Call for Papers: Titus Maccius Plautus: From Page to Stage

The participants are invited to fit their talk into one of the following panels:

1) Plautus on Page
Possible issues: How does the linguistics, art history, social/cultural/judicial studies, etc. contribute to our understanding of Plautine comedies as play texts? What are the sources and limits of reconstructing the actual stage practices of the ancient Roman theatre performances? Ancient intradialogical and extradialogical stage directions – how to read and understand them? And other.

2) Plautus in Translation
Possible issues: Translatorial strategies adopted in ‘bridging the gap’ between the world of Plautus, of his plays and of the target audience (different social realities, cultural tastes, taboos, etc.). Translating foreign languages in Plautus (e. g. Greek, Phoenician) for stage. Adapting Plautine humour – imagery, slapstick, language jokes, puns, speaking names, metadiscourse, etc. Verse or prose? Translating cantica. Philological (‘learned’) vs. theatre translation, and other.

3) Plautus on Stage
How to stage Plautus in the 21st century: e. g. issues of costumes, masks, music, the scope of the adaptation (‘is it still Plautus?’), intertextual and intergeneric aspects of the original in the contemporary as well as historical stage adaptations (musical, sit-com, stand-up, etc.), and other.

Presentations

Individual 20-minute papers will be followed by 5–10 minutes of discussion. Speakers are required to supplement their talk either with an (audio)visual presentation, or a print handout. Conference language is English.

Programme

In addition to two days of paper presentations grouped by the above-mentioned sessions, the conference programme includes two theatre performances of Plautus’s plays:

• “The Curculio or Darmojed” by the students of Masaryk University (CZ)
• “The Casina” by the students of Studencki Teatr Klasyków “Sfinga” (PL)

On the last conference day, theatre workshop on Plautine elements in the Casina and Curculio open for all participants, especially the student-actors, will take place, organized by Lukasz Berger (Poznań) and Eliška Poláčková (Brno).

Publication

All papers will be considered for publication in the Graeco-Latina Brunensia. Articles published in this journal are covered by the following databases: Lʼannée philologique, Medioevo Latino, Poiesis, ERIH, and SCOPUS.

Registration fee

50 EUR / 1 300 CZK

The participation fee includes: conference proceedings, reception and welcome drink (as specified in the conference programme), and refreshments during coffee breaks.

The participation fee does not include: hotel booking and payment. The organizers recommend Hotel Continental, where university guests get a price reduction, or University Hotel Garni.

Payment should be made until 15 Sept 2019 (detailed instructions will be sent together with the acceptance notification).

Abstracts

Abstracts of papers to be presented in English only are invited for consideration by the Conference Academic Committee. Please submit the title and abstract of your talk (up to 200 words) together with your personal information until 30 June 2019 via the registration online form available from the conference site.

Acceptance notification will be sent to you until 15 July 2019.

Shall you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us on urbanova@phil.muni.cz.

On behalf of the organizers,
Daniela Urbanová, Eliška Poláčková, Tomáš Weissar and Radek Černoch
Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic