A troupe of Brock University students is\u00a0putting their dramatic arts talents to work\u00a0this summer.<\/p>\n
Tottering Biped Theatre\u2019s production of Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d \u2013 on now at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton \u2013 features a number of familiar Brock faces.<\/p>\n
The production, held at the newly opened David Braley and Nancy Gordon Rock Garden, has been three\u00a0years in the making. Director and Brock drama instructor Todd Copp says his goal is to offer\u00a0local opportunities to recent theatre grads.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve noticed the difficulty emerging artists have here in getting off the ground and we lose artistic talent to Toronto and further cities every year as a result,\u201d he says on the production’s Facebook page. \u201cIn casting this piece, we searched this area’s post secondary theatre programs for the most talented senior students\/recent graduates – and offered them paid theatre work. It’s unprecedented in our area.\u201d<\/p>\n
The production links\u00a0young actors with more experienced ones, teaching the next generation of actors that they don\u2019t need to move away to pursue their passion.<\/p>\n
A number of recent and current Brock drama students are involved on the stage and behind the scenes including Sean McClelland, Sean Rintoul, Caitlin Popek, Nicole James and Dana Morin.<\/p>\n
Nicole James, who is pursuing her BA in dramatic arts with a concentration in production and design, is the production\u2019s stage manager and embraces the challenge of managing a nine-person cast. She works with assistant stage manager and fellow Brock student, Dana Morin.<\/p>\n
James\u00a0credits Carolyn Mackenzie\u2019s stage management course\u00a0for\u00a0giving her the skills she needs for the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have the privilege to work professionally in the theatre,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s so obvious that the instructors at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Dramatic Arts department actually care and are invested in the education of every single student.\u201d<\/p>\n
Copp was an instructor with Brock\u2019s Dramatic Arts program in 2016 and is the artistic director of Burlington\u2019s Tottering Biped Theatre. Founded in 2009,\u00a0the company is inspired by social justice. They have toured regionally and internationally.<\/p>\n