Copyright 2013
K A R I N N E K E I T H L E Y S Y E R S
EDUCATION
Ph.D in English, CUNY Graduate Center, 2014
Robert Adams Day Award for best dissertation involving interdisciplinary studies
Robert Adams Day Dissertation Year Award
MFA in Playwriting, Brooklyn College, 2006
Himan Brown Award
English Department Award
BA in Humanities and Arts, Dance and Philosophy concentration. Hampshire College, 1996
National Merit Scholar
TEACHING
Amherst College, 2017-2019
Visiting Playwright
Playwriting 1, Playwriting Studio
Bard Microcollege, Holyoke MA, 2017-2019
Introduction to Theater-Making, Grammar for Writers, First Year Seminar 2
Mount Holyoke College, Spring 2018
Playwriting
Eugene Lang College/The New School, 2016
Playwriting: New Forms and Spaces
NYU Experimental Theater Wing, Spring 2015
Choreography for theater
Movement Research, guest teaching artist, October 2014, Spring 2015
Colorado College, Theater and Dance Dept. 2014
Guest artist, Junior Seminar
Whitman College, Theater Department, 2014
Guest playwriting instructor
Hollins University/ADF MFA Program in Dance, 2006, 2010
MFA Thesis advisor, Written thesis advisor
American Dance Festival, Durham, NC, 2006, 2007
Modern Dance Technique and Composition, Interdisciplinary WFSS workshops
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn NY, 2008-2010
Graduate Teaching Fellow in English, composition, literature, playwriting
Hollins University, annual teaching residencies 1995-2005
Guest Dance Artist in Residence
Amherst College, 1999, 2004
Lecturer in Dance, Modern dance and repertory
New Jersey City University, 2009-10
Lecturer in English, American Literature
The Cooper Union, 2008-09
Writing Center Fellow
Additional dance guest artist residencies 1996-2004:
Mount Holyoke College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Zenon Dance Company, Dartmouth College, North Carolina State University, Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague, Dance Umbrella London, Bates Dance Festival.
Guest Lectures
Sarah Lawrence College, Experiments in Language & Form
New York University, Introduction to Theater
New York University, Playwriting
The New School, Performance Writing
PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS
“It thinks, I move: Fragments of an Emersonian Somatics”
Currents, Spring 2015
“Documenting Interdisciplinary Performance,” Working group convener
ASTR, November 2014
“The Fruitful Interval: Typography and Theatrical Imagination”
Documenting Interdisciplinary Performance working group, ASTR, November 2014
Another Telepathic Thing (Editor and book designer) by Big Dance Theater
53rd State Press, September 2014
“In Defense of the Show”
Forthcoming, Theater Journal, 2014 (print)
After the Show, Segal Center, CUNY, November 2013 (talk)
“Lifers: Committed Practice and the Ethos of Inquiry in Dance and Performance”
UCI Comparative Literature Graduate Conference, April 2011
“This Theater is a Strange Hole: Mac Wellman's Poetics of Apparence”
Postmodern Culture, November 2010
“Uncreative Writing: Nature Theater of Oklahoma's Romeo and Juliet”
Theater Magazine, May 2010
“To Live is to Die: Assia Djebar’s Poetics of Negation”
New England Modern Literature Association, April 2010
“Astral Potatoes: A technique for the anti-psychological projection of lowest vegetables into cosmic space in Sibyl Kempson’s Potatoes of August”
Projection conference, English Students Association, CUNY Graduate Center, 2009
“Get in the Room: Being With New Performance”
Association for the Study of Arts of the Present, October 2009
“Nature Theater of Oklahoma's Acts of Radical Enthusiasm”
Salzburg Festival Program, 2008
WEB PUBLICATIONS
“Stanley Cavell,” Hilo Heroes, Hilobrow, September 2014
“Oskar Schlemmer,” Hilo Heroes, Hilobrow, September 2014
“Ralph Waldo Emerson,” Hilo Heroes, Hilobrow, May 2014
“Kristen Kosmas by Karinne Keithley Syers,” BOMBlog, January 2013
“Jennifer Monson in Clean Slate,” Critical Correspondence
“A Sincere Proposal for Thinking About Irony,” Critical Correspondence
Performa Writing Live, team member, 2007
EDITORIAL
Founder and co-editor, 53rd State Press (2007-present)
Co-host The Acousmatic Theater Hour on WFMU 2008-2009
CREATIVE WORKS (Live performance unless otherwise specified)
2019
Karl Andrisson Park, 33 Hawley, Northampton MA
2018
Long Bright Day (development)
The Lydian Gale Parr (development)
2017
Front Door Blue Sky, documentary film
Body of Text, contributing writer/thinker/collaborator, Nichole Canuso Dance Company, Philadelphia
2016
A Tunnel Year, Chocolate Factory Theater, Long Island City
Lesson Plans, audio essays, Soundproof on ABC/RN Australian radio
Untitled Prairie Trilogy (further development) LMCC on Governor's Island
2015
Untitled Prairie Trilogy (development)
2014
“Sometimes I heard the foxes (a field constellation)” audio collaboration with visual artist Gina Siepel
Decoration Day, audio for installation by Margaret Meehan, Artpace San Antonio
The Lydian Gale Parr, script shortlisted for Leslie Scalapino Award for Innovative Women Performance Writers
2013
Another Tree Dance. Chocolate Factory Theater, Long Island City, NY; Mt. Tremper Arts, NY.
