Iowa State University Department of Music and Theatre faculty members Tiffany Antone and Cason Murphy recently showcased their expertise and leadership at the annual Mid-America Theatre Conference (MATC), held March 6-8, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. Together, they presented on four different panels and contributed to the organization through significant service roles.
MATC is dedicated to the advancement of theatre practice and scholarship across a twelve-state region, including Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The conference brings together theatre scholars, practitioners, and educators to foster dialogue, collaboration, and innovation in the field.
Tiffany Antone, associate teaching professor of theatre at Iowa State, played a pivotal role in the Playwriting Symposium, serving as the junior co-chair. In this capacity, she organized over a dozen panels, workshops, play readings, and other events. Antone also actively participated in the conference by co-leading the roundtable discussion, “‘Fixing’ the American New Play Pipeline Through Intercollegiate Collaboration,” and co-facilitating the Playwriting State of the Field Conversation.
Cason Murphy, assistant professor of theatre at Iowa State, contributed to two panels within the Practice/Production Symposium. He presented his paper, “From Our Town to Your Town: Rude Mechs’ Radical Reimagining of a Theatrical Classic,” exploring the Rude Mechs’ innovative approach to reinterpreting a canonical text. Murphy also was invited to participate in the roundtable discussion, “Contemporary Collaboration: A Roundtable on Directing in 2025.”
In addition to his scholarly contributions, Murphy marked a milestone in his leadership within the organization by concluding his term as president of MATC. He will continue to serve the organization as immediate past president through the 2026 annual conference.
The participation and leadership of Antone and Murphy at MATC 2025 highlight the Iowa State University Department of Music and Theatre’s commitment to theatrical scholarship, creative collaboration, and professional engagement at the national level.