USM Theatre to Host Performance and Media Symposium

Tue, 03/09/2021 - 04:46pm | By: David Tisdale

Joining this year’s Performance and Media Symposium at The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Theatre program are Drs. Sarah Bay-Cheng from York University and David Saltz from University of Georgia, who are prominent scholars in the sub-field of performance and media theory. The symposium will take place virtually on March 10, 11, and 12.

Invited scholars will join students and faculty from USM Theatre for a series of presentations and dialogues about the intersection of theatre and technology.

“We’ve been afforded an excellent opportunity to bring two world-class scholars who are on the cutting edge of their fields to hold discussions with our faculty, staff, and students about the intersection of performance and technology,” said USM Theatre program faculty member Dr. David Coley. “This is a sub-field that continually becomes more relevant as we further incorporate recorded media and technological advances into our live productions.”

Dr. Bay-Cheng is the dean of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design at York University in Toronto, Canada. Her research focuses on the intersections among theater, performance, and media including histories of cinema, social media, and digital technologies in performance. 

Dr. Saltz is head of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies and Executive Director of Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE), the nexus of interdisciplinary initiatives for advanced research in the arts at UGA. He is a specialist in modernist theatre and performance, performance theory, the philosophy of art, and directing, and his primary research focuses on performance philosophy and the interaction between live performance and digital media.

This three-day virtual event will consist of a panel discussion with Drs. Bay-Cheng and Saltz, followed by their research presentations. The symposium will culminate in a virtual theatre discussion with invited scholars and USM students.

“Drs. Bay-Cheng and Saltz will give us a glimpse of their work on the history and theory of the intersection of theatre and technology, and our students will have the opportunity to share their work for commentary and discussion,” said Coley.

Students will be given the opportunity to hear from these leading-edge scholars in organized Zoom calls, where they can learn, share their work and ask questions related to their respective fields.

Find more information about the Performance and Media Symposium at https://artdesign.usm.edu/events/performance-and-media-symposium/. To learn more about the Theatre program at USM visit: usm.edu/theatre.