Gateways to the First World War is pleased to announce a conference Pack Up Your Troubles: Performance Cultures in the First World War to be held at the University of Kent in Canterbury Wednesday 27th – Friday 29th April 2016.
From the popular to elite, amateur to professional, a wide range of performative genres had a significant impact on the fighting spirit of servicemen and civilians in all combatant countries. Yet this vital area of the conflict has yet to be subject to in-depth academic attention. This conference will explore a variety of performance cultures in all theatres of war, on the home and fighting fronts, 1914-1918, seeking to extend the breadth and depth of our knowledge of this important area of First World War studies.
A combination of keynotes, panel sessions, workshops and performances will feature work on a broad range of wartime subjects including music, music hall, theatre, cinema and dance.
What role did music, cinema and theatre play in the lives of servicemen and women, and civilians, in Britain and other combatant nations?
How did wartime restrictions (ideological, economic and material) alter the nature of performance between 1914 and 1918?
In what ways did theatres, cinemas, music halls respond to the war effort?
What were the therapeutic uses of music and theatre?
How were the tensions between entertainment and high art played out during the war, and what were the post-war consequences for the entertainment industries?
Proposals to a maximum of 300 words for papers of 20 minutes duration are invited for submission to gateways@kent.ac.uk by Friday 16th October 2015
For more information please contact gateways@kent.ac.uk.
