Media releases

• Brock Dramatic Arts production pushes boundaries of live theatre with online performances

  Tuesday, October 27, 2020 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 27 October 2020 – R0160

  Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts has come up with an innovative way to present its fall 2020 Mainstage theatre production to live audiences in the middle of a pandemic.

  Scenes from an Execution by Howard Barker runs from Friday, Oct. 30 to Saturday, Nov. 7 as free livestreamed performances viewable on the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) YouTube channel.

  The production is a genre-bending feeding frenzy of high-impact theatre, art film and social media. Scenes from an Execution features the story of a 16th century punk feminist painter named Galactia who outsmarts and out-arts all other hangers-on with her ability to wield a paintbrush and her prowess with a video camera.

  Taking place in an in-between pandemonium of dozens of separate performance spaces around the region and the world, Scenes from an Execution integrates the live and the recorded, and blood and paint, in a festival of entertainment. Directed by Dramatic Arts Professor and Chair David Fancy with choreography by former instructor Trevor Copp, and staging and costume design by Dramatic Arts Instructor Kelly Wolf.

  The production showcases the talent and resilience of the undergraduate students in Dramatic Arts as they navigate rehearsing and performing in a new, virtual landscape. Students include Associate Director Molly Lacey; Assistant Designer Wyatt Hoskins; Dramaturge Asenia Lyall; Dance Captain Marley Mahon; Stage Manager Peter Herbert; Assistant Stage Manager Alyssa Ruddock; with audio design by James Dengate.

  Performers include: Holly Hebert, Neo Moore, Jesse Cains, Jackson Wagner, Heidi Nickel, Diego Blanco, Jarrod Vandenbogaerd, Celine Zamidar, Sammie Marett, Chloe Petrou, Maiya Irwin, Isaiah Alton, Marley Mahon and Thea Van Loon.

  Bringing the production to life are Dramatic Arts production staff including Production Manager Brian Cumberland, Head of Wardrobe Roberta Doylend, Technical Director Gavin Fearon and Head of Stage Construction Ed Harris. Students working in production include Assistant Technical Director Sid Malcolm, Sound Operator Alex Sykes and Wardrobe Assistant Julian Corlett.

  The production is free to view, however space is limited and reservations are required through YouTube and can be booked at brocku.universitytickets.com

  Livestreamed performances can be viewed at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, Saturday, Oct. 31, Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, as well as a matinee on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Gillian Minaker, Marketing and Communications Officer, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts miwsfpa@brocku.ca or 905-688-5550 x4765

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca or 905-347-1970

   – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases

• Virtual Brock event to explore behaviour during pandemic

  Friday, October 23, 2020 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 23 October 2020 – R0159

  Brock researchers will share their findings on how the global pandemic is shaping lives at a free public webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

  The Centre for Lifespan Development Research at Brock University will host “COVID-19 and the Community: Learning more about people’s behaviour and experiences during the pandemic.”

  The live virtual event will address topics such as lying about symptoms, the effects of lockdown on active Canadians and the pandemic’s impact on young people’s lives.

  With Halloween party season approaching, Tony Volk, Professor of Child and Youth Studies, will speak to his research on how young adults are coping with and either adapting or failing to adapt to the circumstances of the pandemic, including breaking rules about in-person gatherings.

  “Young adults are at the centre of this second wave,” says Volk. “Understanding what personal and demographic factors help them cope is critical, as is understanding what measures are likely to make them take proper precautions.”

  Tim O’Connell, Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, will share some early findings from his study of how the pandemic has altered participation in outdoor recreational activities and what impacts the changes have had on people’s mental health, the magnitude of which he has found surprising.

  O’Connell’s research, which has just finished its third phase of data collection, has captured the different phases of lockdown, from the early rushes to spend time in public parks and outdoor spaces to the resulting closures due to overcrowding and the effects of slowly reopening as restrictions eased.

  “In general, as is evident in the news, outdoor recreation areas have been inundated with people and are regularly overcrowded since the start of COVID,” says O’Connell. “The resurgence of interest in outdoor recreation is something that has changed due to COVID, with people now making life choices — where to live, work and play — based on access to outdoor recreation resources. This is a different phenomenon than in the last 10 to 20 years.”

  Alison O’Connor, a PhD student in the Department of Psychology working with Associate Professor Angela Evans, will discuss her work on deception during the pandemic, which looks at both why people lie about their behaviours or symptoms and what might help promote honest communication.

  “It is important to not add shame to those who lie about illness, but rather to have compassion for individuals who may feel afraid, stigmatized or embarrassed to disclose information,” says O’Connor. “We need to understand the barriers that prevent people from telling the truth and to try to understand why the lie was told.”

  Rebecca Raby, Professor of Child and Youth Studies, and her PhD student Laurel Donsion have spent the last few months trying to understand, in detail, how children and young people are experiencing the pandemic, conducting repeated interviews with participants to learn more about their wide-ranging experiences.

  Raby says she has been surprised both by how knowledgeable the participants are about COVID-19 and by the extent of their loneliness, noting the pandemic has “exacerbated current inequalities” to affect children’s experiences.

  “We need greater recognition, through research but also the creation of policy, that children’s experiences, feelings and views during these times are worthwhile and important,” says Raby. “We also need greater attention to how different children’s experiences are based on a number of factors, including social inequality, and we need to ensure that attention is paid to quality in online teaching so that children who cannot go to school right now are properly supported.”

  The webinar is free and open to the public. In order to gain access, please register online.

  Please note that this webinar will not discuss or recommend specific treatment or public health interventions, nor is it intended to provide individual advice. Brock University is not recommending any specific resources or health-care options that may be discussed at this event. Individuals should consult with their health-care team or treatment provider for all health-care recommendations and decisions.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Writer/Web Editor, Brock University Marketing & Communications
  mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases