STA Comics
I’ve been attending the Shakespeare Theatre Association annual conference since 2016, and each year have drawn a series of comics to document my conference experience. Here they all are!
2016: Notre Dame
Preparing for my very first STA, which was also my very first conference in general. To say that I was suffering from imposter syndrome at the time would be understating it.
Looking back, I find it hysterical to thing about how carefully I packed for my first STA. I suppose I was concerned with appearing to be a “professional”. Now I’m just like… “Yeah, I’m wearing a bear hat to the banquet, I am a quirky comic artist, OK?”
Brought my trusty bear hat to my first conference purely to impress Sarah Enloe, mastermind of the bear-centric Blackfriars Conference. She didn’t immediately petition for my removal, so… I think it worked?
That’s the briefly bearded version of David Prosser, who introduced me to STA and is my beloved Shakespeare fairy godfather.
The opening reception of my first STA was amazing. I went from “lone wannabe comic artist working on incredibly niche topic” to “minor conference celebrity” in about 15 minutes. My head still spins when I think about it.
I made the mistake of going to an Education workshop where we all were asked to participate in a series of theatre games. I’m an introvert who has never wanted to be on stage, so I basically died. Michael Bahr is saying “FORSOOTH” and that’s Dan Beaulieu rolling on the ground shouting “DUST” over and over again. Don’t ask me to explain.
STA IS EXHAUSTING.
2017: Baltimore
Spoiler alert: I had a great time.
I have a standing “no drinking at conferences” rule, but that doesn’t stop me from being at the bar until 2am.
This was just around the inauguration of 45. Of course, looking back now it’s obvious that this was doing a disservice to Richard III. That’s the wonderful Kate Powers running the discussion.
Seriously, conference sleep deprivation is no joke.
Me and my STA brother Tom Weaver (we started going to STA the same year), slowly suffering the effects of being on a Shakespeare socialization high for three straight days.
During Donna Walker Kuhne’s keynote address in 2017 I spent a lot of time looking around the audience. The ratio of BIPOC STA attendees that year is overrepresented here, but you get the point.
I was literally the only Asian of any fraction at my early STAs.
OH the conflicting emotions. The curly-haired one is the amazing Kate Pitt, my consulting pocket dramaturg and Shakespearean other self. She’s my go-to conference buddy, so she appears in a lot of these comics.
I knew Kate Pitt and I would have a great working partnership when we spent the entire crab banquet either making shellfish puns or batting musical theatre lyrics back and forth.
“Where do you get your ideas"?” people often ask me.
I literally just draw what happens in front of me. Ian Gallanar and Lesley Malin wrote this one for me. I don’t think I changed a single word.
This is Austin Tichenor getting mercilessly roasted by Kate Powers, Amy Wratchford, Mac MacDaniel, and Kate Pitt for daring to express doubt about King John. The poor fool.
CP and Dan Beaulieu’s interaction with Ralph Fiennes here is still one of my favorite Shakespearean actor anecdotes.
STA 2018: Cincinnati
I work pretty much in isolation most of the year, so my Shakespeare batteries eventually get drained. STA recharges them.
Every. Single. Conference. You’d think I would learn, but nooooo.
Back before everybody and their dog was using Zoom, poor Grant Mudge had to moderate this technically glitchy session.
Cut to me pathetically roaming the conference hotel hallways trying to find somebody to talk to.
This remains Jemma Levy’s greatest piece of textual analysis ever. I feel privileged to have been there for that moment of inspiration.
I was invited to lead a lunchtime discussion of a play of my choice, so I picked The Winter’s Tale, which is one that I’ve not previously been fond of, but am slowly gaining appreciation for. This particular production choice came up during the discussion and very satisfactorily destroyed everybody,
Brian’s slow descent into voicelessness was truly tragic to behold.
There’s a good chance you’re pronouncing my name wrong, which is probably my fault as I’m not aggressive enough at correcting people: it gets tiring and it doesn’t bother me that much. For the record, it’s the Burmese “Mya” (creaky tone). One syllable, not two. “Meow” without the “ow”. “Mmmmm, yah”. Those are both close enough.
Still not sure I’ve forgiven Madeline Sayet for making me get up and act in public here.
Michael Sexton was on a panel discussing THAT production of Julius Caesar in the Park. He just wanted to make this point clear.
STA 2020: Dallas
If my STA comics have a recurring theme, it’s “complete mental and physical exhaustion”.
Again… I don’t make this stuff up. I just sit in the back of the conference hall and draw it.
I made it through the warm-up before my flight-or-fight instinct kicked in, after which I had to sit in the corner and take calming breaths for the rest of the session. This is why I work in comics.
They came out of nowhere. Apparently there was a huge national cheerleading competition going on in town.
Nobody had an answer.
NO BUT SERIOUSLY THE POOL NOODLE SEA CREATURES ARE MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE “SPIRITS OF THE ISLE” DESIGN EVERYBODY SHOULD USE THESE IN ALL FUTURE TEMPEST PRODUCTIONS.
STA 2021: Virtual
I’m pleased to report that, after I posted this comic, everyone went out of their way to show me their pets.
Easily one of the most surreal moments of my life was attempting to follow Scott Jackson’s calming and grounding Kundalini yoga prompts while simultaneously doomscrolling the ongoing Capitol insurrection.
Pro: Can workout during plenaries
Con: Can’t use “I’m at a conference” as an excuse for skipping workouts
I actually kind of enjoy live-drawing, but trying to come up with a comic idea out of nothing with people watching you is nerve-wracking. So I just drew that.
MITTENS
The conference ended every day at around 5:30pm, and it still totally messed up my sleep schedule.
Apart from group yoga classes, I really hadn’t spent a lot of time on Zoom during the pandemic, so suddenly rolling up to a virtual conference with 200 of my closest friends was… a bit overwhelming.
I remain immeasurably proud of the “pivot” shirt.
The virtual conference definitely looked a lot different from my first few STA conferences. I know a lot of that was due to the low cost and overall accessibility of the virtual format, but I’m hoping we can carry that momentum over to future in-person conferences.
Future conversation sessions included less intimidating prompts, I’m relieved to report.
I don’t know why this was the case… but it was. TOTALLY WRECKED.
Bingo!