Notes from ADSA Meeting #2: 4:15pm on Saturday 6 July 2002.

G. Milne's position paper 'Crisis in Australasian Theatre & Drama Studies' was tabled as a reference point for this meeting.

 G. Milne opened the meeting and thanked members for giving up time and energy to devote to some serious questions about future directions for the Association in the context of a numerically diminishing profession and increasing pressure from institutions on performing arts studies in Australia.  He then read several ?positive-note? comments from a written submission by Rachel Fensham, who had to leave before this meeting.

The meeting then focussed on some key issues raised from the floor:

1a)  Where are we now and where do we want to go into the future?

1b)  What do we actually do as an Association? 

2)      What are some of the specific pressures affecting the Association and the Discipline? 

3)      How do/should we represent/promote ourselves? 

4)      Problems of communication

In relation to 1a and 1b, a set of statements of purpose [and some responses to them] was established: 

We are an inclusive national and international community of scholars in theatre studies and related disciplines; 

We support, nurture and facilitate teaching, study and research in a range of sub-disciplines reflecting the changing nature of the Discipline (including Theatre Studies, Cultural Studies as well as the broad newer fields of Performance Studies, as well the older concept of Drama studies upon which the Association was founded).              

[But we need a new Title and brand name to reflect these wider concerns, without necessarily ditching our well-established, 25-year-old Logo] 

We hold an annual conference       

[but ADSA needs to be more proactive in supporting the annual conference, though P Hammond spoke vigorously in support of the ?Guidelines for adsa Conferences? document developed by A Kiernander and last year?s Exec] 

We recognise, encourage and reward academic research in our disciplinary fields; in particular, we sponsor, mentor and create opportunities for postgraduate students                       

[But we need to be more active in fostering participation in the Philip Parsons Award for performance as research] 

We actively sponsor academic publication 

We act as a source of information (and as a site for the referral of information) for our members and for a wider network of scholars, practitioners and the industry                       

[But need to develop wider links and to promote our work through them more widely] 

The key issues of Communication and Promotion were stressed throughout this discussion, but there was broad, positive agreement that the Association could and should continue to do a strong job for its constituency. 

[But a strong membership drive ? promoting the values of the Association, as outlined above ? should be instituted forthwith.] 

H. Grehan urged members to promote the Philip Parsons Prize as widely as possible and to nominate the work of eligible Honours and Postgrad students as a matter of priority.

In relation to 2, problems like the amalgamation or absorption of theatre studies ?departments? (and those in related disciplines) into increasingly meaninglessly named ?Schools? were noted as means whereby we were increasingly ?disappearing?.  G. Milne briefly outlined the recent staff cuts at La Trobe Uni as an example of further actual disappearance of members, subjects and sub-disciplines from the field.  But D. O?Donnell noted that, in New Zealand, new staff appointments were becoming apparent, so the cycle might turn again in Australia.

The meeting then devoted considerable time and energy on matters relating to 3 and 4;  points arising from that discussion are summarised here: 

R. Goodlass stressed that a way must be found to keep Life-members on the annual mailing lists  [because they don?t annually renew membership, they drop out of the informational loop]. 

It was agreed that a promotional Mission Statement be drawn up and circulated widely ? to former members, to all of the vestiges of the former and current Theatre Studies ?departments? that can still be identified, to schools, to Universities? Postgraduate associations and perhaps even to the Deans of Faculties ? in order to promote the work of the association, to identify potential new members and to engage more broadly with our widest possible constituency.  It was also agreed that a point worth stressing is our international reach: via international guests at our conferences plus the fact that many of our members are regularly invited to travel abroad for conferences etc. 

It was agreed that we retain our long-standing Logo, but develop a new way of branding ourselves by means of a sub-title  [a proposed draft new Letterhead is attached; gjm] 

A Kiernander proposed employing someone to undertake a range of communicative and promotional work on behalf of the association. 

P. Makeham suggested that it would be easy to do a brief minute every couple of months [?What adsa did last month??] for electronic distribution to ALL members and not just the Executive. 

It was agreed that we would all revive our habit of circulating all information of broad interest to the association and to its wider constituency via the theatreoz list-server. 

It was agreed that the adsa membership form should contain a basic information package, including the Mission Statement, relevant urls [including the ADSA Homepage, Theatreoz, AusStage] and how to use them and what they do and how to access certain information etc. 

It was agreed that further links with members ? and potential members ? in New Zealand and what could be more widely construed as ?Australasia? should be further pursued. 

It was agreed that we should target potential members at academic and postgraduate level in Creative Writing disciplines, departments and programs. 

J. Bollen and others made valuable points about the need for careful planning for turnover (or for the ?succession?) of principal positions on the Executive, in order to avoid ?Exec Fatigue? and at the same time to ensure continuity of ideas and actions.  R. Caines (and others) further urged that members of the Exec be given specific portfolios and job descriptions in order to give the association?s work further and clearer momentum. 

While few of these discussion points were put to a formal vote, it was generally clear that the new Executive would take all of the points raised as a blueprint for its work in the coming year.  The meeting closed with an eruption of spontaneous applause. 

GJM

18 July 2002