The ATHE 2025 Annual Conference

An advocate for the field of theatre and performance in higher education, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) serves as an intellectual and artistic center for producing new knowledge about theatre and performance-related disciplines, cultivating vital alliances with other scholarly and creative disciplines, linking with professional and community-based theatres, and promoting access and equity.

Whether in-person or virtual, the annual ATHE conference brings together a global community of educators, artists, and administrators over a week of intense days of workshops, panel presentations, plenary sessions, social events, and performances. ATHE provides its membership with the latest in theatre and innovation, at the forefront of theatre practice and pedagogy.

Schedule

Monday 28 July

Love Letter to Paul: Honoring the work and legacy of Dr. Paul Carter Harrison

2 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 5 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4)
In memory of the late Dr. Paul Carter Harrison, this virtual session seeks to celebrate his profound impact on the fields of theatre, education, and mentorship. Paul Carter Harrison’s life was a testament to creative brilliance, scholarly rigor, and unwavering dedication to the next generation of artists and thinkers. The heart of this session is a plenary-style gathering where participants offer "love letters" to Paul Carter Harrison. Each speaker presents a brief, three-to-five-minute tribute that honors different phases of his life and work. Moderated by Omiyẹmi (Artisia) Green. To close this celebration, we opened the space for additional reflections and sharing. This session is an opportunity for us to reflect on Paul Carter Harrison’s enduring influence on the world of theatre, education, and beyond. By coming together as a community, we honor his memory and continue the work that he so passionately championed throughout his life.

Archive coming soon.

Tuesday 29 July

Beyond Binary: Reframing "The Real" in Contemporary Theatre and Performance

7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4)
This keynote roundtable invites leading scholar-artists to examine how contemporary theatre and performance navigate, challenge, and reconstruct notions of "the real" in an era where traditional boundaries between virtual and actual experience increasingly blur. Drawing on their diverse expertise in performance theory, digital humanities, cultural studies, and theatremaking, panelists explore how contemporary theatre practices might help us understand—and shape—emerging paradigms of "the real" in both virtual and physical spaces. Moderated by Lindsay Brandon Hunter and Trevor Boffone, the panel features Sarah Bay-Cheng, Brian Eugenio Herrera, Petra Kuppers, Jennifer Parker-Starbuck, Van Tran Nguyen, Diana Taylor, Marianne Weems, and Harvey Young. After the keynote, three response roundtables (focusing on pedagogy, practice, and scholarship) continue the conversation.

Wednesday 30 July

Come September: The "New Normal" for Higher Ed

7:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4)
What is the current state of higher education right now? How can member-based associations support each other? What do administrations need to know about supporting their faculty? How do we protect our discipline in the coming year? With CarlosAlexis Cruz and Martine Green-Rogers, current and incoming presidents of ATHE; Patricia Herrera, president of ASTR (American Society for Theatre Research); Rosemary Candelario, President of DSA (Dance Studies Association); Jake Pinholster, dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois; Patrick J. Sims, executive vice chancellor and provost, University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Bringing Real World Practices and Conversations into the Classroom

10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -4) / 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4)
HowlRound Theatre Commons staff members Ramona Rose King and Ashley Malafronte will lead a discussion with a panel of educators (Daphnie Sicre, John Michael DiResta, and Marina Johnson) about how they use HowlRound content in their classrooms to discuss contemporary field concerns and prepare their students for careers after graduation.

Thursday 31 July 

Advocacy in a Challenging Arts Landscape

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4)
Join industry professionals in an engaging conversation on where we are now, where we are headed, and what we can do to engage in collective action. How are we to train future generations of theatre and performance artists if the arts are being decimated across the country? Where do we find our voice? Featuring Alisha Tonsic, co-leader at Theatre Communications Group; Gregg Henry, artistic director for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival; and Michael Rohd, activist, scholar-aritst, educator with the Civic Imagination Lab and University of Montana.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world’s performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page.