February 5, 2024
59th ANNUAL MEETING AND RETREAT FOR ADMINISTRATORS OF THEATRE PROGRAMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
March 27 – 30, 2024
Minneapolis Marriott City Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
REMINDER – PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING AND MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS
Meeting Registration Deadline: Friday, March 1
Hotel Reservations Deadline: Friday, March 1
We look forward to welcoming members and friends next month in Minneapolis as the National Association of Schools of Theatre conducts its 59th Annual Meeting and Retreat for Administrators. We hope you will join us. Annual Meeting information is available on the Association’s website and can be accessed through the links offered below:
We call particular attention at this time to upcoming deadlines with regard to Annual Meeting registration and hotel reservations:
Registration conducted through electronic or hardcopy means for the Pre-Meeting Workshops and the Annual Meeting and Retreat for Administrators of Theatre Programs in Higher Education will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, March 1. The basic registration fee through that date is $225. On-site registration in Minneapolis will begin at the NAST registration desk at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27. On-site registrants will incur an additional charge of $25.
The Minneapolis Marriott City Center is holding preferred reservations for NAST registrants through Friday, March 1 at a group rate of $189 per night, single or double occupancy, plus applicable state and local taxes. Please be aware that if the NAST room block should fill by that date, group-rate rooms will most likely not be available. Prospective attendees are encouraged to make reservations well before the March 1 cut-off date, and cancel later if plans change. (Please review the information found on the hotel’s website to confirm the time frame for cancelling reservations without penalty.)
Annual Meeting and Retreat sessions will offer to theatre administrators the opportunity to consider and discuss issues significant to the activities of theatre units including those pertaining to faculty and students.
Topic-specific sessions include:
- Administering Blended Units: Opportunities and Challenges
- Is Artistic Freedom an Anachronism?
- Gender and Casting Policies and Procedures: Design, Implementation, and Effect
- Preventing and Resolving Faculty Conflicts
- The Nature of Curricular Innovation
Open dialogue sessions will welcome representatives from Community and Two-Year Colleges, Faith-Based Institutions, Historically Black Institutions, and Non-Degree-Granting and Professional Studio Schools. These sessions provide to attendees opportunities to listen and to share thoughts and ideas with colleagues.
Training sessions will be offered for individuals preparing for accreditation reviews, new and current visiting evaluators, and administrators designing new undergraduate curricular programs. Informational sessions will be offered which focus on accreditation processes and procedures; annual reporting requirements; and federal issues. Attendees will also gather to enjoy fellowship and renew connections during scheduled meals and social functions.
Annual Meeting and Retreat for Administrators of Theatre Programs in Higher Education events will begin on Wednesday, March 27 at 4:15 p.m. with the Orientation for Newcomers to NAST. Prospective attendees should note that the Workshop: Preparing for NAST Evaluation will be held on Thursday, March 28 from 8:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
In addition to the Annual Meeting and Retreat for Administrators of Theatre Programs in Higher Education, NAST will offer its Pre-Meeting Workshop for New and Aspiring Theatre Administrators on Wednesday, March 27 from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., and its Pre-Meeting Workshop for Seasoned Theatre Administrators on Wednesday, March 27 from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. New and aspiring administrators with three or fewer years of experience are welcome and may find the designated pre-meeting workshop helpful and insightful. Seasoned administrators will be provided the opportunity to explore current issues of concern and interest with other theatre executives.
All 2024 Annual Meeting materials will be made available only through NAST’s Annual Meeting electronic app. Hardcopy Annual Meeting materials will not be provided on-site. Individuals desiring hardcopy versions of Annual Meeting materials may download and print copies directly from the app.
Should questions arise, the National Office staff will be pleased to assist.
We look forward to welcoming and working with you in March.
Thank you.