Theatre and Performance Research Association

Annual General Meeting, 1^st September, 2017

Salford University

 

1. Welcome from the Chair (GB-B)

Gilli welcomed members and mentions today’s HEFCE announcement about REF 2021.

 

2. Minutes of 2016 AGM in Bristol are approved.

 

3. Chair (GB-B):

• Gilli thanks the outgoing PG representative Adelina Ong for her service to the Exec and welcomed Ben Monk.
• The following Executive Committee posts are up for renewal in the coming year: Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Digital Communications Officer and Conference Officer. Members are encouraged to consider applying or nominating others for these posts.
• TaPRA Fellowships: The current TaPRA Fellow is Dr Tracy Catell who is welcomed by the Chair. Tracy gives a short and very positive account of her fellowship, explaining, for instance, how it has provided her with the opportunity to curate an exhibition, to work towards a publication, to be mentored by experienced staff and to be an ambassador for TaPRA.
• The Chair encourages WGs to think about Fellowship partners.

 

4.Treasurer (TR)

• Reports on current finances: Current Account: £20,975.21 – Reserve Account: £15,040.97 – PayPal account: £7,699.82. Total in all three accounts: £43,716.30
• Introduction of ECR Bursaries: This was discussed at the WG convenors meeting. Action: Convenors to feedback via KT. ECR bursaries to be discussed at the November Exec.
• Online fraud – TR reports the online fraud in June to members. TR apologises to the membership and assured them measures had been put in place to prevemt a recurrence. Action: No significant payments to be made without verbal confirmation via phone.
• Membership: TaPRA currently has 305 members, which is the number of delegates at this conference.

 

5. Conference Secretary (DR):

• Dan thanks to all at Salford especially Jo Scott and Sheila McCormick for a wonderful Conference.
• 2018 Conference announcement: Adrian Kear speaks to delegates for Aberystwyth. Simon Banham is confirmed as conference organiser for Aber.
• Dan also announces Surrey for 2019 and asks that delegates consider hosting and send expressions of interest for 2020-21.

 

6. Postgraduate (YS):

• The PG Symposium in Leeds was co-sponsored by SCUDD and was a great success.
• Three PG events have run successfully at Salford. Conference warming in the evening before proceedings, conference welcome on the opening day, and a panel dedicated to discussion of funding issues post-Brexit.
• PG Symposium 2018 will be at the University of Kent.
• PGs are launching an online archive which will document events and share resources.

 

7. Research Officer (JR)

• Welome and thanks to Elena Marchevska who is now seving as Deputy Research Officer
• TaPRA awards: We had a healthy set of entries for all prizes but would like to encourage more entries for the PG award in particular.
• Jo summarized the main points from today’s HEFCE announcement. Only the headlines. A link to the report has been tweeted to the membership.

 

8. Digital Communications Officer (RH)

• Rachel presents the website story so far. (This is the third time she’s done it this week and she is now rocking the house).

 

9. Working Groups (KT)

• Brief reports on the activities of History and Historiography; Performance, Identity Community; Documenting Performance; Scenography and Popular Performance.
• The Exec in consultation with the membership will be re-considering and auditing the existing WGs with a view to rationalising their number if desirable. Action: Exec to consider at November meeting.
• A reconsideration of interim events, their purpose and scale, is also in process. Action: WG convenors to feed back to Konstantinos. KT and TR to review existing Interim Event guidelines. Exec to consider at November meeting.

 

AOB

Gilli asks for feedback from members on any matters of concern in advance of the November Exec.

Gilli reports on the meeting she and Jo had with the publishers. Again, asks for any feedback from members.