Articles from:March 2018

• Dramatic Arts students explore the theme of Expectation and Reality

  Thursday, March 15, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  The popular One Act Festival is coming back to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts this weekend. Pictured is the performance of All by Myself from the 2017 One Act Festival directed by Naomi Richardson, designed by Chelsea Wilson and featuring Rebecca Downing, Jessica Johnson, Alex Boychuk, Lauren Reed and David Poirier.

  The popular One Act Festival is returning to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts this weekend.

  Students from the Dramatic Arts Directing II course (DART 3P54) have been hard at work developing their plays under the supervision and guidance of instructor Neil Silcox and teaching assistant Kevin Hobbs. The experiential course offers students practical and real-world experience as directors, dramaturges, performers, designers and theatre technicians, often for the first time.

  Silcox says “Brock does a great job of balancing out the theoretical and experiential aspects of dramatic arts” compared to the other programs he’s worked for.

  “Developing a strong understanding of theories and then being able to get on your feet and actually do it is the only way to learn to do performing arts,” Silcox says.

  Directing II students are responsible for selecting a script, auditioning a cast, rehearsing, designing the show and co-ordinating with the dramatic arts production team on all technical needs.

  This year, the festival is presenting six shows under the theme “Expectation and Reality.”

  Silcox says he discovered the theme “after reading through each of the students’ chosen acts side by side.”

  “We didn’t offer this theme to the students and make them try to select something,” he says.

  This process allows the students to have full control and individuality with their acts, but also challenges them to tweak their shows in a way that highlights the theme more.

  “Although it may seem cliché, audience members should expect the unexpected,” says Silcox.

  The shows range from century old to extremely contemporary, absurdism to strongly political, all exploring this year’s theme from a unique angle.

  Shows being presented this year include Articulation by Alicia Richardson, Your Mother’s Butt by Alan Ball, Echo by Joseph T. Shipley, The Little Stone House by George Calderon, The Lesson by Eugene Ionesco, and The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre by Allan Knee.

  All shows take place in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre of the MIWSFPA on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 starting at 7 p.m. each night. Admission is pay-what-you-can and limited paid parking is available nearby. For more information on the 2018 One Act Festival, visit the Dramatic Arts website.

  Tags: Applied Theatre, Brock University, dart, Department of Dramatic Arts, downtown St. Catharines, dramatic arts, Expectation and Reality, Kevin Hobbs, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, Neil Silcox, One Act festival 2018, Pay-what-you-can, The Brock News
  Categories: Current Students, Events, In the Media, News

• Encore! Professional Concert Series presents Pat & Emilia

  Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  Encore! Professional Concert Series presents: Pat & Emilia: A Mixed-Media Chamber Opera

  Pat & Emilia is a new mixed-media chamber opera based on the lives of two Windsor, Ontario artists – photographer Pat Sturn (1910-2011) and opera singer Emilia Cundari (1930-2005). Act One, created by Tara Sievers-Hunt, features opera arias from Emilia’s repertoire alongside monologues inspired by newspaper interviews given by the singer from the 1950s to 1970s. Act Two showcases new music by Canadian composer Jeff Smallman with text by Windsor Poet Laureate Marty Gervais.

  Tara Sievers-Hunt (soprano) as Emilia | Jocelyn Zelasko (soprano) as Pat
  Margaret Gillie (clarinet) | Velda Kelly (violin)
  Nadine Deleury (cello) | Mary Siciliano (piano)

  The concert includes familiar arias from Italian opera as well as new music by composer Jeff Smallman. Text by Marty Gervais.

  Preceded by the documentary film, ‘Imagining Angels’, on the making of the opera

  Friday March 23, 2018

  Time: 7:30 p.m.
  Location: Partridge Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines

  Tickets: $28.50† adults; $22.50† seniors/students; $12.50† child (14 and under); $5* eyeGo program. General admission. † Includes the $2.50 FOPAC Cultural Capital Improvement Fund (CCIF); other applicable fees and taxes are extra. *No CCIF applied; other applicable fees and taxes are extra.

  Order tickets from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office: 905.688.0722 or Long Distance Toll Free: 1.855.515.0722; online: firstontariopac.ca.

  Tags: Brock University, chamber opera, department of music, downtown St. Catharines, Encore! Professional Concert Series, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, Mixed-media chamber opera, music, Partridge Hall, Pat & Emilia
  Categories: Announcements, Department/Centre News, Events

• Art exhibit receptions to mark International Women’s Day

  Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  The opening reception of “Silent Areas: The Spaces in Between,” Cat Stambolic and Sarah Martin, takes place Thursday, March 8 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

  Brock’s arts community will mark International Women’s Day on Thursday, March 8 with two art exhibition receptions.

