Introducing the School Days Series & A Call for Student Submissions

I have been a loyal HowlRound reader for quite some time. I was drawn in by and continue to find inspiration in the breadth and depth of discussions the journal generates. I’m grateful for access to such thought-provoking reading on a regular basis. However, as undergraduate student, I’ve thought recently that there might be a key demographic missing—one that could bring a lot to the proverbial table. Sometime last spring, I had just left a wonderful class at NYU on Theater of the Enlightenment. We were reading Voltaire's Mahomet and my class was engaged in a lively debate about the role of theatre and the responsibility of the artist. The discussion was initially centered on the politics and specifics of the eightteenth century, but as it went on, it became clear how much we weren't talking about the past at all. We were taking on questions I'd heard at panels for festivals around the country. We were talking about issues that came up during my internships. And then there came that crucial moment when we ventured into new territory, with new questions, ideas, and directions for moving forward.

As I left class that day, I thought, with a pang of sadness, what a shame it was that our discussion would likely stay within the classroom walls.

As I left class that day, I thought, with a pang of sadness, what a shame it was that our discussion would likely stay within the classroom walls. This led me to reflect back over my time thus far as an undergraduate student. I thought about the number of brilliant student artists I've met who will undoubtedly go on to do amazing work, but are also doing amazing work now. I thought about my dedicated, motivated peers interested in arts administration; those students who spend their free time immersed in the industry through internships and volunteering. I thought about the future of our industry and the inevitable truth that the student artists and interns of today will be industry leaders in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, the voices of artists and thinkers at this age are primarily limited to class papers, school publications, and personal blogs. I don't intend to diminish any of those as platforms—I just feel that HowlRound might be a place where we, as a greater community of theatre thinkers and artists, could welcome this younger set into the discussion in a meaningful way. There are provocative, inspiring, radical discussions being had in schools around the country among student scholars and artists. I firmly believe that if we provide a platform for their perspective and passion to be heard, recognized and considered earlier, we will have a more experienced, better-prepared crop of new blood to pick up the mantle. What's more, these are students and artists oriented towards the future and their ideas are worth hearing out as we consider the field’s path moving forward.

So, I decided to approach HowlRound about starting a student series. Together we devised a plan. Over the course of the next few months, we will feature work from students sharing their perspectives on the present and visions for the future. The hope is not only to provide a platform for the student/early, early career artists to contribute to the greater theatre community, but also to provide the opportunity for that greater theatre community to join in on those wonderfully thoughtful discussions.

So, dear HowlRound readers and thinkers, we need your help. We are looking for students from all over the country to contribute to this series. If you are a student, know a student, or know someone who knows someone who might know a student, then please! Reach out to them! Let them know what we are doing. If they are interested, point them to the call for submissions below. A Call for Submissions HowlRound is seeking submissions from students from across the U.S. to be part of the School Days series—an online series featuring work from undergraduate theatre students, artists, and leaders reflecting their perspective on theatre as an industry in the present and their visions for the future. Possible questions these posts could touch on:

• When you lead the theatre field, what will you change?
• Describe the pulse of our generation of theatre-makers. How is it similar to what we see now, and how is it different?
• Give voice to something that you think the theatre field needs to know or pay attention to from the undergraduate sphere.

The series will feature two student pieces a month, published on the HowlRound blog. Interested parties should submit the following to [email protected]:

• An outlined proposal in one paragraph, or completed piece for consideration. Completed pieces should be between 750 and 1250 words.
• 100 word bio and headshot.
• A few sentences detailing why you are interested in writing about your experience as a theatre student, artist or intern and why HowlRound readers would benefit hearing from you.

Submissions are due November 30, December 30, and January 30. At least two submissions will be accepted for publication each month December through February.