Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him)

A recently uncovered 3rd-century CE papyrus fragment from Egypt containing excerpts from two lost plays by Euripides also reveals how scripts in the ancient world were constructed for performance!

What does it mean that your history will be completely overshadowed by the hate your nation espouses? What does it mean that the accomplishments of your people will always have to be couched in their relation to hate?

As a grandchild of post-war German immigrants, it’s infuriating that Americans know practically nothing about German history outside of the 20th century. But there’s a lesson in that. What does it mean that your children & grandchildren will always perform the apologetic for you?

Nazi-ism is literally 20 years of German history and yet, if you go to a library, the section on German history dedicated to 1925-1945 represents nearly ALL of the books.

Make note of that Americans. Our embrace of MAGA may span 12 or more years. But it’ll DOMINATE our history for decades to come.

Add to this list! I certainly can’t think of all the MANY things I’m sure I missed here.

6. Explore ways to adapt your work for new media. Many scholars fear a “dumbing down” of their efforts for social media. I get that. But, referencing #1, early-career scholars have to find ways to encapsulate their work in quick, broad, and digestible ways. This is helpful for those on the market.

5. Don’t fear criticism. No one knows your topic/subject better than you. But some know enough to be critical. Be transparent about how you intend to incorporate criticisms. Or, why you’ll ignore them. Either way, don’t denigrate the opposition. Embrace it and do something with it. Never ignore it.

4. No one works in a vacuum. Make sure you are doing what you hope will be done for you. Amplify the work of your fellow scholars, especially those who cite, intersect, and/or parallel your work. You are a part of their circle and a rising tide lifts all boats.

3. FRAME your work. Think of it like a stage. The center is the thing YOU specialize it. It’s your spotlight. But where does THE YOU in your field/discipline end? That’s the edge of the frame. Don’t worry about what’s “off-stage.” Focus on your spotlight and why you/your work is deserving of that.

2. Social media is (in this case) your friend. Utilize your networks to promote your work. If we’re thinking in concentric circles surrounding your scholarship, you’re personally gonna be in the center. But your scholarly peers will be the next ring out. And they will see the value of what you do.

This is something the performing arts world can teach academics. So, I’m making a thread.

1. You MUST be the loudest cheerleader for your work. It feels cringey & awkward, but spotlighting your scholarly efforts starts with YOU! After all, you know best how to explain the targets of your work.

Jane Austen, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Fairy Daddies Plus: Who the %#&$ gave Puck heelys?

Year Two of Shakespeare News!

Featuring an unholy Annie/MacB mashup from @stratfest.bsky.social, Brad Lander sonnets from @drewsof.bsky.social & Lithub, and the history of theater + beer from @kyleathomas.bsky.social.

Love this company and how we’re re-imagining Store Front Theatre in Chicago!

Essay: howlround.com/how-stage-le...

@howlround.bsky.social

YouTube video by The Theatre History Professor To Beer Or Not To Beer - Cheers & Booze, Episode 2

Cheers & Booze is my series on the intersections of drama/theatre and alcohol. For obvious reasons it’s a lot of fun to work on this content.

To Beer or Not To Beer is out! Check out where and when beer/brewing shows up on stage.

If you like #drunkhistory, you’ll love this silliness!

Curious about this whole York Mystery Plays in Toronto thing?? Well, you should be!

Listen to me talk about the plays and our approach to performing medieval drama.

Listen to me get nerdy about early #medieval #drama and #theatre!

Many thanks to @thoetp.bsky.social for having me on

The Development of Roman Theatre with Dr Elodie Paillard Episode 30 An interview with Dr Elodie Paillard discussing the development of Roman theatre and the extent to which it developed out of Greek theatre. Dr Paillard i…

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/s2e6
Ep 30: In my first podcast interview Dr Elodie Paillard kindly agreed to discuss the development of Roman theatre and the extent to which it developed out of Greek theatre. Still out there on the podcast feed. #theatre #theatrehistory #greektheatre #podcast

#archaeology #history #ritual #theatre #theater #performance #peru #moche

YouTube video by The Theatre History Professor Ritual • Theatre • Archaeology: Digging Up Performance with Dr. Luis Muro Ynoñán (Field Museum)

Back in July, I posted about an archaeological find of a possible theatre/performance site from Peru that could be ~4000 yrs old.

Well, here’s the follow-up video w/ pics, videos, & the lead archaeologist himself, Dr. Ynoñán, talking about performance rituals in the Americas!

youtu.be/GanjFWqnsJQ

I so hope there’s a huge cache of Greek and Roman plays that are amongst these scrolls 🤞🏻

www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...

Jordan Harrison’s Emotional Sci-Fi His new play ‘The Antiquities’ offers a kind of history of our post-human future, while a new collection of his plays suggests some common themes.

"I’ve had a whole lifetime of being told that computers are the future, and sort of stubbornly being like, 'Well, I still care about my dying art form, theatre'...I have an ambivalence about technology I can’t escape entirely and it drives me to write." www.americantheatre.org/2025/02/03/j...

Oh duhhh….well now I’m disappointed

As long as the story is original!

Thanks nonetheless! I’m struck by how scholarship is framed according to assumptions of performance-specific architecture based upon readings of documentary drama. In some cases—like the Vedic texts—there’s enough to suggest the likelihood of them. But that’s rare in ancient documentation of space.

I would agree. I WANT to agree.

But division, marginalization, isolation, competition, and fracturing have all proven to be money-making models for business in recent years. We’re no longer in the age of “ethical capitalism.” Growth is about revenue. And, today, revenue depends on hate-branding

It’s perfect! As if Bosch were alive today to paint a commentary on our modern world

Ah! You’ve stumbled upon a common misconception. Though the Pope must maintain a gendered bodily faculty, the cathedra Facebooki allows Pope Zuck to shit freely on everything of human concern. Though his manhood be small, his shits are mighty and violent.

Money. Money is the reason.

Just as it is for those corporations which have fully jettisoned any facade of caring about LGBTQIA+ people and their struggles.

Theatre in a capitalist society is never about art.

Thanks Doug! Yes, I’ve found that scholars largely agree that ancient Egyptian ritual performance was confined to a select group (i.e. non-public). I’m aware of the Vedic documentary history suggesting public performance, but not of Zhou China. Are we *assuming* that wooden stages were utilized?

What I love about the Pope Joan legacy is that it was borne of an imaginative answer to why the ‘cathedra Petri’ has a hole in it. Surely, it was to ensure that a celibate man held all the…faculties of masculinity.

Why must the body be gendered in the performance of Papal obligations?