  On display at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Visual Arts Gallery and student exhibition space, “Silent Areas: The Spaces in Between” features the work of third-year Visual Arts student Sarah Martin and recent Brock Visual Arts graduate Cat Stambolic (BA ’17).

  The exhibition, which initially opened Feb. 15 and runs until Saturday, March 24, explores the disconnect between mind and body, deemed ‘silent areas.’

  Exploring the theme separately through their previous work, the pair came together to create the exhibit, which investigates “connections between mind and body; specifically, what happens if and when that connection is interrupted,” explained Stambolic.

  Both women are strong advocates of mental health.

  “Our work hangs in conversation with each other’s,” Stambolic said, and is “truly representative of the open dialogue we need to create regarding mental illness.”

  Her work featured in the show is directly related to her own sensory experiences, which resulted in feeling a disconnect from her physical body.

  “The process of making these pieces was a way to resolve these sensations and emotions, re-envisioning them as tangible sculptures,” she said.

  Martin uses her photographs to create visual representation of “restlessness and unconsciousness, how feelings of anxiety can create out-of-body experiences and feelings of existentialism.”

  Her work in this exhibit depicts women exclusively in order to “refocus the narrative of women creating work featuring women, instead of from a male perspective,” she said. “Using the female figure in a powerful way reclaims ownership of the female body and creates a new narrative of empowerment and self-reflection.”

  Both artists will be at the exhibition’s reception to discuss their work on Thursday, March 8 from 5 to 8 p.m.

  Also that evening, from 6 to 8 p.m., is the opening reception of “Expressions of Today/Expressions d’aujourd’hui” at the Niagara Arts Centre, 354 St. Paul St.

  Featuring work from Brock’s Studies in Arts and Culture, and French Studies students, the exhibit explores contemporary expressions in art and literature, with pieces creating unusual stories mixing narrative and art-making.

  “Expressions of Today/Expressions d’aujourd’hui” will be on display at the NAC until Friday, March 16.

  For information on upcoming events, visit the MIWSFPA website.

  Tags: Animation, Brock University, Cat Stambolic, Catherine Parayre, downtown St. Catharines, Drawing, exhibition, Expressions d'aujourd'hui, Expressions of Today, french studies, International Women's Day, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, NAC, Niagara Artists Centre, opening receptions, photography, Sarah Martin, Sculptures, Silent Areas: The Spaces in Between, stac, studies in arts and culture, VISA, visual arts, Visual Arts Gallery
  Categories: Alumni, Current Students, Events, In the Media, News

• Dramatic Arts offers three-day lineup of events

  Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  Ruth Howard of Jumblies Theatre, Kerr Mesner of Arcadia University, and Lina de Guevara of Puente Theatre, will be part of three days of programming presented by Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts from March 15 to 17.

  It will be a busy week for Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts, with a theatrical performance, panel discussion and series of public workshops all lined up in a matter of three days.

  The programming, sponsored by the Walker Cultural Leader Series, takes place Thursday, March 15 to Saturday, March 17 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) in downtown St. Catharines.

  Kerr Mesner, of Pennsylvania’s Arcadia University, will kick-off the three-day lineup Thursday with the debut of In Transit: Artistic Interventions in Precarious Times. The one-person performance piece combines multimedia, live theatrical performance and audience engagement to create an evocative and thought-provoking dramatic experience. His autoethnographic theatrical piece explores the intersections of queer identities, Christianity’s contributions to anti-queer violence and the challenges of embodying transgender identities within current political contexts.

  Mesner weaves a story arc between live theatrical performances from his 2017 piece, In Transit, and multimedia excerpts from the film version of his 2014 play, Intervention, that was part of his doctoral dissertation.

  He performs in the Marilyn I. Walker (MIW) Theatre Thursday, March 15 from 7 to 9 p.m.

  On Friday, March 16, a panel discussion, “Tensions of Engagement in the Canadian Immigrant Theatre Context,” will take place in the MIW Theatre at 7 p.m.

  Ruth Howard of Jumblies Theatre, Lina de Guevara of Puente Theatre and Professor Yasmine Kandil of Brock University will discuss how applied theatre with immigrants and refugees in Canada has evolved over the past few decades. Moderated by Brock Professor Natalie Alvarez, the panel will examine whether the medium has had a positive and tangible impact on this community, and on settler Canadians.

