Past Conferences
History of ATCA conferences
Each year ATCA holds multiple convenings ranging from 2-3 days to 5-6 days, with ATCA members playing lead roles in planning and organization. (In addition, there’s a tradition of occasional Critics’ Seminars.)
ATCA meetings in the early years (1974-77) were held at the O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. The annual conferences in subsequent years have been held around the country.
One of the annual convenings serves as the annual conference, and by tradition has been held in a national theater center other than New York, allowing ATCA members over time to develop an acquaintance with the varying American theater geography. Many of these conferences have included optional side trips to near-by cities or festivals.
For many years shorter (or mini) meetings were held in New York in February, when many papers traditionally sent their critics to report on new Broadway openings — how the world has changed! Additional convenings have been held at new play and regional theater festivals, such as the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Harriet Lake Festival of New Plays (at the Orlando Shakespeare Festival), the Denver New Play Summit, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Humana Festival.
Beginning in 2020, the ATCA conference traditions have been reconsidered, allowing for increased virtual convenings (beginning with the first ever virtual conference in November 2020) and additional virtual events throughout the year.
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2020 – virtual | The Next Normal
2020 – Costa Mesa, CA | Pacific Playwrights Festival (cancelled due to Covid-19)
2019 – Winston-Salem, NC | National Black Theatre Festival
2018 – Spring Green, WI | American Players Theatre
2017 – San Francisco, CA – III
2016 – Philadelphia, PA – II
2015 – New Orleans, LA
2014 – Louisville, KY | Humana Festival – II
2013 – Shepherdstown, WV | Contemporary American Theater Festival
2012 – Chicago, IL – IV
2011 – Ashland, OR | Oregon Shakespeare Festival – III
2010 – Waterford, CT | Eugene O’Neill Theater Center – II
2009 – Sarasota, FL
2008 – Washington, DC | Arlington, VA – II
2007 – Las Vegas, NV
2006 – Stratford + Shaw Festivals, Canada – II
2005 – Los Angeles, CA | National Critics Conference – II
2004 – San Francisco, CA – II
2003 – St. Paul + Minneapolis, MN – II
2002 – Chicago, IL – III
2001 – Ashland, OR | Oregon Shakespeare Festival – II
2000 – Louisville, KY | Humana Festival
1999 – Philadelphia, PA
1998 – Denver, CO
1997 – Salt Lake City, UT | Utah Shakespeare Festival
1996 – Miami, FL
1995 – Dallas + Ft. Worth, TX
1994 – Waterford, CT | Eugene O’Neill Theater Center
1993 – Seattle, WA
1992 – Cleveland, OH
1991 – Chicago, IL – II
1990 – The Berkshires, MA
1989 – Atlanta, GA
1988 – Houston, TX
1987 – Stratford + Shaw Festivals, Canada
1986 – Los Angeles, CA
1985 – Ashland, OR | Oregon Shakespeare Festival
1984 – Providence, RI + New Haven, CT + Cambridge, MA
1983 – San Diego, CA
1982 – Washington, DC
1981 – Nashville, TN
1980 – San Francisco, CA
1979 – Chicago, IL
1978 – Minneapolis + St. Paul, MN