Welcome to the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) and Theatre Library Association (TLA) Conference Debating the Stakes in Theatre and Performance Scholarship Portland, Oregon November 5-8, 2015 Welcome from ASTR Graduate Student Caucus The Conference Assistance Committee of the ASTR Graduate Student Caucus (GSC) is delighted to welcome you to ASTR 2015, “Debating the Stakes in Theatre and Performance Scholarship.” We have provided this packet to help guide you through this conference, as well as the host city of Portland, Oregon. Here you will find information on the role of the GSC and how you can maximize your involvement with the GSC, conference advice and support, and information on food and drink, travel and attractions in Portland. We hope you find this useful and look forward to meeting you all personally at the GSC events. Connect with Us! At the conference, you can find the GSC at a table in the conference hallway, which will be staffed by cabinet members and volunteers. Come by and meet fellow graduate students, get more conference information, and ask any questions! Please take a moment to join our Facebook Group and connect with fellow grads from around the world to discuss ideas, generate panels, share CFPs, find a conference roommate, and ask questions of the graduate community. Don't forget to also subscribe to our list-serv to ensure you receive all GSC news and messages regarding elections, conferences, volunteer opportunities, and awards. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/astrgsc | Twitter: @ASTRGSC List-serv: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/astrgsc For a direct line to the GSC please email: [email protected]. Feel free to contact us if you need any additional information, or if you’d like to get involved with the GSC. Click on the relevant item to automatically Table of Contents navigate to the correct page of the document! Welcome from the GSC President……………………………………..2 What is the GSC?..............................................................................3 Meet the GSC Cabinet……………………………………….…….……4 GSC Events……………………………………………..................……6 Making the Most of Your First ASTR: A Five-Step Program for Grad Students………………………………7 The Ins and Outs of ASTR……………………………………………...8 Making Sense of ASTR Plenaries and Working Sessions: A Primer for Graduate Students (& Others)……………………………9 Transportation…………………………………………………………….11 Arts and Entertainment…………………………………………………..13 Food and Drink…………………………………………………………….18 Maps…………………………………………………………………………26 1 Welcome to Portland! The 2014-2015 GSC Executive Committee and its several committees have been hard at work organizing exciting graduate student-focused events for ASTR 2015 in Portland. A full list of these opportunities, which include networking events as well as professionalization sessions, may be found on page 6. These events, and the resources gathered in this packet, provide graduate students the opportunity to meet other grads, to find mentors at ASTR, and to learn how to make the most of the conference and the Portland area. If you are a graduate student member of ASTR, then you are a member of the Graduate Student Caucus. I hope to see you at our annual meeting on Friday, November 6, 8:00-9:30 pm (location information may be found in the conference program). Like the several graduate student events throughout the conference, the GSC meeting offers a space for first-time attendees and returning graduate students alike. The meeting provides a space for the current elected members of the GSC to hear from you, graduate students, about your experiences at ASTR and in the field at large. I would like to take a moment to recognize the work of my colleagues in the GSC Cabinet, and the volunteers whose time and labor made this year’s GSC events and initiatives possible. Stephanie Vella, Michelle Salerno, Sarah Campbell, and Haddy Kreie have served on the GSC as committed advocates for graduate students throughout the past year. Katie Turner and Guy Zimmerman organized the annual Welcome Mentor Breakfast, cultivating a vital space for mentorship at ASTR. Shamell Bell and Mika Lior planned and will host the several GSC Peer Networking and Mentorship events. Sara Taylor has taken lead of GSC Web Resources, keeping the GSC connected with our constituency throughout the year. A final thank you to Lauren Graffin and Shelby Brewster for organizing the Conference Assistance Packet, and to Amanda Boyle and Aaron Kelly for their contributions. We all will benefit from these passionate and engaged graduate student volunteers. Lastly, I would like to introduce the 2015-2016 GSC Cabinet. Stephanie Vella will serve as the GSC President. The GSC cabinet consists of Vice-President/Rep. to the Annual Conference Committee, Yasmine Jahanmir; Vice President/Rep. to the Committee on Conferences, Bess Rowen; Secretary/Historian Bryan Schmidt; and GSC Representative to the ASTR Committee on New Paradigms in Graduate Education Vicki Hoskins. I am certain that they will make ASTR 2016 in Minneapolis a vibrant and transformative space for graduate students and their work. I invite you to explore all that ASTR 2015 has to offer. I hope to see you around the conference! Sincerely, Kellen Hoxworth GSC President and Representative to the Executive Committee Doctoral Candidate, Stanford University 2 What is the Graduate Student Caucus of ASTR? The Graduate Student Caucus represents the graduate student members of the American Society for Theatre Research, a U.S.