School of Film, Media & Theatre Professor Presents at 22nd NIPAI Performing Arts Conference

ATLANTA—Anastasia Wilson, Assistant Professor of Performance, in the School of Film, Media & Theatre, attended and presented at the 22nd NIPAI Performing Arts Conference at Laubegg Castle, Austria, hosted by New International Performing Arts Institute (NIPAI). This nationally recognized conference brings together theatre artists, directors, dancers, choreographers, circus artists, movement and drama teachers, researchers and producers from around the world who want to learn more about their crafts. The conference is limited to only 50 participants.

Following her acceptance to the conference, Wilson advocated for student inclusion and attended the NIPAI conference alongside FMT students Taylor Palmore (B.I.S. ’26), Kai Chisholm (B.I.S. ’26) and LL Funk (B.A. ’25). Aligned with FMT’s mission to prepare critically aware artists through experiential learning, generous donations to the Theatre program made student participation in this international conference experience possible. Under Wilson’s guidance, the group participated in all scheduled workshops during the three-day event.

In addition to her role as mentor and professor, Wilson served as a conference presenter, delivering “Built With You In Mind: Communication & Play as Culture Building.” Her presentation framed culture as an essential asset within creative practice, examining how communication, play and embodied collaboration support inclusive and critically engaged performance environments.

Reflecting on the experience, Wilson noted, “NIPAI offered a rare and unique space for deep exchange. When we center culture as part of the creative process, we create spaces where artists can engage more fully, rigorously and equitably. Being able to share that process with students made it even more meaningful.”

Wilson is an educator, actor and devising artist with an advanced foundation in Physical Theatre. She is a co-founder and lead devising artist for the performance art group Joy & Pang Productions, and Program Director and Voice Teacher for the voice-and-movement theatre company Panta Rhei.

Founded over 25 years ago, NIPAI is a private educational institute with the mission of exploring and bringing to life new, innovative, and professional forms of contemporary performance-making. Learn more about the institute and their upcoming conference here.