Application Deadline

November 1, 2026

Institution or Organization

IFTR Working Group African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance

Location

Nafplion, Greece

Website

https://www.iftr-african-and-caribbean-theatre-and-performance.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2273561160151780

Salary or Compensation

None

Description and Requirements

International Federation for Theatre Research Conference
28 June – 2 July 2027
Nafplion – Greece
University of the Peloponnese
Department of Performing and Digital Arts

Theme:

Hybridity – Rethinking borders and boundaries in theatre/performance and beyond
Celebrating 70 years of IFTR (1957-2027) @Nafplio
IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group

• Ancestral Memory, Nostalgia, and Belonging: Celebrating 20 years of the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group (2007-2027) in the IFTR (1957-2027)

Keywords: African, Caribbean, African Diaspora, Theatre, Performance Studies

Convenor:

D. Amy-Rose Forbes-Erickson, PhD
Department of Theatre and Film
Bowling Green State University
forbeda@bgsu.edu
iftr.african.caribbean@gmail.com

Contact:

IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group
iftr.african.caribbean@gmail.com

Call for Abstracts:

The IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group proudly celebrates 20 years in IFTR 2027, Nafplion, Greece!

Drawing on ancestral legacy and knowledge, we invite abstracts and papers that explore our histories, current trends, futures, and mythologies from a range of African perspectives, Caribbean thought, Black and Indigenous spirituality, the transatlantic African Diaspora, and the Global South.

We ask scholars and practitioners to reflect upon and reconceptualize the trauma of colonialism through Homi Bhabha’s theory of hybridity, which is the active and ongoing intrusion of colonialism, past and present, that impacts intercultural or cross-cultural relations (2012, 129). Bhabha’s theory of colonial mimicry considers colonial desires to reform and remake the “Other” in the image of colonizers as “almost the same, but not quite” (2012, 129). This dynamic raises questions of surveillance, authenticity, and resistance in colonial representations.

We seek critical interrogations in the social constructs and interventions of hybridity and colonial mimicry on and outside the margins, along borders, and within borderlands of indigeneity, race, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, immigration, language, identities in African, Caribbean, and Global South theatres and performances.

We invite scholars to grapple with African theatres, Black performance theories, social justice issues, and community outreach to celebrate our 20th anniversary of the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group within the 70th anniversary of IFTR 2027 in Nafplion, Greece!

We welcome our elders, as well as emerging and established theatre and performance scholars around the world who center Africa, the Caribbean, the Global South, Global Black cultures, and the African Diaspora in theatre and performance studies.

We especially expand our invitation to scholars working in interdisciplinary fields of theatre, dance, music, visual arts within performance studies in French Caribbean theatres and dance, Kenyan theatre, Hispanophone and Lusophone Caribbean and Latin American theatres and dance, Trinidad and Tobago theatre companies, Dutch-speaking Caribbean theatres, Jamaican theatre, dance, music, Anglophone Caribbean, South African theatres and performances, and Afro-Indigenous Caribbean theatre and performances.

20th Anniversary Special Roundtables Call

To commemorate our 20th anniversary of the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group, we invite scholars to propose Special Roundtables. Discussions might emerge from questions and themes:

• What led to the start of the Working Group at the IFTR 2007 at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa with the original name, IFTR African Theatre Working Group?
• How was Caribbean Theatre incorporated over the years to the name change to the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group?
• Discuss traditional and contemporary theories, trends, practices across the continent of Africa, and the expanse of the Caribbean region and Diasporas.
• Where are we now, and where are we heading?
• What are our goals for the future?
• Ancestral Memories

Topics and Themes – Call for Abstracts/Roundtables for Conference Presentations

In addition to themes of hybridity, colonial mimicry, ancestral memory, nostalgia, and resistance, other topics may include, but not limited to:

