Pannill welcomes Branislav Jakovljevic of Stanford University and Kimberly Jannarone of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale to talk about the points of contact between their two new books. Branislav Jakovljevic's book is entitled The Performance Apparatus: On Ideological Production of Behaviors, and Kimberly Jannarone's book is entitled Mass Performance: Systems and Citizens. Both are published by University of Michigan Press.

Pannill, Miriam, and Harvey discuss Carla Neuss's Theatre Journal article on gender reveals, James Bundy's retirement from leading the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and the PBS stream of The Public Theater's free production of Twelfth Night in Central Park.

On this episode, Pannill, Brian, and Leticia discuss Patrick McKelvey's new article about seeing-eye-dogs and disability performance, the resurgence of clowns on stage, including Courtney Pauroso's streaming show, Vanessa 5000, and the prospect of AI "actors."

We welcome special guests Jacob Gallagher-Ross of University of Toronto and Caden Manson of Big Art Group to talk about "interface theatre," an emerging genre of works that examine the way contemporary life is mediated by apps, devices, and data. Shayoni, Miriam, and Pannill then take stock of the political attacks on higher education and freedom of expression in recent months.

Intro music: Sunday Morning, by podington bear, found on Free Music Archive (CC BY-NC)

Pannill and Harvey welcome Jill Dolan, Annan Professor of English and Professor of Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, to talk about theater and performance studies scholars in university administration, and the challenges of the current political moment.

Recorded live at the María Irene Fornés Institute Symposium at Princeton University's Lewis Arts Complex. Brian and Pannill welcome Anne García-Romero to talk about María Irene Fornés in Context, a new book soon to be published by Cambridge University Press; Jaqueline Flores discusses the Latinx Theatre Commons, of which the Fornés Institute is a major initiative; Gwendolyn Alker discusses biographical research on Fornés; Fornés Institute members reflect upon the symposium.

Pannill, Jordan, and Leticia discuss Rhaisa Williams' new article about Mamie Till Bradley's NAACP tour and "grief capital," the second Trump administration's efforts to reshape federal arts funding, and the documentary film about Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music.

A special edition of the podcast on Dance Data and Dramaturgy. Pannill, Brian, and Shayoni welcome Harmony Bench and Kate Elswit to talk about their data visualizations that are part of the Edges of Ailey exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Katherine Profeta to talk about her collaborations with Ralph Lemon, who is currently the subject of a major exhibition, Ceremonies Out of the Air: Ralph Lemon, at MOMA/PS1.

Pannill, Jordan, and Shayoni discuss Joshua Chambers-Letson's recent essay on the "studies protocols" of performance studies, performing arts in carceral institutions, and 11Reflections: San Francisco, a devised piece reflecting on the experience of Arab-American identity in post 9/11 America.

Recorded in-person at ASTR 2024 in Seattle, Washington, Sarah Bay-Cheng, Pannill Camp, and Harvey Young discuss what a second Trump term might mean for arts and academia, the final edition of PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, and a recording of the classic Split Britches piece, Belle Reprieve.