This is the Early October 2026 MAPACA Newsletter. Our next Annual Conference is November 5-7 in Baltimore, MD.

In this newsletter, we have:

• 2026 Annual Conference Late Registration closes 10/15, and hotel reservations close 10/19
• 2026 Divine Impact Award Winner André De Shields
• MAPACA Conference schedule
• BYOL (bring your own lanyard)
• Flu and COVID
• Donations
• Important Dates

2026 MAPACA Annual Conference Late Registration closes 10/15, and special hotel room rate ends 10/19

The MAPACA 2026 Annual Conference will be held November 5-7 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore, MD. Reserve your room here by October 19 to secure the MAPACA room rate of $179 per night plus additional taxes and fees (subject to change without notice).

Late registration for this year’s conference will end October 15! This will be the last chance for presenters to register for the conference.

Registration dates and rates:

• Late Registration October 1 through 15:

  Regular $345/Reduced $240

2026 Divine Impact Award Winner André De Shields

We are pleased to announce that the 2026 Divine Impact Award winner is André De Shields, actor, educator, philanthropist, and so much more (see his bio below)! Conference attendees can join us at the Divine Impact Award Speaker and Reception on Friday, November 6, 6:00 – 8:30pm in the Calvert Ballroom to honor André De Shields.

Bio

At eighty Earth years, André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor/activist, educator, iconic philanthropist and Broadway Deity. As Actor, Mr. De Shields’ mission is to fill intimate spaces with enormous beauty. He defines intimate spaces as the hearts of humanity. As Activist, he endeavors to restore majesty, elegance and literacy to the Black Thespian’s toolbox, to advocate for long term survivors of HIV and AIDS, and to champion the legacy of the Wellderly (elderly individuals who continue to kick butt). His idiosyncratic career has resulted in a treasure trove of accolades, among them an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has founded The André De Shields Fund. His other markers of esteem include being declared the triple crown winner of the 2019 awards season, having garnered Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Grammy Awards for his universally acclaimed role in HADESTOWN as Hermes, messenger to the gods. 

Perennially renowned for his show-stopping performances in five legendary Broadway productions –THE WIZ (title role), AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ (Emmy Award), PLAY ON! (Tony nom), THE FULL MONTY (Tony nom) and his portrayal of Old Deuteronomy in the radically re-imagined CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL. He rang the closing bell for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in June as part of The “Ring the Bell for LGBTQI+ Equality” Initiative. Mr. De Shields reigned as The Grand Marshal of the 51st Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, achieving the sui generis reputation as one of the ten wonders of New York City. SAWUBONA! www.goatman.vip

MAPACA Conference schedule

You can view the schedule for the 2026 Annual Conference by day and by area. Use your browser's search function (ctrl + F on Windows or cmd + F on Mac) to search.

There is also a “Presentations” tab, which includes both current and past presentations, along with their corresponding times and locations. To view this, log in to your account at MAPACA.net and look for the “Presentations” tab at the top.

BYOL (bring your own lanyard)

Bring your favorite lanyard to use at the conference. Not only will your lanyard and badge holder help reduce waste, but it will also be a stylish fashion accessory and conversation starter! Also, we will have spots to recycle your badge holders at the end of the conference. 

Flu and COVID

We look forward to welcoming you #MAPACA2026 this November. Before the conference, consider getting a vaccine or booster for COVID-19 or other seasonal diseases, such as the flu. Staying up to date with vaccines, in line with public health guidance and your doctor's recommendations, further supports our community.

We will have masks and hand sanitizer available at the conference. We encourage you to use these resources to help protect yourself and our community members, especially our immunocompromised colleagues. 

Finally, we are asking you to do your part in contributing to the health and well-being of your fellow MAPACA attendees. If you feel like you have a cold coming on, your allergies are really hitting you hard, or you feel otherwise symptomatic, test, don’t guess, or stay at home to help protect the community.

Donations

Did you know that you can make tax-deductible donations to MAPACA? While all MAPACA Board members, Area Chairs, and the Response staff are volunteers, there are a lot of expenses involved with running our Annual Conference, Summer Virtual Symposium, and Response, our open-access journal. 

To donate, please visit https://mapaca.net/donation

Important Dates

• October 15: Annual Conference Late Registration ends
• October 19: MAPACA Lord Baltimore Hotel room rate deadline
• November 5-7: 2026 MAPACA Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD