United States. It was a packed schedule but there was time for sufficient time for discussion and we had an AGM at the end where we were able to exchange information about personal projects and plans. Most importantly for the group, Anne-Christine Simke presented about the edited collection that she is co-editing with another three WG members. Also Kasia Lech will be co-ordinating an initiative she proposed last year for an online dictionary of our Working Group so we can begin building sharable online resources. WG convener re-election will be run by email in the year 2021-22 to replace Duška Radosavljević and have a handover at the next conference.

AGM Meeting 16 July 2020

Due to the Corona Virus pandemic, IFTR in Galway was not held this year but is being moved to 2021. As we recently elected a new co-convener (Kasia Lech), the Translation, Adaptation and Dramaturgy Working Group did hold an AGM in the week originally scheduled to take place in Galway. We met on Zoom and had 18 participants some of whom were due to present in the conference this year and some of whom joined the meeting to find out more about the group in response to a circular sent out by the IFTR. In the spirit of the Mission Statement of the Working Group, the new members were welcomed to the meeting. The Agenda included Communications from the Chair about the WG webpage on the IFTR website which was updated in the summer of 2019 following the Shanghai conference. Duška Radosavljević reminded the participants about the Mission Statement of the Working Group, the current work plan stated on the website and the need to keep working collaboratively on shared outputs. We discussed potential meetings and options for collaboration and Ann-Christine Simke updated the group on the progress of the edited collection she is working on. Bernadette Cochrane has stepped down as co-editor and Ann-Christine is looking for another co-editor. Suggestions were received and the group will proceed to work on this and other collaborative ventures further. Haike Gehring stressed the importance of us including the marginalised voices of various intersectional communities from the Global South and emphasised the African multilingualism as an important aspect to be integrated within the remit of this Working Group as a whole. The new co-convener Kasia Lech presented her ideas for two Online Resources that she would like to work with the WG on for inclusion on our IFTR TAD WG website. We ended the meeting by toasting the outgoing convener Katja Krebs and inaugurating the new convener Kasia Lech.

Shanghai 2019

Thirteen papers were pre-circulated and presented, including three from new members on the topic of Chinese theatre. (Nineteen abstracts had been submitted and eighteen acceptances made; five members were prevented from attending due to personal circumstances). There was ample time for discussion within sessions. The annual general meeting of the group featured an update on the book collection, exchange of information about potential networking throughout the year and future plans for the group. One of the conveners is about to step down in 2019-2020 so there will be a new election. Following previous intersections with the Arabic Theatre Working Group and the Theatre Architecture Working Group, we hope to curate a shared panel next year with either Queer Futures or Political Performance group.

Belgrade 2018

The conference topic of migration landed itself well to the group. There were fourteen papers pre-circulated and presented at the conference, roughly half of which spoke directly to the conference theme. Other topics in addition included imagination and dramaturgy, medicine and dramaturgy and violence and adaptation.

Sao Paolo 2017

We were a relatively small group this year, with 9 people delivering papers. A tenth paper was submitted, but its author did not appear for his panel. Other conference delegates, including past and new TAD members, also attended sessions. As occurred last year, papers were circulated among members in advance in order to maximize the opportunity for discussion of those papers. Because of the small-ish number of attendees, the convenors chose not to sponsor a TAD panel among the conference’s General Panels – in order not to dilute engagement within the TAD sessions. We marked the publication of the latest TAD publication: O’Toole, Emer, Andrea Pelegrí Kristíc, and Stuart Young, eds. Ethical Exchanges: Translation, Adaptation, Dramaturgy. Leiden and Boston: Brill Rodopi, 2017.

Publications

O'Toole, Emer; Pelegri Kristić, Andrea; Young Stuart (2017) Ethical Exchanges in Translation, Adaptation and Dramaturgy, (Leiden: Brill Rodopi).

Cochrane, Bernadette and Kurt Taroff. (2011) “Mediations and Correlations.” Special Issue of Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance, Vol 4 (3).

Conveners

Kasia Lech, k.k.lech@uva.nl (2020-2024)

Bernadette Cochrane, bernadette.cochrane@uq.edu.au (2022-2026)

Stephanie Sandberg, sandbergs@wlu.edu (2022-2026)

Previous Conveners

Duška Radosavljević (2018-2022)

Katja Krebs (2016 – 2020)

Stuart Young (2013 - 2017)

Bernadette Cochrane (2010-2014)

Kurt Taroff (2009-2013)

Articles
Resources

Translation, Adaptation and Dramaturgy

Mission Statement

Work Plan 2022-2024

Work Plan 2017-2020

Conference Reports

Publications

Conveners

Previous Conveners

CALL FOR PAPERS:

Call for papers 2021

Election for new co-convenor

Call for papers 2020

IFTR 2019 - Translation, Adaptation Dramaturgy WG, CFP

IFTR 2018 - Translation, Adaptation, Dramaturgy Working Group CFP

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