• Pan-Africanism, Transnational Theatres and Performances
• Pan-Africanism and Pan-African stages, performances, activism
• The Wole Soyinka Center for Culture and Creative Arts, Nigeria
• Talawa Theatre Company (UK)
• Teatro Experimental do Negro (TEN) (Brazil)
• South African State Theatre
• LTM National Pantomime Theatre Company (Jamaica)
• Trinidad Theatre Company
• Sistren Theatre Collective (Jamaica)
• National Theatre Arts Company of Trinidad and Tobago
• National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica
• Black European theatres, dance, performance companies
• Performing Resistance: Activism, NGOs, and Decolonial Futures
• African Women’s Theatre
• Afro-Indigenous Caribbean theatre and performances
• Sistren Theatre Collective
• Black theatre, music, dance
• Indigeneity – Indigenous African, and Indigenous Caribbean cultural performances
• Applied theatre and NGO interventions
• Coloniality/Decoloniality in practice
• Reparations and Social Justice Movements – Caribbean Reparations Commission and others.
• Performance in the UN International Decade for People of African Descent (1st decade 2014-2024, 2nd decade 2025-2035)
• Anglophone Caribbean
• South African theatres and performances
• Embodied Archives: Memory, Masks, and Disability Cultures
• Caribbean Women’s Theatre
• Oral traditions as living archives
• Dutch-speaking Caribbean theatres
• Jamaican theatre, Jamaican dance, Jamaica music
• French Caribbean theatres and dance
• Kenyan theatre
• Ancestral Memory
• Masks and masquerades as cultural repositories
• Language, theatre, and performance
• Text and performance as sites of history
• Stages of Empire: Pedagogy, Academic Freedom, and Decolonial Critique
• Postcolonial Theatre and Empire’s Afterlives
• Academic freedom and pedagogy in African and Caribbean performance
• Indigenous languages and cultures
• Engaged pedagogy
• Collaborative teaching and collaborative classrooms
• Trinidad Theatre Workshop
• African and Caribbean Queer Cultures, Creolization, Identities, and Transatlantic Connections
• “Queeribean” – LGBTQIA+ Cultures and Activism in Performance
• African LGBTQIA+ cultures, activism and performance
• African and Caribbean feminisms
• African Diaspora as resistance and re-creation
• Disability cultures as inclusive performance practices
• Theatre as community-making across differences
• African Drag performance
• Caribbean Drag performance
• Queer African and Caribbean Performance Artists –
• Tandile Mbatsha
• Va-Bene Fiatsi
• Umlilo
• Zanele Muhole
• Khookha McQueer
• Simone Harris (Lady Blake)
• Moréno Espiritual
• Francheska Alcántara
• Sacred Stages: Religion, Spirituality, and Performance as Renewal
• Ritual and Religion in African and Caribbean Theatre
• African Church
• Afro-Spirituality – Vodou, Lukumí, Ifa, and others
• Masquerade as sacred mediator
• Theatre as spiritual healing and identity work
• Intersections of faith, embodiment, and activism
• Hispanophone and Lusophone Caribbean and Latin American theatres and dance
• Trinidad and Tobago theatre and dance.
• Inventions and Experimentations: Performance Artists, Black Technoculture, Speculative Futures
• Contemporary Performance Artists in African and Caribbean Contexts
• Technoculture, digital theatre, and social media performance
• Hybridity and the digital attention economy
• AI, Digital Surveillance, and Representation
• Digital nomads
• Digital transnationality
• Cross-genre and hybrid aesthetics
• Applied theatre as methodological innovation
• Afrofuturist and Africanfuturist performance imaginaries
• Theatre and migration, climate crisis, and inequality
• Performance interventions for social and political change

Abstract/Roundtable Submission & Membership Guidelines:

1. Prospective participants are invited to submit their abstracts and/or roundtable panel proposals (200-250 words), and a short biography per presenter.
2. All submissions will be done on the IFTR Conference Website by clicking on “Abstract Submission.” Please note that you will need to become a member of the IFTR, or to renew your IFTR membership to submit an abstract or roundtable. To join IFTR, click on ‘Register’ on the Home page.

Key Dates:

• Membership registration opens: 1 October 2026
• Abstract submissions open: 1 October 2026
• Bursary Application Deadline: Bursary application opens October 1, 2026 and closes on October 31, 2026. Follow guidelines and instructions for your bursary application here: https://iftr.org/about/bursaries/
• Deadline for abstract/round table submissions: 2 November 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 21 December 2026
• Accommodation discounts: 1 January – 14 February 2027

After you have submitted both your abstract/proposal and biography on the IFTR Conference Website, please email your 1) abstract/proposal, 2) short biography per person, and 3) membership fee receipts to our WG email – iftr.african.caribbean@gmail.com , and copy (cc) to forbeda@bgsu.edu

Please note that you must submit your abstract/proposal, biography to the IFTR Conference website, and pay for your IFTR membership before emailing your

1. abstract/panel proposal,
2. biographies, and
3. paid membership fee receipt.

You cannot submit an abstract/round table proposal without becoming a member or without renewing your membership.

However, you can become a member or renew your membership without submitting an abstract/proposal, and without traveling to attend the conference.

Please see details about IFTR’s membership only option below.

Membership Only Guidelines

The IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group welcomes new and returning members as members only for networking and community-building.

You may become a member, or maintain your membership without submitting an abstract, or presenting a paper, or without traveling to annual conferences.

Membership Only (without Abstract/Round Table Proposal)

Your membership fee is due at any time online ending prior to the conference. You may also pay your membership fee in-person at the IFTR 2027 Conference.

