Neil Blackadder
Professor of Theatre
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| Contact 309-341-7502 nblackad@knox.edu |
General Interests
"Most recently I've been translating contemporary German-language drama. My translation of Swiss playwright Lukas Bärfuss' The Sexual Neuroses of our Parents has been produced in London and New York; other play translations have been published in journals, and I directed Rebekka Kricheldorf's Rosa and Blanca with students at Knox in 2008. Meanwhile, I continue to pursue research as a theatre historian, particularly in the area addressed by my 2003 book - the composition and behavior of theatre audiences."
Years at Knox: 1998 to present
Education
Ph.D., Comparative Literature, 1995, Princeton University.
M.A., Comparative Literature, 1989, University of California Los Angeles.
B.A., German and French, 1986, University of London, Goldsmiths' College.
Teaching Interests
European theatre, dramaturgy, theatre history, playwriting.
Selected Professional Accomplishments
Honors/Grants
Fellowship, George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation, 2011-2012.
Resident, Ledig House International Writers Residency, Omi, New York, 2010.
Fellow, Banff International Literary Translation Centre, 2008.
Publications
"Lies of the Drama," review of Donald Margulies' Time Stands Still and Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind, Hunter College on-line theatre review, 2010.
Translator (from German.) "Blackbox," and "Three Paragraphs on Blackbox," Thomas Martin, The Brecht Yearbook/Das Brecht Jahrbuch 35, (2010.)
Translator (from German.) Tattoo by Igor Bauersima and Rejane Desvignes, TheatreForum, 2009.
"Art and Morality: The Plays of Igor Bauersima and Rejane Desvignes," TheatreForum, 2009.
Review of Waves devised by Katie Mitchell after Virginia Woolf's novel, and Martin Crimp's Attempts on her Life directed by Katie Mitchell, Theatre Journal 60.1 (2008).
Translator (from German). The Sexual Neuroses of our Parents by Lukas Bärfuss. Nick Hern Books, 2007.
Performing Opposition: Modern Theater and the Scandalized Audience. Oxford: Praeger Publishers, 2003.
Presentations
Participation in panel discussion with playwright Lukas Bärfuss and his translators in symposium "De la page au plateau: Traduire le théâtre," Lausanne, Switzerland, 2010.
Panelist, "Directors and translators: a dialog." American Literary Translators Association Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2010.
Participation in panel "Nudging Things Forward: Retranslation," American Literary Translators Association conference, Pasadena, California, 2009.
"Interpreting Hostile Reception in the Theatre, 1880s to 1930s," ‘Studying Historical Audiences' Reception' workshop, European University Institute, Florence, Italy, June 2007.
Productions
Translator (from German) and director: Rosa and Blanca by Rebekka Kricheldorf, Knox College, 2008.
Translator (from German): The Sexual Neuroses of our Parents by Lukas Bärfuss, Electric Pear Productions, New York, 2008 & Gate Theatre, London, 2007.
Campus & Community Involvement
Elected to Executive Committee, 2010.
Chair, Department of Theatre & Dance, 2007-2010.
London Director, "London & Florence: Arts in Context," ACM program, 2003 & 2007.
What Students Say
"Neil always makes time outside of class to help students with everything from play revisions to monologue coaching. He has a great ability to offer guidance in such a way that allows his students to own their ideas while pushing them to further develop and explore. I always leave conversations with Neil feeling that he genuinely listens and considers what I have to say. He truly cares about his students and has a subtle sense of humor that makes class discussions interesting. A demanding professor in the best sense of the word--Neil makes his students want to challenge themselves."
-Mikah Berky, Theatre Major and Creative Writing Minor