Faculty news

  • Almost ready for the big move!

    Monday, June 01, 2015 | By

    The four programs of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts:  Dramatic Arts, Music, Studies in Arts and Culture, and Visual Arts are counting down to the big move to the new facility at 198 St. Paul in downtown St. Catharines.  The trucks start rolling at the end of this month.  To say we are excited would be an understatement!

    On May 29, 2015 we invited student and media to join us for a tour of the new facilities. 

    Take a look at these reports from CHCH Television, Cogeco "The Source", the St. Catharines Standard, the Brock News, and a slide show of photos taken by the Chair of Dramatic Arts, David Vivian.

    For more information please contact Marie Balsom at mbalsom at brocku.ca

     

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • Trio of awards for dramatic arts professor

    Tuesday, May 19, 2015 | By

    It has been a busy spring for Joe Norris.

    In the midst of packing up his office to transfer to the new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, the dramatic arts professor added three newly acquired items to take with him: two awards from the American Educational Research Association and one from Brock University.

    Norris and Richard D. Sawyer from Washington State University captured the association’s Significant Contribution to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology Award.

    They were recognized for their book, Understanding Qualitative Research: Duoethnography, which Norris and Sawyer co-wrote. The book details the duo’s new research methodology called “duoethnography.”

    This involves two people conversing with one another on the same subject from very different viewpoints. As they gain insights and knowledge through the course of the conversation, the two people begin to change their perspectives. These changes in viewpoints become the research data.

    This differs from traditional information-gathering methods, such as using questionnaires, surveys, interviews, observations and other methods.

    Norris’s second American Educational Research Association recognition is the 2015 Tom Barone Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts-Based Educational Research, which is given every three years for a lifetime of dedicated research.

    “It is rewarding to know that something you’ve created supports the work of a large number of people,” says Norris of his recognitions and his focus on creating and developing unique research methodologies. “People have come up to me and said I’ve been able to provide a rationale that gives them justification for what they want or need to do.”

    Among his many activities, Norris is credited with

    transforming playbuilding into a research methodology

    that uses theatrical devices to create performance/workshops that deepen our understanding of the social world.

    Here, the participatory research “data” includes audience members’ responses to what they see on the stage or video. The audience addresses the problems they see being acted out, teaching themselves about the topic in the process.

    To add to his collection, Norris also won the Faculty of Humanities’ 2015 Humanities Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity.

    “Professor Norris’s accumulated record of work in theatre and social issues has certainly earned him this award,” says Carol Merriam, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.

    “His use of his skills and talents in the exploration of social issues, including mental health issues, violence in the workplace and the negative impacts of alcohol, and the involvement of his students in this work, is especially impressive.”

    Norris says he is heartened by the “generosity, playfulness and rigour” of students involved in his research projects, particularly Mirror Theatre, which he co-ordinates. Norris is currently exploring the pros and cons of the written word compared to other media, such as visual work, performances, dance, music and video.

    posted by tmayer on May 19th, 2015 see the original article posted here

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • Contemplative Practices in Higher Education Tues. May 5, 9 am – 4 pm, Rodman Hall

    Tuesday, April 14, 2015 | By

    Learn tools that will assist educators in maintaining a healthy work life balance and stay connected with the broader purpose of the work we do.

    This full day session offers a rich and diverse set of tools for helping students decrease stress, increase learning, and gain a greater sense of connection and resilience in undertaking post secondary education.

    Questions? Contact CPI at cpi@brocku.ca or X 3933.

     

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • Visa Instructor Announces Exhibition.

    Monday, April 06, 2015 | By

    Photography instructor Amy Friend has mounted an exhibition titled Are We Stardust? At the John C. Hodges Library of The University of Tennessee.

    April 1 to August 31, 2015
    University of Tennessee
    1015 Volunteer Blvd
    Knoxville, TN.

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • COMMOTION wins Gold and Silver!