Front Door Blue Sky. Documentary production. The Wooden Floor, Santa Ana, CA.
BB/R, sound design for choreography by Melanie Rios Glaser, The Wooden Floor, Santa Ana, CA.
2012
ZZ, sound design for choreography. Chris Yon, Minneapolis, MN.
La Tribu. Collaborating performer, sound designer. Melanie Rios Glaser. Los Angeles, CA.
You, My Mother. Libretto for chamber opera. Theater of a Two-Headed Calf, New York, NY.
Ich, KürbisGeist. Animations and song composition. Big Dance Theater, New York, NY.
2011
BESSIE Award for Outstanding Production, Montgomery Park, or Opulence.
Linda. Serialized speculative novella with song cycle. Hilobrow.com
Too. Rehearsal assistant to Susan Rethorst. The Wooden Floor, Santa Ana, CA.
2010
Montgomery Park, or Opulence. Incubator Arts Project, New York, NY. Premiere.
Development Residency. Mount Tremper Arts, Mt Tremper, NY.
2009
Montgomery Park, or Opulence. Workshop performances. Here Arts Center, New York, NY.
Say You Will (Kanye West at the Scale of My Household) Stop motion animation. Web; P.S. 122.
Orestes. Performer. Paul Lazar/Annie-B Parson, dir. Classic Stage Co., New York, NY
MacDowell Colony fellowship residency, Theater.
2008
Do Not Do This Ever Again. Ice Factory Festival, Ohio Theater, New York, NY.
ASTRS. Prelude Festival, New York, NY.
American Studies. Stop motion animation. Puppet Lab, St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, NY.
Feed Forward. Collaborating writer. David Neumann. Dance Theater Workshop, New York, NY.
2007
Untitled (Perth, Dickinson), Stop motion animation, web; P.S. 122.
For Every Spot Appeared Wholly Occupied By What Once Had Been, E. 13th St Theater, New York, NY.
Operetta. Experimental Text Festival, Ontological-Hysteric Theater, New York, NY; Women's Performance Festival, BAX, Brooklyn, NY.
Church. Collaborating performer. Young Jean Lee, P.S. 122, New York, NY.
2006
Radio Play (Interview with Sasquatch), The Club at La MaMa E.T.C., New York, NY
Letter to Ur. Photo animation. Web; Children of Ur, La MaMa E.T.C., New York, NY
Some Things Cease, St. Ann's Warehouse Puppet Lab. St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, NY.
Nobody's Lunch. The Civilians. Choreographer. 59 E 59th St Theater, New York, NY, Soho Theater, London, Edinburgh Fringe Festival
2005
Tenderenda. Danspace Project at St Mark's Church. New York, NY.
Tough the tough. Collaborating performer. David Neumann. Danspace Project, New York, NY
The Country Doctor. Sound design. Dir. Paul Lazar, NYU, New York, NY.
2004
Tenderenda (shorter version), P.S. 122, New York, NY.
(I Am) Nobody's Lunch. The Civilians. Choreographer. P.S. 122, New York, NY.
The Ladies. The Civilians. Choreographer. Dixon Place, New York, NY.
2002
Islander. Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn, NY
2001
Beautiful Losers. Danspace Project, Draftwork. New York, NY.
Four Fruits. Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn, NY.
2000
Four Fruits. Surf Reality House of Urban Savages, New York, NY.
SELECTED INTERVIEWS
Culturebot, April, 12, 2012
Hyperallergic, Aug. 10, 2013
OK Radio, Dec. 23, 2012
Critical Correspondence, Oct. 2010
JOYC CHO in PAJ