  Kandil began her immigrant journey in Victoria, B.C., where she worked on multiple projects exploring celebration as a means for immigrant youth to claim a space in their new home. She is currently engaged in the second phase of devising a theatre piece that examines narratives of immigration and settlement for Brock students and local immigrants and refugees in relation to expectations, obstacles and assimilation.

  Beginning Saturday, March 17, Brock’s visiting scholars and theatre makers, including two panelists from the previous evening’s event, will present workshops about their work in the Dramatic Arts field.

  Howard, founder of Toronto-based Jumblies Theatre, explores her recent Four Lands touring project in a workshop held in Studio B of the MIWSFPA from 10 a.m. to noon. Her work on issues of diversity has won many awards. Jumblies Theatre is known for its work with minority groups, engaging non-artists and a larger spectrum of participants through community-based theatre.

  Following from 1 to 3 p.m. in Studio C will be de Guevara’s workshop, which examines the different tools used to research immigrant and refugee narratives. She was the first immigrant artist to establish a theatre company in Victoria that focused solely on promoting the narratives of immigration and settlement, with the purpose of bridging the gap between the minority group and predominantly white culture of Victoria. Her work has spread to other provinces in Canada since she began her Canadian journey almost 40 years ago.

  Admission to all three days of programming is free thanks to sponsorship from the Walker Cultural Leader Series, founded by Marilyn I. Walker. However, participants are asked to register for the March workshops in advance through Eventbrite.

  The Walker Cultural Leader Series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University.

  Tags: Applied Theatre, Brock University, dart, Department of Dramatic Arts, drama in education, dramatic arts, In Transit: Artistic Interventions in Precarious Times, Lina de Guevara, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, natalie alvarez, Ruth Howard, Tensions of Engagement in the Canadian Immigrant Theatre Context, The Brock News, Walker Cultural Leader Series, Yasmine Kandil
  Categories: Announcements, Department/Centre News, Events, In the Media, News, Walker Cultural Leader Series

• Dramatic Arts presents: Tensions of Engagement in the Canadian Immigrant Theatre Context

  Tuesday, March 13, 2018 | By dvivian

  

  featuring Lina de Guevara, founder of Puente Theatre (Victoria) and Ruth Howard of Jumblies Theatre (Toronto), with Dr. Yasmine Kandil of Brock University (Niagara)

  March 16 and 17, 2018

  A panel conversation and workshops on the theme of Tensions of Engagement in the Canadian Immigrant Theatre Context. This event will look at how theatre has been used to create collaborative opportunities with immigrants and refugees in Canada, and what struggles lay ahead of us to bridge the divide between settler Canadians and newcomers.

  All events take place at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
  15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines ON L2R 0B5
  A free community event!
  Registration required for workshops only.
  tensions-of-engagement-workshops.eventbrite.com
  Limited parking available.
  Contact Dr. Yasmine Kandil [email protected] for more information.

  PROGRAM:
  Friday March 16 7:00pm
  PANEL Discussion in the MIW THEATRE:
  Tensions of Engagement in the Canadian Immigrant Theatre Context
  
  This panel, moderated by Dr. Natalie Alvarez (Brock University), will feature three of Canada’s applied theatre artists who have devoted a large portion of their creative work towards working on issues of diversity, multiculturalism, and creating opportunities for immigrants and refugees to explore their narratives of settlement through theatre.

  This comes at a crucial time, as our society is witnessing an awareness of the insidious racism that exists in our country, as revealed by the Angus Reid Institute report of October 2016. Our panel will discuss how applied theatre with immigrants and refugees in Canada has evolved over the past few decades, and whether there has been a positive and tangible impact that this medium has had on this community, and on settler Canadians.

  Saturday March 17 10:00am – 3:00pm
  WORKSHOPS: STUDIOS B and C at the MIWSFPA
  
  Workshop STUDIO B (MW 247)
  10:00-12:00pm (Ruth Howard)
  This workshop will explore Jumblies’ recent Four Lands touring project, which brings together settler, newcomer, Indigenous residents of all ages and backgrounds in a gentle exploration of different perspectives on a place.
  jumbliestheatre.org/jumblies/about/staff/ruth-howard

  Workshop STUDIO C (MW 243)
  1:00-3:00pm (Lina de Guevara)
  This workshop will explore the different tools used to do research related to immigrant and refugee narratives: interviews, storytelling of personal stories, image creation, forum encounters, audience participation, etc. Lina will share the tools that she uses and those she avoids.
  linadeguevara.ca

  Registration required for workshops only.
  tensions-of-engagement-workshops.eventbrite.com

  PANELISTS:

  Lina de Guevara
  
  Lina de Guevara was the first immigrant artist to establish a theatre company in Victoria that solely focused on promoting the narratives of immigration and settlement with the purpose of bridging the gap between this minority group and the predominantly white culture of Victoria. Her work has spread to other provinces in Canada since she began her Canadian journey almost 40
  years ago.

