In Place of War will launch a new international network of theater practitioners and academics at a reception at The Martin Harris Centre, University of Manchester, England, July 24, 2009. The In Place of War Network is a collaborative initiative for academic and practice-based research into the role, function and impact of theater and performance in places of armed conflict. Practitioners from Kosovo, Gaza, Sudan, D.R. Congo, Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland and the U.K. will be at the launch, talking about theater in refugee camps, in war-affected villages, in towns under curfew, in cities under occupation, in refugee communities in foreign/host countries -- and about why, in times of disruption, individuals and communities have turned to performance? The project also has an online resources, including a database and a social network. A new book, "Performance in Place of War," is due in September. [LINK] Posted by Linda Frye Burnham