    Monday, April 06, 2015 | By

    Professor Gyllian Raby of Dramatic Arts (DART) and DART Alumna Caitlin English were recently honoured by the news that their film COMMOTION was awarded a Gold medal in the education category and a Silver medal in the research category by Prestige Film Awards, an international juried competition that connects filmmakers with distributors.

    Commotion is a tri-generational program that trains emerging Brock Graduates to create theatre and work with high school students in the surrounding community. The program is run by Gyllian Raby, a Brock professor and Pablo Felices Luna, the past artistic director for Carousel Players youth theatre in St Catharines.

    In reaching out to the local youth, this program is a vital resource to identifying and teaching the relationship between the creative process and group dynamics for Brock’s emerging artists.

    For more information about the project see this news item from November 2011.  See also Prestige Film Awards.

    The COMMOTION project was made possible by SSHRC: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Department of Dramatic Arts of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University, Carousel Players, TALK Niagara and with support from the District School Board of Niagara.

    Congratulations Gyllian and Caitlin!

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • Issue 4.1 (2015) of ti< is now online

    Thursday, April 02, 2015 | By

    The 2015 issue of ti< (ISSN 1929-4336) is now online. It contains several contributions by students in French Studies and Visual Arts realized during their work at Rodman Hall this year.

    Bonne lecture 
    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • DART Spring and Summer courses open for registration March 9

    Friday, March 20, 2015 | By

    Snowbanks are deep and winter term still has weeks to go, but registration will soon open for Brock’s expanded Spring Summer 2015 course offerings.

    Two years of double-digit enrolment growth speak to the program’s booming popularity, and on March 9 registration will open for Spring Summer 2015.

    The 2015 course lineup can be viewed now at www.brocku.ca/springsummer/

    See the complete article here.

    DART courses available for registration include:

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    Acting For Non Majors Spring
    Intro To Physical Theatre Spring
    Shakespeare In Performance (restricted) Summer
    Shakespeare: Voice & Text (restricted) Summer

    Contact the Department for more information: dramatic.arts@brocku.ca or 905.688.5550905.688.5550

    A special opportunity to study in Ottawa at Canada’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival!

    Canada’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival (MNTF) takes place in Ottawa this year, and students in this three-credit undergraduate course (for University of Ottawa) will explore its past, present and future during one intense week focusing on theatre history, performance analysis and criticism. Students are expected to see all nine MNTF shows outside of class time (evenings and weekend).

    from the University of Ottawa:

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    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • DART students improving gender representation one webpage at a time

    Monday, March 16, 2015 | By

    On March 8, 2015, International Women’s Day, Dramatic Arts students, faculty, and community members joined Equity in Theatre in addressing the online gender disparity of the representation of women in theatre. For three hours, Brock’s Hackathon joined groups of theatre practitioners and supporters from across the country as part of Equity in Theatre’s Hackathon to create or update Wikipedia pages for diverse women in Canadian Theatre.

    Brock’s Hackathon was led by a group of student leaders from DART 1F93, Introduction to Drama, but also saw students from other cohorts in attendance. Musicians Bri Lidstone and Hayley Malouin, fourth year Dramatic Arts students, performed strategically female-driven set-lists during the event, creating an empowering and inclusive atmosphere for all those in attendance. At the end of Brock’s Hackathon, the group had updated and completed 16 Wikipedia entries, focusing on female faculty and staff members, as well as members of the greater Niagara arts community. While the official number of pages updated and/or created is yet to be released from Equity in Theatre, if the online communication and support from groups across the country is any indication, the event succeed in increasing gender representation online, and fostering a network of engaged young theatre practitioners. (Kat Gottli)

     

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • Story, Drama, & Video in Personal and Social Contexts _ A Research Celebration!

    Monday, March 16, 2015 | By

    On February 28th, 2015 approximately 30 people participated in the Drama in Education and Applied Theatre symposium "Story, Drama, & Video in Personal and Social Contexts" at Rodman Hall of Brock University. The symposium included presentations by former and present graduate students, faculty members, instructors, and a performance by current Drama in Education /Applied Theatre (DIE/AT) students of the Department of Dramatic Arts.

    Professors Yasmine Kandil and Joe Norris, assisted by Kat Gottli (BA Dramatic Arts, MEd Teaching, Learning and Development) organized the event to “create a space for dialogue between students, faculty, instructors, and community members about how we conduct our research and the challenges and rewards of using story, drama, or video to mobilize our work with different target groups.”  The symposium was an opportunity for instructors and students of the Department of Dramatic Arts to share their research and participate in dialogue about the theories and practices of students, colleagues, and mentors in this ever-growing field.

    The day began with a performance by third year DIE/AT students about youth at risk in the alternative education programs and was followed by a rich talkback about the themes explored in the piece. 
    (A Better Tomorrow. Jenna Klomp, Victoria Van Sickle, Spencer Walker, Michelle Lemme, Melissa Butera, Maddy DeLuca.)

    In the field of Drama in Education there were presentations that explored the use of drama to engage and better understand cyberbullying (Exploring Cyberbullying Through Drama for Social Intervention. Gillian Fournier, OCT, MEd), identity formation in relation to social media (Do they “like” me? An exploration of the 21st century student’s new socialization experience and its implication for pedagogical practice. Mary Code, MEd student, Faculty of Education), body image and self-loathing amongst school children (I’m perfect/Imperfect: Dramatic Explorations of body image with elementary and post-secondary students. Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters, Faculty of Education), Romeo and Juliet as Educational Theatre through Facebook (Facebook Romeo and Juliet as Educational Theatre: An Improbable Fiction? Helen Zdriluk, MEd, Department of Dramatic Arts), and the important roles that artists can play within the classroom environment and curriculum delivery (Playlinks: Investigating an Artist-in-the-Classroom Approach to Enhanced Student Learning. Dr. Debra McLauchlan, Faculty of Education).

    Applied Theatre presentations included topics such as the pitfalls of charity work in the field of international development and the importance of creating change that is sustainable (Keep your coins: We want change. Rox Chwalulk, OCT, MEd), as well as an examination of the ethical considerations in the use of personal stories for raising awareness and celebrating experiences of immigration and settling (Personal Stories in Applied Theatre: Redefining the Blurred Lines. Dr. Yasmine Kandil, Department of Dramatic Arts).

    On the topic of Research Dissemination one presentation explored the use of web-based videos to share and mobilize research initiatives (Disseminating Performative Research Through Web-based Videos. Dr. Joe Norris, Department of Dramatic Arts).  From the area of Social Justice and Equity Studies a presentation examined anti-oppressive literature in elementary school classrooms (“They’re trying to trick us!” Making sense of anti-oppressive children’s literature in the elementary school classroom. Kate Paterson, MA student, Social Justice and Equity Studies).

    Professor Kandil came from Victoria, British Columbia to join the Department of Dramatic Arts in 2014. Her research investigates the effective methods of Theatre for Development practice by understanding the conditions that provide autonomy and empowerment for marginalized communities.  Her dissertation (University of Victoria) showcases two long-term projects: one carried out with a community of garbage pickers living in the slums of Cairo, and the other with immigrant and refugee youth in Victoria, B.C. Professor Kandil’s current research investigates the relationship between not-for-profit organizations’ arts-based projects and participant autonomy and privacy in projects that depict participants’ real-life experiences.  The outcome will be to produce a guidebook, for use of organizations and artists, which would outline the parameters and ethical considerations when working with people’s real-life stories in community-based theatre projects.

    For more information and to contact Professor Kandil please see https://www.brocku.ca/humanities/departments-and-centres/dramatic-arts/faculty-dart/dr-yasmine-kandil

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • Transportation Options for Students travelling from the MIWSFPA Downtown and Main Campuses

    Wednesday, March 04, 2015 | By

    Change is coming, and we are very excited!

    This spring we will begin preparing our new facility at 198 St. Paul in downtown St. Catharines.  If you are new to St. Catharines, or are thinking about possible changes to parking and transportation because you will be attending classes at the downtown location, take a look at this information sheet we prepared for the Spring 2015 Open House.

    Categories: News

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