Deadline to Apply: June 1, 2026

The ongoing challenges of the academic job market mean that many faculty have positions that do not allow them access to regular university funding for research or conference travel. As an organization, the American Theatre and Drama Society is committed to supporting contingent faculty members (i.e., adjunct faculty or part-time faculty as defined by your institution; teaching staff) in their on-going and future work. For this reason, ATDS sponsors a grant for contingent faculty. This grant is meant to help with either Option 1) Conference Travel, OR Option 2) Travel for Academic Research in the field of theatre, drama, and performance of the Americas at a location not in the candidate’s immediate geographic area.

Eligibility: Contingent faculty whose positions render them ineligible for institutional research or travel support.

Award Amount: $500.00 and One-Year Membership to ATDS

Your application should include:

Option 1: Conference Travel Support

1.     CV

2.     A two-page (maximum), double-spaced proposal detailing your research project and the conference you plan to attend to present your research (please include the name of the conference, dates, and relevant travel details). Also, it is possible for an application to address a combination of needs (e.g., to attend a conference at a site where you will also conduct research).

Option 2: Travel for Academic Research

1.     CV.

2.     A two-age (maximum), double-spaced proposal with an explanation of the nature and significance of the project, the intended use of archive or scope of the ethnographic study, the intended use of the funding and when (with budget), and the expected outcome (monograph, conference presentation, article submission, edited volume, performance text, or other creative work, etc.).

Preference will be given to proposals that best reflect ATDS’s mission to advance the study of American theatre and drama (broadly defined), its varied histories, traditions, literatures, and performances within its cultural contexts. ATDS also encourages the evolving debate exploring national identities and experiences through research, pedagogy, and practice.

Please submit applications via email to committee chair Noe Montez at noe.montez@emory.edu with the subject line “ATDS Contingent Faculty Award Proposal.” Awardees will be notified by June 1, 2026. 

2026 Selection Committee:  Noe Montez (chair, Emory University), Lindsey R. Barr (American University), and Jessica Friedman (San Diego State University)