Digital Conferencing in (Post)Pandemic Times: Performative Strategies for Presenting Research Online.

5 x 3 hour sessions + a mini-conference:

28 Oct. 11:00 - 14:00 | 18 Nov. 11:00 - 14:00 | 16 Dec. 11:00 - 14:00 | 20 Jan. 11:00 - 14:00 | 24 Feb. 14:00 - 17:00

The sudden shift to online presentation in the wake of COVID-19 has meant that postgraduate students have not had opportunities to develop the necessary skills in how to best share their research in digital formats. These skills include how to engage with the camera/screen; how to use voice; how best to share text, sound, movement and visuals; and the kinds of digital tools available to assist with virtual presentation.

Organised by Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre, this CHASE-funded programme of events invites theatre and performance artists and scholars skilled in using digital technologies to share their knowledge and strategies with doctoral students in the arts and humanities, with the goal of aiding them in presenting their research in online formats.

The programme of activities is organised around 5 x 3 hour masterclasses and one mini-conference held on Microsoft Teams between October 2021 and February 2022. These sessions focus on areas in urgent need of skills training, namely: Engaging Audiences Online; Presenting to Camera; Digital Scenography; AV Techniques and Digital Editing; Digital Pedagogy.

• 28 October, 11am -2 pm: Engaging Audiences Online, with Louise Orwin (theatre maker and performer accomplished in digital and mediatised theatrical performance)

• 18 November, 11am -2 pm: Presenting to Camera, with Aileen Gonzalez (director and acting teacher at RADA)

• 16 December, 11am-2pm: Digital Scenography, with Rachel Hann (Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University and specialist in digital scenography)

• 20 January, 11am-2pm: AV Techniques and Digital Editing, with Paschalla Sharpe, film editor

• 24 February, 2-5pm: Digital Pedagogy, with Kim Solga (Professor at Western University, Canada, and specialist in digital pedagogy), followed by a mini-conference

Research students from across the arts and humanities are welcome to apply for this training, though there is a maximum intake of 30 participants.

In applying, please explain under 300 words how your research would benefit from this particular training, and we will use these statements to assess applications if over-subscribed.

It is advisable to attend all the sessions for maximum benefit.