A unique conference experience, held at Hoxton Hall, on May 11th 2013, organized by King’s College, London and the University of Liverpool. This one-day conference will explore the history of one of the most exciting, subversive and controversial forms of theatre from the 19th Century.

The first example of mass entertainment in Britain, the music hall’s influence over fashion, language, society, and culture continues to resonate today, while remaining one of the most enduring art forms of the Victorian period. On the other side of the Atlantic, vaudeville had a similar impact, helping produce a mass audience of consumers, in advance of the development of film and television. In addition, American performers found opportunities in the UK, and vice versa, becoming carrier of cultural exchange in the process.

This conference seeks to bring together all those working on any aspect of the Music Halls, both nationally and internationally, for a day of discussion and discovery. We are looking for papers from all disciplines: Drama, Performance Studies, History, English, Geography, Music, Social Sciences, and Digital Humanities, etc.

We welcome submissions from established scholars, early career researchers, Phd students, as well as performers, and members of relevant societies. Papers should be 30 minutes in length.

Submission deadline: 12 p.m, 31st December, 2012.

Please email your abstract of between 300-500 words to:

cultureandcontroversy@gmail.com

Papers could explore: - Any aspect of the history of Music Hall/Vaudeville from 1850 to present day - Music Hall/Vaudeville Performer’s Lives - Music Hall/Vaudeville Performance Style - Music Hall/Vaudeville Acts - Music Hall/Vaudeville Architecture - Theatre Engineering in the 19th Century - Working Class Theatre - Audiences/Fans - Music Hall in other Media (Film, Television, Radio or Photography) - Theatrical Fashion and Costume - Music Hall Ballet and Dance - Politics and Social Reform - Language and Dialect - Music Hall overseas