5 Questions with Dr. Shelley Scott

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:16:37 +0000

Shelley Scott (BA '86) is an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dramatic Arts. She served as the department Chair from 2008-2011 and was the president of the Canadian Association for Theatre Research (CATR) from 2008-2012. Shelley teaches courses in theatre history, Canadian theatre, theatre theory and dramatic literature.

Scott has published two books: The Violent Woman as a New Theatrical Character Type: Cases from Canadian Drama (2007, The Edwin Mellen Press) and Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done (2010, Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press).

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

When I was an undergrad here at the U of L (1982-86), I acted in many of the department's productions and thought of myself as a theatre practitioner. I spent some time after university working for the Alberta Status of Women Action Committee (ASWAC), which, at that time, was the provincial feminist lobbying organization, and thought of myself as a feminist activist. But when I started graduate work at the Drama Centre in Toronto, I found the right combination: as a theatre scholar, I could study and write about plays by women and make my contribution to both feminism and Canadian theatre within the academy, the place I feel most at home.

Dr. Shelley scott investigates the realm of women's theatre.

I now occasionally direct plays for the department, which in turn feeds my thinking about theatre and sparks ideas for publications. For example, after directing Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), I delivered a conference paper about my analysis of that play; that paper was published in an academic journal, which was later included in an anthology of articles about Canadian productions of Shakespeare, and then finally formed a portion of one of the chapters in my book about Nightwood Theatre, where the play first premiered.

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

In terms of the publication, a lot of the value is simply in
recording and preserving theatre activity, which is, by its very nature easily lost. A company such as Toronto's Nightwood Theatre, which has been around since 1979, serves as an incredible reflection, not only of all the plays that have been produced and of the artists that have worked on them, but also of the changes in feminist thought and the social realities that shape a women's theatre company.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

Serving as the president of the Canadian Association for Theatre Research for four years has been a great honour. CATR is the national organization for theatre scholars and practitioners: it's a veritable "who's who" of Canadian theatre ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and it's a great privilege to consider these people my friends and colleagues. Our annual conferences are packed with the very best scholarship, and I always leave inspired and energized about the state of our discipline.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

I love the opportunities I have to direct because they allow me to interact with students in a different way, outside of the classroom and in an arena where they are contributing their creativity and ideas to a collaborative effort in a really interactive environment. Because I teach the history and theory courses for the department, I get to know the students in an intellectual and academic way, which is very exciting and rewarding. But the chance to work on a play together helps me to see other sides of them (and they see other sides of me!) and that in turn informs both my teaching and my perspective on writing about theatre. I think that, in the Fine Arts in particular, the interrelationship between teaching and research is fundamental.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

On a personal level, I would love to travel and see more theatre and learn about women's theatre companies all around the world. I am going to a women playwright's conference in Stockholm this summer, and that's the kind of international event I'd like to be able to explore more often. In terms of creative activity, I would build a new Fine Arts building here on campus, one with all the fabulous theatre facilities and studio space we could imagine – plus accessible parking!

This story first appeared in the June 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in flipbook format, follow this link.

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:13:16 +0000

Nick Wade (Art) has been invited to show and speak about his work, The Ruin 2005, at a conference dedicated to Eve Sedgwick. Called Spanking and Poetry at the Graduate Centre, CUNY NY on Feb. 25, part of the conference is dedicated to innovative uses of language in many disciplines, including visual art.

Mary Kavanagh (Art) and Michael Campbell (Art) both had work purchased by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in its recent round of new acquisitions. Kavanagh's work, Tarnish: Silver Drawings (2005), is a process piece resulting in a large textile. Campbell's work, Tranquility Base (2006), is a video/audio/sculptural installation.

The winners for the annual student writing competition, Plays and Prose, supported by U of L alumnus Terry Whitehead, were announced recently. James Wade captured the Play Right Prize for his play Muse Control. Marian Godfrey won first prize in the prose competition for Takeoff, while second prize went to Henry Heavy Shield for The Art of Fasting. The third prize was awarded to Dave Bryant for Out of Sight on Barstool Row. This is the second consecutive year that Heavy Shield has earned a prize for his writing.

Mary-Anne McTrowe (Art) was asked by recent Art Now speaker Brian Goeltzenleuchter, to create work to be featured on his Contraposto Home Decor website for Winter 2010, based on items in his product line. She chose to knit cozies for three of the candles offered for sale on the site: Roman Ruins, The Kiss, and Totem.

Daniel Wong (Art Gallery) and Mary-Anne McTrowe (Art), as The Cedar Tavern Singers AKA Les Phonorealistes, travel to San Diego in March to participate in a group exhibition entitled Family Matters at Sushi Center for Urban Arts, which runs from Mar. 4 to Apr. 24. In addition to their installation, they are also presenting a musical performance.

Tido Janssen (Music) was recently elected president of the Alberta String Association (ASA). The ASA is a non-profit, charitable organization that supports and develops programs serving a network of string professionals, string students, and string-interested parties that advocate quality string playing and string education in Alberta.

Dr. Shelley Scott's (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) book, Nightwood Theatre, A Woman's Work is Always Done, has just been published by Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press.

Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) was named Ms. November (Dance Historian of the Month) in Dance Collection Danse, the national dance archive and publishing organization based in Toronto.

Denton Fredrickson (Art) and John Granzow (Psychology – grad assistant) have their collaboration, Instruments of Removal, appearing in the first issues of the new online publication Boulder Pavement.

Deanna Oye (Music) performed on a concert of international musicians at the Hospitalkirche in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany. She and violinist Jasmine Lin (Chicago Chamber Players) performed Edvard Grieg's 3rd Sonata for Violin and Piano in December.

UNews - Athabasca ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ Press

5 Questions with Dr. Shelley Scott

Related Topics

Campus Kudos

Related Topics

UNews - Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press