Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) presents the 2025 Latinx Theatre Commons María Irene Fornés Institute Symposium, a one-day convening of scholars, artists, students, advocates, and others invested in the life, work, and legacy of playwright, director and educator, María Irene Fornés (1930-2018).
Taking place in the Lewis Arts complex at Princeton University, the 2025 symposium will celebrate the pathbreaking publication of María Irene Fornés in Context (Cambridge University Press), a volume featuring the work of more than thirty artists, advocates, and scholars, which is slated for digital and hardcover publication in July 2025.
The 2025 symposium will offer a series of plenary readings from Fornés in Context in tandem with a constellation of hosted breakout conversations engaging questions of context, legacy, and engagement around Fornés’s work.
Just as the 2018 symposium launched the current wave of scholarly, artistic, and community engagement with the work of María Irene Fornés, the 2025 symposium is designed to activate the next wave of critical, creative, and collaborative explorations of the Fornésian tradition. A co-production of the Latinx Theatre Commons, this symposium is co-championed by Dr. Anne García-Romero of Notre Dame University and Dr. Brian Eugenio Herrera of Princeton University, editors of María Irene Fornés in Context.
Admission & Details
Admission to the convening is free and by invitation, however available remaining seats will be opened to the general public.
The symposium has been designed to work with the train schedules from New York City via NJ Transit. Attendees are asked to cover their travel and lodging expenses to and from Princeton.
Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. (EST). Symposium programming begins at 10:15 a.m. (EST), concludes at 6:15 p.m. (EST), and will include a light breakfast, lunch and closing reception.
At this symposium, we are including participants based on a variety of factors to “build out the room.” This is in an effort to ensure that we hold space for those who have previously been missing at our gatherings, whether because of age, role in the field, access to technology, etc.
Symposium Schedule
View the symposium program (PDF)
All events take place at the Lewis Arts complex. Events noted with * will also be livestreamed via HowlRoundTV with ASL interpretation.
March 21
5:00 PM — Optional attendance at performance of Dr. Kheal2: One Big Thing (CoLab, Lewis Arts complex). Free and open to public; separate ticket required.
March 22
9:00 AM — Light Breakfast Buffet in Forum
10:15 AM — Welcoming Remarks* in Wallace Theater
11:00 AM — Plenary Reading 1: Harriet and Irene: Infinite Muses by Elaine Romero* in Wallace Theater; immediately followed by hosted, themed breakout conversations in spaces throughout the Lewis Arts complex and online
12:30 PM – Grab & Go boxed lunches in Forum
2:00 PM — Plenary Reading 2: Truffle Pigs by Michael Breslin & Cat Rodriguez* in Wallace Theater; immediately followed by hosted, themed breakout conversations in spaces throughout the Lewis Arts Complex and online
4:00 PM — Plenary Reading 3: 27 Rue du Fleurus by María Irene Fornés* in Wallace Theater
4:30 PM — “The Future of Fornés Studies” Roundtable Discussion* in Wallace Theater
5:45-6:15 PM — Closing Reception & Farewell Toast in Forum
7:30-9 PM — OnTap Live Podcast Recording in Wallace Theater. Free and open to public; no tickets required.
About María Irene Fornés
María Irene Fornés. Photo credit: James M. Kent
María Irene Fornés (b. 1930, Havana, Cuba — d. 2018, New York City) is among the most influential American theater-makers of the 20th century. A defining force within the off-off-Broadway movement of the 1960s and 1970s (and nine-time Obie Award winner), Fornés—as playwright, director, designer and teacher—became a guiding presence for emerging theater artists of the 1980s and 1990s, especially those invested in staging feminist, queer and latinx aesthetics and experiences. Fornés’ experiments in theatrical form and her transformative teaching techniques continue to challenge and inspire new generations of theater-makers today. Even so, the legacy of María Irene Fornés remains remarkably under-acknowledged among contemporary theater artists, students, and scholars.
Directions & Accessibility
Enter the Lewis Arts complex through the main Forum level entry doors located across from the Princeton NJ Transit Station/Wawa. All other entry doors are locked on weekends.
Get directions to the Lewis Arts complex, located at 122 Alexander Street in Princeton, NJ.
The Lewis Arts complex is an accessible venue. The Wallace Theater is equipped with assistive listening devices. Events noted above with * will be live-streamed via HowlRoundTV with ASL interpretation. Guests in need of access accommodations are asked to contact the Lewis Center at LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week prior to the event date.
Sponsors
The symposium is a production of the Latinx Theatre Commons and the Lewis Center for the Arts.
Sponsored by Princeton University’s Effron Center for the Study of America, Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Program in Latino Studies, Program in Latin American Studies, Department of Comparative Literature, and Humanities Council.