Membership covers the calendar year from January-December 2027, regardless of when you pay for your annual membership.

Please see details on the IFTR website for more information on membership options.

Benefits of IFTR Membership

Benefits of an IFTR membership include voting privileges and network opportunities within the IFTR organization, the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group, conference and publication opportunities, and meetings throughout the year.

Remember to join the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group when you pay your IFTR membership so that you can be added to the official list of WG members.

If you have any questions about membership and abstract/round table proposal submissions on the conference website, please contact us at: iftr2027@uop.gr

Circulation of Papers

Please note that the IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group encourages circulating papers in advance of conferences to facilitate in-depth discussion during our sessions.

Prior to the IFTR 2027 Conference (June 28, 2027- July 2, 2027), you may submit a 20-minute presentation, written, or recorded (audio or visual) for circulation by Monday, June 14, 2027 to iftr.african.caribbean@gmail.com.

We believe that sharing our presentations in advance of the conference promotes scholarly community, reciprocity, enthusiasm, and engaged collaboration.

The IFTR African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group welcomes new members and continuing members to submit abstracts/round tables or simply take part in group discussions during the conference without officially presenting papers, roundtables, and panel discussions.

Bursary Application Dates:

Bursary applications are open on October 1, 2026, and will close on October 31, 2026

Please follow instructions for your bursary applications here: https://iftr.org/about/bursaries/

We encourage members to apply for a competitive IFTR bursary to help offset travel expenses at the IFTR 2027 Conference. As soon as bursary application dates are available, we will update this section with bursary deadlines.

About the African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group

The African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group was founded in 2007 when the annual IFTR conference was hosted for the first time in Africa at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, with the aim to explore research concepts and practices from the African continent. Originally named the African Theatre and Performance Working Group, the WG was renamed in 2012 to fully acknowledge the transatlantic connections between Africa and the Caribbean. As performances themselves travel easily across borders, languages, and cultures, they are a manifestation of the rich, generative exchange and transformation that occur alongside processes of trade, war, travel, and migration. Today, the WG appreciates the mutual influences, shared histories and connections between African performance on the continent, and African performance in the African Diaspora worldwide. This shift recognizes the historical high mobility of African peoples and cultures worldwide. Our members contribute a broad range of international perspectives to our WG’s sessions. We encourage experienced and new scholars and practitioners to join. Please reach out to the convenor, D. Amy-Rose Forbes-Erickson, if you would like to become a member of this group. – forbeda@bgsu.edu & iftr.african.caribbean@gmail.com

Mission

The WG’s mission is to provide the space to unearth innovative methodologies and further scholarly discourses on the study and practice of African and Caribbean performance worldwide and to foster networks and collaborations amongst scholars across the globe with an interest in this research area.

Vision Statement

The African and Caribbean Theatre and Performance Working Group envisions a vibrant, globally recognized community where African and Caribbean performance traditions, innovations, and futures are at the forefront of scholarly and artistic conversations. We aspire to shape an intellectual and creative space that not only honors the deep histories and transatlantic connections of African and Caribbean performance but also amplifies their power to imagine new worlds, inspire social change, and expand global understandings of theatre. Our vision is to be a catalyst for transformative research, intercultural dialogue, and collaborative practice that affirms the enduring significance of African and Caribbean performance in shaping history, identity, and the future of theatre studies worldwide.

Application Instructions and Contact

1. Prospective participants are invited to submit their abstracts and/or roundtable panel proposals (200-250 words), and a short biography per presenter.
2. All submissions will be done on the IFTR Conference Website by clicking on “Abstract Submission.” Please note that you will need to become a member of the IFTR, or to renew your IFTR membership to submit an abstract or roundtable. To join IFTR, click on ‘Register’ on the Home page.

After you have submitted both your abstract/proposal and biography on the IFTR Conference Website, please email your 1) abstract/proposal, 2) short biography per person, and 3) membership fee receipts to our WG email – iftr.african.caribbean@gmail.com , and copy (cc) to forbeda@bgsu.edu

Please note that you must submit your abstract/proposal, biography to the IFTR Conference website, and pay for your IFTR membership before emailing your

1. abstract/panel proposal,
2. biographies, and
3. paid membership fee receipt.

You cannot submit an abstract/round table proposal without becoming a member or without renewing your membership.

However, you can become a member or renew your membership without submitting an abstract/proposal, and without traveling to attend the conference.

Please see details about IFTR’s membership only option above.

Convenor Contact Information

D. Amy-Rose Forbes-Erickson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Theatre and Performance Studies
Department of Theatre and Film
Bowling Green State University
1300 Ridge Street,
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, USA
Contact Email: forbeda@bgsu.edu