Vol. 12 No. 2VASTA Spring/Summer 98 p. 7
 

VASTA announces its INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

to be held in Washington, D.C.,

August 6-10, in the year 2000.

 

Increasing VASTA's
International
Involvement and Presence

by Carol Pendergrast

One of the major topics explored in the VASTA November "Big Board" meeting was an international con-ference, sponsored by VASTA, to be held in Washington, D.C. in August 2000, following the ATHE conference. This is a huge undertaking, and we need all the help and ideas we can get from the entire membership and contacts they may recommend to us for various forms of assistance, including financial.

For starters, please send your ideas for a possible theme and title (e.g., "Global Voices," "Voices around the World," etc.) Also, let us know what exciting vocal teachers, techniques, and artists from abroad you might like us to bring to the conference. This is your chance to experience some of their work without the difficulties and expenses of having to travel abroad to do that! My list includes Tran Quang Hai, a most remarkable teacher with whom I had the privilege of doing some study on "bi-phonic" voice in Paris; Enriq Pardo, whose work stems from the Roy Hart

 

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   Theatre and who has also been doing some interesting joint projects with Kristin Linklater; Zygmunt Molick, who for many years was the vocal teacher for Grotowski's Polish Lab Theatre and who now teaches workshops in many parts of Europe; and three very talented actresses from the Odin Teatret in Denmark who present one-woman shows and who have also made special studies of voice: Roberta Carreri, Iben Rasmussen, and Julia Varley.

Also, please let us know if you would like to be a member of the International Conference Committee and what tasks you would be willing to do to help develop and present this monumental conference! You may send ideas to the following members, who have graciously agreed to serve as pro tempore chairpersons for the International Conference (permanent chair yet to be found/chosen):

Kate Burke, 1607 E. Market St.,
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Tel. (804) 979-5883
e-mail: mkb2y@virginia.edu

and

Janet Rodgers,
2424 W. Main Street,
Richmond, VA 23220
Tel. (804) 355-5305
e-mail: jrodgers@saturn.vcu.edu

Now I want to mention an international organization with which I feel it would be mutually beneficial to establish links, both individually and as an organization: The Magdalena

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   Project in Wales, which has sponsored some exciting international conferences, including several on voice (let's get copies of their past programs for more ideas). The Magdalena Project is dedicated to supporting the work of women in theatre, but it does not seem to be militantly feministic; and I believe that their activities, Newsletter, and Journal would also interest our valued minority male membership.

The journal, THE OPEN PAGE, says editor Julia Varley, "aims to support the reflections of women working in theatre and to stimulate and encourage them to write so as to start building their own memory and critical perspective within theatre history." It is an annual journal, with each issue dedicated to a special topic. The topic of this year's edition is "Theatre, Women, Politics." The opening sentence of the Editorial page reads: "To keep on making theatre is in itself a political choice: opting for human relationships rather than mechanical, for intimacy rather than mass media, for memory and resistance rather than neglect and success." (We might also say that the same could be said for the choice of continuing to teach voice in theatre.)

Some of the fascinating topics and articles (21 in all) include: "From Politics to Spirituality," "Antigone and the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo," "Theatre and the Rights of the Child," and "Open Quotes," from Judith (continued on page 13)

 

 

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