Emerging young theatre artists nurtured their creativity and built their confidence during a recent festival held at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

Hosted by Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART), the second annual National South STAR Festival (School Theatrical Arts Recognition Festival) welcomed 150 students, guest artists and educators to the School from May 8 to 10 for immersive learning, mentorship, performances and community building.

Secondary school students from school boards across Ontario participated in the festival, which featured hands-on workshops spanning musical theatre, playwriting, acting, sound and lighting design, and acting for the camera.

The two-day evernt culminated in a friendly competition designed to prepare students for future learning, performance and production opportunities. The competition was adjudicated by guest mentors from across North America and DART faculty members and students.

The festival was co-organized by Tracy Garratt, Program Leader for the Arts with the District School Board of Niagara and a teacher at A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls, and David Vivian, DART Associate Professor and Scenographer.

In the keynote address welcoming students, Vivian spoke to the legacy of Marilyn I. Walker’s founding gift for MIWSFPA in downtown St. Catharines and invited the visiting emerging artists to make their community — and the world — a better place by creating theatre informed by their own vision.

“The STAR Festival is a remarkable opportunity for secondary school students, teachers and members of the University community, students and faculty, to come together in the power of the performing arts to express, tell our stories and share our aspirations for future generations,” he said.

For Garratt, the festival presented participants an opportunity for space for growth, belonging, creativity and connection.

“The experience provides young thespians with opportunities to learn, develop confidence, collaborate with peers and celebrate the arts in an environment that encourages both excellence and vulnerability. STAR Festival has become an important part of the artistic and personal development of so many young people,” she said.

Third-year DART student Ariel Piluso, who is pursuing a concentration in Performance, served as a workshop mentor in the one-act playwriting session. She worked closely with secondary school students and helped bring their plays to life in the final performances of the festival.

“Together, we explored ensemble-based theatre, collaboration, staging and storytelling in a supportive creative environment,” she said.

After graduating, Piluso aspires to become a theatre educator and work with students from different age groups.

“The STAR Festival is close to my heart as it gave me the chance to begin developing the mentorship and teaching skills I will use in my future career. This experience is deeply connected with my studies because so much of dramatic arts is rooted in collaboration, creativity, ensemble work, communication and storytelling. Through the festival, I was able to apply those skills in this setting while learning how to adapt them for younger students,” she said.

Third-year Concurrent Education and DART student Kashvi Sharma worked as an adjudicator and mentor at the festival, which incorporates friendly, rubric-driven competition and culminates with awards given in various performance categories.

“My biggest takeaway from this experience was having the pleasure of watching such a young, but very mighty, group of artists put themselves out there, test themselves, try new things and take risks,” she said.

The festival also welcomed back DART graduates who helped facilitate workshops. DART graduate Laura Maieron (BA ’24), who completed a concentration in Production and Design, facilitated a workshop on lighting design as well as helped execute the “Tech Olympics competition.”

Maieron, Production Manager for Suitcase in Point Multi-arts Company, said her goal was “to help students leave the competition with a newly acquired set of skills to bring back to their creative work, in their high schools and beyond, and help advance their careers as emerging artists.”