| 1996 | ATHE, with its sister organization, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE), jointly sponsors the New York Conference, "Theatre Generations: Celebrating Collaboration." Stephen Sondheim is the keynote speaker. Vice President for Conference is Donna Aronson. ATHE implements its second Strategic Plan for 1996-2000. ATHE publishes its white paper, "Guidelines for Evaluating the Teacher/Performer for Promotion and Tenure." Issues of both Theatre Journal and Theatre Topics appear online in Project MUSE®. AWARDS: Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis (Career Achievement in Professional Theatre), Margaret B. Wilkerson (Career Achievement in Academic Theatre) and Jonathan Levy, State University of New York at Stony Brook (Outstanding Teacher of Theatre in Higher Education) |
| 1997 | 
Jill Dolan takes over as President at the conclusion of the Chicago conference, "ATHE ’97: Dramatic Interactions." Tony Kushner addresses the attendees as the keynote speaker. Vice President for Conference is Tad Currie. Blackstream, BTA’s anthology of essays on African American theatre, is published. "Theatre Studies in Higher Education: Learning for a Lifetime," created by the Rationales Task Force of the Advocacy Committee, is published by ATHE. In March, ATHE creates the white paper, "Ethics Task Force Report: A Code for Teachers of Theatre in Higher Education." AWARDS: Augusto Boal (Career Achievement in Professional Theatre), James V. Hatch (Career Achievement in Academic Theatre) and Leonard Pronko, Pomona College, (Outstanding Teacher of Theatre in Higher Education) FEATURED ARTICLE: "Acting 'at the nerve ends': Beckett, Blau, and the Necessary" by Phillip B. Zarrilli |
| 1998 | 
The San Antonio Conference, "Performance Frontiers and Cultural Connections," features a plenary session focusing on the plight of the Esperanza Center losing funding. Guillermo Goméz-Peña and Los MacArturos participate in the Conference. Vice President for Conference is Meg Swanson. The Education Task Force on Education Reform of the Advocacy Committee publishes "Putting It Together: Seeking to Identify Major Trends in Theatre Certification Programs." ATHE begins using Complete Conference Coordinators for its conference planning and logistics, and contracts with Nancy Erickson as the Administrative Director. AWARDS: Zelda Fichandler (Career Achievement in Professional Theatre), Arthur Lessac (Career Achievement in Academic Theatre) and Jewel Walker, University of Delaware (Outstanding Teacher of Theatre in Higher Education) EDITOR CHANGES: Lauren Kruger (Theatre Journal) and Jenny S. Spencer (Theatre Topics) |
| 1999 | ATHE holds its first international conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada: "Crossing Borders."
Emily Mann is the keynote speaker. Vice President for Conference is Jeffrey Elwell. AWARDS: Anne Bogart (Career Achievement in Professional Theatre), Robert Cohen (Career Achievement in Academic Theatre) and Edgardo de la Cruz (Outstanding Teacher of Theater in Higher Education) EDITOR CHANGE: Judith Sebesta (ATHENews) FEATURED ARTICLE: "States of Play: Locating Québec in the Performances of Robert Lepage, Ex Machina, and the Cirque du Soleil" by Jennifer Harvie and Erin Hurley |
| 2000 | The Washington, D.C., Conference, "Dreaming the Century," ushers in the new millennium with Paula Vogel as the keynote speaker, and Holly Hughes performs. Vice President for Conference is Richard Runkel. The Professional Development Committee’s new program, the ATHE Leadership Development Program, launches featuring the first ATHE Leadership Institute® offering. The David Mark Cohen Award, sponsored by ATHE, the Kennedy Center/American Theatre College Festival, and Dramatic Publishing, is established and highlighted at the Festival finals and as an ATHE Conference reading. ATHE implements its third Strategic Plan, 2000 – 2004. VASTA first publishes its serialized monograph, Voice and Speech Review. Playwrights Focus Group publishes "Bind Them Continually" and Other Plays from the New Play Development Works, edited by Franklin Ashley and James I. Schempp. ATHE revises its white paper titled "Guidelines for Evaluating Teacher/Artists for Promotion and Tenure" AWARDS: Robert Burstein (Career Achievement in Professional Theatre), M. Lin Wright (Career Achievement in Academic Theatre) and Ronald A. Willis, University of Kansas (Outstanding Teacher of Theatre in Higher Education) EDITOR CHANGES: Susan Bennett (Theatre Journal), Harley Erdman (Theatre Topics) FEATURED ARTICLE: "Directing with the Viewpoints" by Joan Herrington |
