News from the Department: Archive

Mainstream’s Summer Drama Program at DART

A week long intensive introducing adults with developmental disabilities to the world of drama was held at Brock University this summer. During the morning sessions, participants were led by local theatre practitioners in various aspects of drama (i.e. Voice, Movement, Improvisation, etc.) The afternoon sessions focused on the creation of short performances which opened for the public on Friday July 29th, 2011 at 1pm.

Mainstream was founded in 1984 and continues to be a strong presence in Niagara, operating various programs to support adults with a developmental disability. Mainstream’s mission is to ‘improve the quality of life for people with a developmental disability by providing a supportive environment that strives to empower individuals with necessary skills and confidence for lifelong learning and growth.”

www.mainstreamservices.com

Visitors To Brock (2010-2011)

Nina Arsenault
February 15th, 2011  13h-14h30 DART 3P96  Studies in Praxis II
Open to the public 15-16h30
ST 107
www.ninaarsenault.com

Jen Capraru  
Thursday February 17, 9h00
DART 1F95 Drama in Education and Applied Theatre I
TH 243
Artistic Director > Theatre Asylum
ISÔKO | The Theatre Source
Modern theatre for social harmony and cultural growth in Rwanda
www.isoko-rwanda.org/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6YoNN6RyKU
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage1011/themonument.cfm
www.theatreasylum.com

Greg Grainger
Thursday February 17  10h00
DART 2F41 Stage Craft
ST 108
Join students in DART 2F41 for a special presentation by a former student of DART. Grainger will speak of his academic and professional career in theatre. Now a professional technician, Grainger will answer your questions about how to succeed in the Canadian entertainment industry.  Followed by a Q & A
PDF poster

8 Day ALBA Emoting workshop  Guest lecturer Nancy Loitz
April 22-30 (with the 26th off)
TH141
The workshop will be taught in four hour sessions daily, with one day off. The work is described as intimate, intense, and emotional. The workshop is limited to 12 participants.
ALBA Emoting: Alba Emoting was developed by neuroscientist Dr. Susana Bloch as a safe, purely physical alternative to emotion memory for releasing, maintaining, and controlling emotional states on stage. 

2011

COMMOTION AT THE OLD COURTHOUSE – YOUTH ISSUES TAKE THE STAGE

COMMOTION gave 23 Niagara students an opportunity to perform two new plays that they’ve created over a 12 week drama enrichment program at their high schools and present it at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre from December 9-11, 2010.

The play On the Line by Laura Secord Secondary School students tackles the influence of technology and media on young people, bullying and family relations. Students from Eastdale Secondary School have created the play Squawk: Flippin’ the Bird which explores the use and abuse of authority, decision-making and issues of identity. Both plays open up new doors for discussion with teens on what happens on the internet, the social pressures they face, and
they encourage students to share stories with their peers about their own experiences.

Roxolana Chwaluk, Caitlin English, Brandon Pachan and Trevor Rotenberg, facilitators trained through Brock University’s Drama Department have been working with the students an estimated 240 hours at their schools since September 2010.

The COMMOTION program is led by Professor Gyllian Raby with designers Michael Greves, Joe Lapinski and Doug Ledingham. This is the second year of the three year COMMOTION project and involves Carousel Players, Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts and TALK Niagara (Teams of Adults Listening to Kids). Last year 35 students from E.L. Crossley Secondary School and St. Catharines Collegiate participated in the program. COMMOTION is made possible by SSHRC: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and approval from the District School Board of Niagara to work with participating high school students on the project.

see the news item for more information

2010 

Dramatic Arts at CODE in 2010. 

For the first time in CODE's 40-year history DART students presented a workshop as part of Celebrate Drama and Dance.

Twenty-four DART students volunteered at CODE. DART faculty Ken Garrett, Glenys McQueen-Fuentes, and Helen Zdriluk were workshop presenters. DART hosted a pre-conference wine and cheese for the CODE executive and conference committee.  Six of the Friday night Carnival entertainment events were presented by Brock stud and DART was part of the trade fair on Saturday.

Break-a-leg, CODE!

2010

Congratulations to DART graduand Katherine Gottli!

At the 2010 Spring Convocation Katherine will be presented with the Humanities Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock medal.

The Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock medal is intended to recognize those students who best exemplify the spirit of Sir Isaac Brock. Students who demonstrate any one or more of the following qualities can be recommended:  Leadership, Courage, Innovation, Inspiration, and Community Involvement.

DART congratulates Katherine as an outstanding member of our DART and Humanities community. Way to go, Katherine!

2010

Lyric Canada 2010

DART is a proud sponsor of the innovative upcoming conference hosted by Brock University in collaboration with the Shaw Festival of Theatre, Lyric Canada 2010. For more information see lyriccanada.ca

2010

The IFTR (International Federation for Theatre Research) 2010 World Congress Cultures of Modernity will occur this July in Munich, Germany. DART Professor's David Fancy and David Vivian are both part of the conference program. See the official website for information.

PSi16 Performing Publics was held in Toronto June 9-13. Professor Natalie Alvarez and graduate Victoria Mountain of DART were on the Program Commitee.

DART faculty presented at the recent CATR (Canadian Association for Theatre Research) conference (part of the SSHRC Congress, or "Learneds") at Concordia University in Montreal (May 2010).

In the Soil: Niagara's Homegrown Arts Festival

DART students, graduates, and faculty participated in the second annual In the Soil: Niagara's Homegrown Arts Festival. The festival featured 70 events in 11 venues in St. Catharines and area.

For more information click on the logo below:

Dr. Joe Norris appointed to the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University

The Department of Dramatic Arts welcomes Joe Norris to the Department as of July 1, 2009. Joe has had a long history of teaching in, through, and with drama both at the secondary and post-secondary levels and is eager to serve the Ontario educational theatre community. Please see the PDF for more information about our new colleague.

2009

DART Students participate in the annual General Brock Soiree 

Every October DART students participate in a special General Brock Soirée.  In 2008 the event was held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.  This is now a not-to-be-missed regional event held in the new Guernsey Market on the St. Catharines Main Campus.

2008

Excellence in Teaching and Research

 In February 2009 Associate Professor Gyllian Raby was awarded a very significant SSHRC Research and Creation Grant in the Fine and Performing Arts for her project Devised Theatre with Youth in Niagara Schools. Gyllian’s project draws on her RSVP research and is in collaboration with Carousel Players of St. Catharines.

Services for Students with Disabilities awarded Associate Professor Dr. David Fancy the Making A Difference Award from the Services for Students with disABILITIES department in the Student Development Centre. The award was presented in April of 2009.

In 2008 our part-time instructor in Drama in Education and Society - Suzanne Burchell - received this award.

Associate Professor David Vivian was awarded the 2009 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching (Faculty of Humanities), presented at the 2009 June Convocation.

Part-time Instructor and recent Limited Term Appointee Helen Zdriluk was awarded the Best Practices Recognition Award, 2008 by the Brock Centre for Teaching, Learning and Educational Technologies (CTLET).

2009

Richard Maxwell and The New York City Players

Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the most innovative and essential theatre artists to emerge from American experimental theatre in the past decade,” Obie-award-winning New York City playwright and director Richard Maxwell and members of the New York City Players visited Toronto and the Brock University campus for the first time April 18th and 19th, 2009.

Students, faculty, and members of the theatre community engaged in a discussion with Richard
and members of the New York City Players in an informal workshop that included a mini-retrospective of their productions to date and exercises demonstrating principles that are central to their work. The evening concluded with a site-specific show entitled Showcase that takes place in a hotel room. Showcase plumbs the thoughts of a businessman absorbed in the world of his private, hotel room as he and his shadow examine his past.

 2009 

Other News about DART

At the 2008 Fall Convocation, DART graduate Jacelyn Holmes received the Spirit of Brock award. The 23-year-old dramatic arts student received special recognition from the university for her academic work and contribution to life at the school. "Art is life!" she declared after receiving her award, which is given to one student who is deemed to embody the spirit of Sir Isaac Brock by inspiring other students.

2008

The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts

Our Department is proud to be a key recipient of the generosity of our local patron, renowned Canadian fibre artist Marilyn Walker. On November 5, 2008 the university announced that she has donated $15 million to Brock's School of Fine and Performing Arts -- the largest donation the University has ever received. With gratitude our School has been renamed the The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Please see here for more information about this ground-breaking and future-building event. Thank-you, Marilyn!

2008