November 20, 2025
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W&L Hosts 18th National Symposium of Theater in Academe “Emotion, Pathos and the Human Condition in Theater and Film” will feature a dynamic lineup of creative workshops, presentations, discussions and stage performances March 26-27.
Washington and Lee University will welcome international and American theater artists to campus for its 18th National Symposium of Theater in Academe on March 26-27. The title of this year’s symposium is “Emotion, Pathos and the Human Condition in Theater and Film,” and all the events are free and open to the public.
The symposium is hosted by Domnica Radulescu, founding director of the symposium and the Edwin A. Morris Professor of French and Comparative Literature at W&L, and co-organized with Carolyn Wingrove-Moore, administrative assistant for W&L’s departments of computer science, data science and comparative literature.
“After a 32-year run, I decided to conclude this transformative theatrical journey by returning to the very origins and essence of theater and focus on ‘Emotion, Pathos and the Human Condition in Theater and Film,’” said Radulescu, who is organizing the event for the final time. “This year’s symposium will feature hybrid presentations, workshops and performances by Romanian, Serbian, Belgian and New York-based theater and film scholars, actors and directors. It will be one of the most international symposia to date, as well as one of the most interactive and immersive in its long history.”
Thursday’s program is headlined by a performance of “My Marlene” at 7:30 p.m. in Stackhouse Theater. The play features an electrifying and glamorous one-woman performance by Tjasa Ferme, a New York-based actor and artistic director of the Transforma Theater. Directed by Ana Margineanu and featuring pianist Jonathan Drucker, the play offers a fierce and stunningly inventive embodiment of the disruptive, controversial Weimar-era actress Marlene Dietrich.
Friday’s activities conclude with “An Evening of Theater with Domnica and Carol,” held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Ruscio Center for Global Learning atrium. The evening program includes three short performances: “Chicks from Heaven,” “Madame Monde/Madam World” and “Sappho’s Garden.”
“Chicks from Heaven” is a feminist exploration of sisterhood and survival, featuring excerpts from Carol Lee Campbell, a writer, educator and performance artist based in the Washington, D.C., area, with assistance from Ferme.
“Madame Monde/Madam World” is a short, one-act play by Radulescu about the beginning and end of the world and a girl called Thumbelina. The play will also feature Campbell, Ferme, Daniela Nane and Samara Kidd Harrison, with music arrangement and soundtrack by Alexander Tanson.
“Sappho’s Garden” is an eco-feminist one-act play by Campbell and Radulescu. It is a theatrical exploration of the legendary ancient Greek poet Sappho considering present concerns about violence against female bodies and against the body of Mother Earth and proposing new world strategies. The play is directed by Rachel Tamarin, managing director of Red Monkey Theater Group (New York), and features Ferme, Selina Hernandez, Alexandra Fortin and Efi Kitsanta.
“Gathering from the feedback and responses of past symposium participants, and the various pedagogical, artistic and scholarly projects, products and publications created over its three decades of existence, I can ascertain with some level of confidence and pride that The National Symposium of Theater in Academe has enriched and positively impacted the profession,” said Radulescu. “This is particularly true in the interactions and fruitful relationships between academia, society and theater as an unparalleled force of multiculturalism, intellectual enrichment and societal transformation.”
See the full program for this year’s symposium.
This year’s symposium is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the College, the Glasgow Endowment, the Center for International Education, the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, the Office of the Provost and the German Department.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, March 26
Hillel House, Multipurpose Room (Hillel 101)
10 a.m.: Official opening of the symposium | Welcome and opening remarks by Provost Lena Hill and Domnica Radulescu, founding director of the symposium and the Edwin A. Morris Professor of French and Comparative Literature at W&L
10:15-11:30 a.m. | Workshop: “Freeing Our Voice,” with Joan Lipkin, award winning theater artist, member of American Theater Fellows and director of That Uppity Theater Company and Dance the Vote.
11:40 a.m.-12:40 p.m. | Multidisciplinary Presentation: “Songs as Emotion Catalysts in Films,” with Dominique Nasta, member of the Belgian Royal Academy, professor of film studies at the Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
12:40 p.m.-1:10 p.m. | Lunch in Hillel Café
1:15-2:30 p.m. | Workshop: “Beyond Words – Call and Response,” with Norma Bowles, artistic director of Fringe Benefits Theatre
2:45-4 p.m. | Presentation: “Expressing Emotion – Trust and Dissimulation in Acting,” with Daniela Nane, actor at Bulandra Theatre in Bucharest, director and artistic director of the Ambasadorii Musical Theater
5-7 p.m. | Dinner at The Marketplace in Elrod Commons
Stackhouse Theater in Elrod Commons
7:30 p.m. | Performance: “My Marlene,” an award-winning one-woman performance by and with Tjasa Ferme, artistic director of Transforma Theater and New York-based actor. Directed by Ana Margineanu with Jonathan Drucker on the piano. The play offers a fierce and stunningly inventive embodiment of the Weimar disruptive and controversial actress Marlene Dietrich.
Friday, March 27
Chavis Board Room, Elrod Commons
10-11 a.m. | Presentation: “Pathos and the Human Condition in the Modern Avatars of the Mythological Oedipus in Theater and Music,” with Alina Botez, associate professor of British literature, cultural studies and adaptation studies at the University of Bucharest (Romania).
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. | “Emotions in Bodies Across Time and Space: Pathos and the Re-Performance of History in Domnica Radulescu’s ‘Exile is my Home’ and Alvin Ailey’s ‘Revelations’” with Maria-Sabina Draga Alexandru, associate professor of American studies and postcolonialism at the University of Bucharest (Romania).
12:15-1 p.m. | Lunch at The Marketplace in Elrod Commons
Stackhouse Theater in Elrod Commons
1-2:15 p.m. | Lecture/Presentation: “25 Glasses of Wine,” an interactive discussion on the creation of the transformative DAH theater project with Dijana Miloševic, director of DAH Theater Research Center for Culture and Social Change and professor at Beopolis University and Institute for Modern Dance (Serbia).
2:30-3:30 p.m. | Roundtable Discussion: “What are Theater and Film Good for These Days?” A roundtable discussion about the evolution and the importance of the performing arts in our world with Dijana Milosevic, Tjasa Ferme, Norma Bowles, Joan Lipkin, Carol Lee Campbell, Dominique Nasta, Alina Botez, Daniela Nane, Maria-Sabina Draga Alexandru and Rachel Tamarin. Moderated by Domnica Radulescu.
6-7:30 p.m. | An Evening of Theater with Domnica and Carol
Ruscio Center for Global Learning Atrium
“Chicks from Heaven” — a feminist exploration of sisterhood and survival with Tjasa Ferme and Carol Campbell. Includes excerpts by Campbell, a writer, educator and performance artist based in the Washington, D.C., area.
“Madame Monde/Madam World” — a short one-act play by Domnica Radulescu about the end and the beginning of the world and a girl called Thumbelina. With Selina Hernandez, Tjasa Ferme, Daniela Nane, Alexandra Fortin and Samara Kidd Harrison. Music arrangement and soundtrack by Alexander Tanson.
“Sappho’s Garden” — a one-act eco-feminist play by Carol Lee Campbell and Domnica Radulescu. The play is a theatrical exploration of the legendary ancient Greek poet Sappho considering present concerns about violence against female bodies and against the body of Mother Earth and proposing new-world-making strategies. Directed by Rachel Tamarin, managing director of Red Monkey Theater Group in New York City. With Tjasa Ferme, Selina Hernandez, Alexandra Fortin and Efi Kitsanta.
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