Jimmy Noriega elected president of the American Society for Theatre Research

Jimmy Noriega, associate professor of theatre and dance at The College of Wooster, was elected to a three-year term as president of the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR). His term will start in October and runs from 2021 to 2024. ASTR is a U.S.-based professional organization that fosters scholarship on worldwide theatre and performance, both historical and contemporary. The organization is dedicated to theatre and performance studies and is the only theatre organization in the United States affiliated with the International Federation for Theatre Research and the American Council of Learned Societies. ASTR’s membership includes professors, scholars, artists, and gradate students from around the world.   

Noriega is the current vice president for conferences of ASTR. He also previously served on the executive committee and as conference co-chair for the 2017 Atlanta Conference. In his time with the society, Noriega worked to expand discussions about support and visibility for Black, Indigenous or People of Color. “I am honored and excited to step into this leadership role in such a historic moment of transition for all of us,” Noriega said. “Universities and organizations like ASTR have many challenges ahead as we navigate out of the pandemic, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on ways to support each other in the coming years.” 

An artist and scholar, Noriega has directed over 50 productions in English and Spanish, including invited performances in over a dozen countries. In 2012, he founded Teatro Travieso/Troublemaker Theatre, which operates on the premise that theatre can create positive change in the world. He is the co-editor of Theatre and Cartographies of Power: Repositioning the Latina/o Americas  and has published articles and book chapters on Latinx and Latin American theatre and performance.  

Posted in News on July 1, 2021.