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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Sep 12

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!

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 16

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?

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 16

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?

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 16

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.

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 15

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

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

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

Shakespeare News @shakespearenews.bsky.social · Aug 12

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.

Jane Austen, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Fairy Daddies

Plus: Who the %#&$ gave Puck heelys?

open.substack.com

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 11

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

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

@howlround.bsky.social

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Aug 7

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!

To Beer Or Not To Beer - Cheers & Booze, Episode 2

YouTube video by The Theatre History Professor

youtu.be

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · May 20

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.

The History of European Theatre Podcast @thoetp.bsky.social · May 19

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/s6e56
Hear about upcoming performances of Medieval Mystery Plays in today's new podcast episode with @kyleathomas.bsky.social
#theatre #theatrehistory #podcast #medieval #mysteryplays #cycleplays

Performing Medieval Theatre: A Conversation with Kyle Thomas

Episode 169 A welcome return for Kyle Thomas to the podcast where we discussed Kyle’s work on preparing three of the York Cycle plays for performance this summer in…

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · May 8

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

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

The History of European Theatre Podcast @thoetp.bsky.social · May 5

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/s6e54
On today's guest episode I'm joined by @kyleathomas.bsky.social to discuss the origins of medieval period drama as the Roman empire fell through to how religion and education influenced the development of theatre
#theatre #theatrehistory #medieval #podcast

The Origins of Medieval Theatre: A Conversation with Kyle Thomas

Episode 167 A conversation with Kyle Thomas where we discussed the long transition period between Roman theatre and medieval theatre. As you may remember from my e…

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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

The History of European Theatre Podcast @thoetp.bsky.social · Feb 27

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

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

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Feb 10

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

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Feb 10

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

Ritual • Theatre • Archaeology: Digging Up Performance with Dr. Luis Muro Ynoñán (Field Museum)

YouTube video by The Theatre History Professor

youtu.be

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Feb 5

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

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

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

American Theatre @americantheatre.org · Feb 4

"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...

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.

www.americantheatre.org

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Jan 27

Oh duhhh….well now I’m disappointed

Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Jan 27

As long as the story is original!

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Jan 26

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.

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Kyle A. Thomas, Ph.D. (he/him) @kyleathomas.bsky.social · Jan 26

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