-based professional organization that fosters scholarship on worldwide theatre and performance, both historical and contemporary. All graduate student members of ASTR are considered members of the GSC. The GSC aims to: ● Provide a forum for early career theatre scholars to meet future colleagues and to give vital input into an organization that will be part of careers for years to come. ● Facilitate communication among geographically distant members through its listserv and social media platforms ● Encourage collaboration among those with common research interests and professional concerns, e.g. you could provide a colleague with information regarding area archives or other scholarship resources. The GSC encourages involvement in ASTR by: ● Introducing members to opportunities available to graduate students within the organization. ● Providing friendly points of contact for the first time conference attendee; in addition to its annual meeting during the conference ● Coordinating social and networking events, both exclusively for graduate students and in coordination with the ASTR Executive Committee (EC). ● Encouraging members and prospective members to contact GSC leaders with any questions they have about ASTR throughout the year. ● Providing representation to the ASTR Executive Committee and maintaining its own separate committees specific to the interests of graduate students. 3 Meet the Team: Introducing the GSC Cabinet Kellen Hoxworth Michelle Solerno President and Representative to Vice President and Representative to the the Executive Committee Committee on Conferences Stanford University University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Stephanie Vella Vice President and Representative to Sarah Campbell the Annual Conference Committee Secretary/Historian Graduate Center of CUNY Indiana University Haddy Kreie Representative to New Paradigms in Graduate Education University of California Santa Barbara 4 Meet the Team: Introducing the Conference Assistance Committee Shelby Brewster Lauren Graffin University of Pittsburgh Ulster University Amanda Boyle Aaron Kelly University of Kansas University of Georgia Additional contributions by Professor Kate Bredeson (Reed College). If you recognize any of us from the pictures above at the conference, please feel free to introduce yourselves. We are all looking forward to meeting you. You can also find members from the Peer Mentorship Committee at a marked table at the conference. We hope this will act as a meeting space for graduate students and a hub of information for GSC activities. If you have any questions, please visit the Peer Mentorship Table and we’ll try our best to assist you. 5 GSC Events Graduate Student Caucus Meeting. The Graduate Student Caucus meets annually at the ASTR conference and all current, as well as recent, graduates are encouraged to attend. It is one of the few opportunities we have together to discuss the future of the GSC and it’s involvement with the ASTR. This is the meeting you will want to attend if you want to voice your opinions and get involved with the GSC. The meeting is scheduled on: Friday, November 6th from 8pm-9.30pm. See conference program for location. Other Events where you can connect with the GSC: We hope graduate students will connect with us at the following list of events. For your convenience, we have noted where food is provided at these events. On a broader note, breakfast is provided each morning at the conference and includes a selection of pastries and breads, as well as coffee and tea, see your full conference schedule for more information. Thursday, November 5th • 6:30-7:30 PM: “Welcome to ASTR” GSC Opening Night Event, Truss Lounge & Bistro, Portland Marriott Waterfront Light food will be provided. • 8:30-10:00 PM: Opening Night Reception—see conference program for location. Light hors d'oeuvres and a drink ticket typically provided. Friday, November 6th • 7:30-8:30 AM: Mentorship Breakfast—see conference program for location. Light breakfast, coffee, and tea provided. • 12:00-1.15 PM: Brown Bag Career Sessions—see conference program for a complete list of sessions and locations. Brown bag lunches are available for purchase through conference registration. You are also welcome to bring your own food to these sessions. • 9:30-10:30 pm: President’s Reception for Emerging Scholars—see conference program for location. Light food and drinks at the bar are provided. Saturday, November 7th • 12:00-2:00 PM: Awards Luncheon & Annual Meeting—see conference program for location. A banquet lunch, to be purchased during conference registration, is provided. • 3:30-4:30 PM: GSC Peer Mentorship Coffee/Tea Break—see the GSC table for location details. Snacks, coffee and tea will be provided.