Cline Centennial Visiting Professorship

Director and Theater Scholar Richard Schechner Named 2009-10 Cline Professor

The Humanities Institute is pleased to welcome Professor Richard Schechner, this year's C. L. and Henriette Cline Centennial Visiting Professor in the Humanities. The University Professor of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, Schechner is a founding figure in the interdisciplinary field of performance studies. While on campus in November and December, Professor Schechner will offer a public lecture in the Humanities Institute's Distinguished Visiting Lecture series on November 13 and participate in two public discussions on November 17.

In conjunction with his residency in Austin, Rude Mechanicals will be recreating The Performance Group's interpretation of The Bacchae, entitled Dionysus in 69. Created collectively and directed by Schechner, Dionysus in 69 ran for a year and a half from 1967 to 69. It is widely regarded as one of the germinal works of American experimental theatre. Rude Mechanicals will be remounting the piece as faithfully as possible to the original production. Schechner will lead the Rudes in several workshops and rehearsals leading up to the production, which will be directed by Shawn Sides, who studied with Schechner while studying performance studies at NYU, and Madge Darlington, a graduate of UT. He will give a pre-show talk at the opening on December 4.

Schechner's experimental approach to the theory and production of performance incorporates a broad multicultural perspective on the purpose of performance, and is undergirded by an interdisciplinary combination of anthropology, sociology, psychology, folklore, popular culture, feminist and queer theory, post-colonial studies, cultural studies, theater, and dance. One of Schechner's most significant contributions is his ability both to draw from these disparate disciplines and to refigure the relations among these fields.

Shechner is known for harnessing the vast amount of theoretical and practical work that has come before him, bringing it to his productions without being shackled by the conventions and assumptions of what theatre is or should be. Dionysus in 69 showcases one of Schechner's six axioms for environmental theatre, that "all the space is used for performance" through groundbreaking and innovative audience/performer interactions.

Schechner founded the Performance Studies department at NYU, which has been emulated in dozens of programs in the U.S. and Europe. He is also the artistic director of East Coast Artists (New York), editor of TDR (The Drama Review), and general editor of the Worlds of Performance series (Routledge). His numerous publications include, among others, the books Environmental Theater, Between Theater and Anthropology, The Future of Ritual: Writings on Culture and Performance, and Performance Studies-An Introduction. As a theater director, Schechner has directed over twenty professional productions, many of which, like Dionysus in 69, are new creations of classic works.

Since the 2006, the Humanities Institute has awarded the C. L. and Henriette Cline Centennial Visiting Professorship in the Humanities to one distinguished scholar, writer, or artist annually for an extended stay at the University. The Cline Centennial Visiting Professorship provides a new and distinctive vehicle for the advancement of the Institute's mission to build and enrich intellectual community within, across, and beyond the University's walls.

During their residencies, Cline Professors will take part in a series of formal and informal programs (including, as appropriate, lectures, performances, symposia, exhibitions, college and high school classroom visits, and town meetings) designed to involve scholars and citizens alike in the exploration of important contemporary ideas and issues. To maximize the impact of the Cline Professor's residency, the Institute plans to enlist one or more campus or community partners in the selection of each year's visitor and in the planning, publicity, and itinerary of each visit.

This year, Dr. Shirin Ebadi will begin her residency at UT-Austin April 26 and will be here until May 1. Download a working itinerary of Ebadi's tenure as a Cline Professor.

For more information, please contact the Institute at (512) 471-2654 or information@humanitiesinstitute.utexas.edu.