Nerd Nite #100 is here!
Grab a drink, socialize, and get your Nerd on! Thrilling raffle prizes! Challenging trivia! Engaging Presentations! Join us at Maceli’s in the banquet room (to the right when you first walk-in) for a delightfully square time!
Doors at 7:30 pm, talks begin at 8pm, $1.00 cover at Maceli’s 1031 New Hampshire
Our Presentations:
“Witch Fulfillment” by Jane Barnette – This presenation is about the wishes spectators fulfill when directors put Witches on display. What functions do Witch characters have in the stories where they appear? How do the actors who play these roles affect those wishes? Why are Witches so popular with audiences? We will answer these questions and more through a comparison of a handful of television examples, ranging from WandaVision to AHS: Coven.
“Trinity Site Visit, July 16, 1995” by Matt Kirby – Talking about his unexpected opportunity to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Trinity Bomb Explosion in New Mexico, the site of the first nuclear bomb test.
“Women of the Palace” by Terry Asper –If asked you about medieval Persian women, I’m willing to bet you’re answer has to do with harems. But what does that word mean? Would the people we’re talking about even know what it mean? We never expect medieval women to be judges, to be in charge of factories, in charge of political prisoners, or to finance armies and decide who the king will be. And we definitely don’t expect that of enslaved women. And we’re wrong. Come learn about the women of the palace and just a few of their amazing accomplishments.
Our Presenters:
Jane Barnette is the Head of Dramaturgy and an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Kansas (KU). Her book Adapturgy: The Dramaturg’s Art and Theatrical Adaptation explores the potential of dramaturgically-savvy adaptations for the stage. Barnette’s research includes feminist adaptations, student-centered pedagogy, and depictions of witchy characters onstage as well as in popular culture. Recent projects include: Caryl Churchill’s Love & Information (codirector) at KU, “The Tale of Ora Mae” (author/performer, Ghost Light at KC Rep), and Jen Silverman’s Witch (dramaturg) at Theatreworks in Colorado Springs, CO. Her next book, Witch Fulfillment: Adaptation Dramaturgy and Casting the Witch for Stage and Screen, is coming in 2024 from Routledge.
Matt Kirby is a local artist, designer, musician, instrument maker and always enjoys a good adventure.
Terry Asper is a huge history nerd! After getting too many degrees in the subject, she now spends her free researching, teaching, and teaching about research with the Society for Creative Anachronism. For the past several years her focus has been on the lives of medieval women in Persia.