TaPRA 2026: Performance and Science

Deadline: Monday 9 March 2026

The Performance and Science working group has an open invitation for proposals that relate to science engaged performance and research. This might include the following (though this is not intended as an exclusive list): transdisciplinary research that brings together methods from performance and science; intelligent networks from the biological to artificial; gamification of knowledge; climate or environmental science in or through performance;  science communication and education using drama and performance; climate science as performance;  environmental science being used to develop performance practice. Both performance and science are taken as broad, inclusive and fuzzy terms, and the group welcomes proposals that explore or test those definitions.

The working group welcomes contributions of any kind: performance, paper, workshop, or others that we haven’t yet imagined. Contributions can include live and pre-recorded/pre-prepared elements in a variety of combinations. We welcome single author and collaborative proposals and proposals from practitioners, from those who see themselves as theatre and performance scholars, and from those who don’t, but think they have something interesting to say about performance and science. We particularly welcome proposals from postgraduate students.

TaPRA invite diverse modes of sharing research, including, but not limited to, short provocations, practice demonstrations, performative presentations, formal papers, etc. Please indicate your preference of format clearly in your proposal, with a specific breakdown of any technical requirements. We will endeavour to accommodate all requests, but please be aware that we are working within finite resources and we may need to suggest alternative formats.

Please note: only one proposal may be submitted for a TaPRA event. It is not permitted to submit multiple proposals or submit the same proposal to several Calls for Participation. All presenters must be TaPRA members, i.e. registered for the event; this includes presentations given by Skype or other media broadcast even where the presenter may not physically attend the event venue.