ADS at thirty: Three decades of Australasian drama, theatre, performance and scholarly research

Australasian Drama Studies was first published in October 1982, so this year, 2012, it celebrates its thirtieth birthday with this, its sixtieth issue. To celebrate this milestone, we decided to ask some Australasian theatre scholars - a couple of old hands and mid-career scholars and an early career researcher - to reflect on trends in theatre and performance in Australasia over the lifetime of the journal, developments in the reception of and scholarship about those trends, and the ways in which the journal has reflected them. This article begins with founding co-editor Richard Fotheringham's personal reminiscence of co-editing the journal in earlier days. It is followed by a conversation among four other scholars, contributors and readers with general editor, Geoffrey Milne.

Contributors refer several times to 'ADSA'; this is the acronym of the principal learned society for Australasian scholars of Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. ADSA was begun in 1977 as the Australasian Drama Studies Association but - increasingly reflecting changes in the breadth of interests of its membership - the full name of the association was changed several years ago to the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies. ADSA remains a generous and loyal sponsor of this journal and we are extremely grateful for its support and proud of our ongoing association with it.