George Tabori and the Theatre of the Holocaust: Symposium at UGA

International Symposium on George Tabori and the Theatre of the Holocaust

February 26-28, 2015, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (USA)

George Tabori (Photograph: Corbis, source: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2007/07/25/tabori372.jpg)

George Tabori and the Theatre of the Holocaust will gather an interdisciplinary group of scholars from around the world to examine political and aesthetic issues related to theatrical representations of the Holocaust. The symposium will highlight the work and influence of Hungarian-German-Jewish playwright George Tabori (1914-2007).

Tabori’s life and illustrious career span the last century, two continents, several languages, and a variety of literary genres. A truly transnational author, he eventually rose to become one of Germany’s most acclaimed and recognized playwrights and directors of the second half of the twentieth century. His theatrical work on the Holocaust especially, ranging from original plays to texts adapted to the plays he directed, has deeply impacted the country’s theatrical landscape and left a most significant legacy. By contrast, though Tabori lived and worked in the United States for over 20 years and at one point was named in the same breath with Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, he has received scant attention in American letters. This symposium aims to fill that lacuna and at the same time place his work into the larger context of theatrical engagement with the Holocaust and its aftermath.

Featured speakers, whose areas of scholarly expertise include Jewish studies, German studies, and theater and performance studies, will come from Germany, Austria, England, Poland, Canada and the United States. Confirmed keynote speakers include Anat Feinberg, Professor of Jewish and Hebrew literature at the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien in Heidelberg, Germany, Freddie Rokem, Emanuel Herzikowitz Professor for 19th and 20th Century Art at Tel Aviv University, and Henry Bial, Associate Professor of American Studies and Theatre and Associate Dean for the School of the Arts at the University of Kansas.

The meeting is co-organized by the University of Georgia Departments of Theatre and Film Studies and Germanic and Slavic Studies in conjunction with the University Theatre/7 Stages’ production of Tabori’s signature play, Mein Kampf, directed by Del Hamilton.

A publication of selected presentations from the conference proceedings is planned.

The organizers invite proposals that address issues related to the theatrical representations of the Holocaust generally or focus on any aspect of Tabori’s work as a playwright, stage director, or filmmaker. Submissions from advanced graduate students and independent scholars are especially encouraged.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, September 29, 2014. Please email an abstract no longer than 500 words, along with your name, institutional affiliation and status (e.g. faculty, graduate student, theatre practitioner, etc.), and contact information to: Martin Kagel (mkagel@uga.edu) and David Saltz (saltz@uga.edu). Participants selected will be notified of their acceptance by October 10, 2014.