  Ruth Howard
  
  Ruth Howard is the founder and Artistic Director of Jumblies Theatre, based in Toronto. Her work with professional artists and diverse communities has won her recognition and awards. Jumblies is known for its large-scale collaborative community-engaged theatre and interdisciplinary arts residencies, projects and productions, as well as its dedication to learning and mentorship in community arts.

   

  Dr. Yasmine Kandil
  
  Yasmine began her immigrant journey in Victoria, BC, where she worked on multiple projects exploring celebration as a means for immigrant youth to claim a space in their new Canadian home. She is presently engaged in the second phase of devising a theatre piece that examines narratives of immigration and settlement for Brock students and local immigrants and refugees in relation to expectations, obstacles, and assimilation.

   

  Our guests, Lina de Guevara and Ruth Howard, are two of our Walker Cultural Leaders for 2017-18.  This series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Engaging, lively and erudite, these  sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society.
  This education program is generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker. Please join us!

  Tags: Applied Theatre, Department of Dramatic Arts, dramatic arts, immigrant, Lina de Guevara, Ruth Howard, Tensions of Engagement in the Canadian Immigrant Theatre Context, Walker Cultural Leader Series, WCL, Yasmine Kandil
  

• Dramatic Arts presents: In Transit: Artistic Interventions in Precarious Times

  Monday, March 12, 2018 | By dvivian

  

  featuring Dr. Kerr Mesner, Arcadia University (performer) with
  Dr. Stephen Low (Moderator, Discussant and Talkback Facilitator)

  Thursday, March 15, 2018 7:00-9:00 pm, in the MIW THEATRE

  In Transit: Artistic Interventions in Precarious Times is a one-person performance piece, combining multimedia, live theatrical performance, and audience engagement to create an evocative and thought provoking dramatic experience. This autoethnographic theatrical piece explores the intersections of queer identities, Christianity’s contributions to antiqueer
  violence, and the challenges of embodying transgender identities within our current political contexts. Mesner weaves a narrative arc between current live theatrical performances from his 2017 piece, In Transit and multimedia excerpts from the filmic
  version of his 2014 play, Intervention, that was part of his doctoral dissertation.

  This performance will be of interest to scholars, graduate students, practitioners, and activists working in such areas as arts based educational research, performance studies, transgender and queer studies, religion/theology, and anti-oppressive education.

  All events take place at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
  15 Artists’ Common, St Catharines ON L2R 0B5
  A free community event!
  Tickets and registration not required. Limited parking available.

  Contact Dr. Joe Norris [email protected] for more information.

  Dr. Mesner is one of our Walker Cultural Leaders for 2017-18.  This series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Engaging, lively and erudite, these  sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society.
  This education program is generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker. Please join us!

  Tags: Department of Dramatic Arts, dramatic arts, In Transit: Artistic Interventions in Precarious Times Kerr Mesner, Walker Cultural Leader Series, WCL
  

• MIWSFPA offers ticket promotion in honour of International Women’s Day

  Tuesday, March 06, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  Brock Dramatic Arts students Manchari Paranthahan and Meryl Ochoa in the production of Top Girls playing at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts March 2 to 10.

  (Source: The Brock News | Wednesday, March 13, 2018)

  The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is offering a special Top Girls promotion in honour of International Women’s Day.

  Tickets for the Brock production’s March 9 and 10 performances will be two for the price of one when buyers mention International Women’s Day.

  The promotion will be available in person at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office or by phone at 905-688-0722. Box office hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

  Top Girls, Brock’s second mainstage production of the year, is a contemporary play that takes a critical look at women and their relationship to power and success.

  More information on the show is available on the Brock News.

  Tags: BOGO free, Brock University, dart, downtown St. Catharines, dramatic arts, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, FOPAC, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, plays, The Brock News, Ticket Promotion, Top Girls
  Categories: Announcements, Events, In the Media, News

• Recital series to showcase student talent

  Thursday, March 01, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  Second-year violinist Jessica Tigchelaar takes centre stage at the Concordia Seminary Chapel on Friday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

  The stage is set for the stars of Brock’s Department of Music to shine.

  Student talent will be highlighted during a month-long recital series that begins Friday, March 2.

  The inaugural performance will feature violinist Jessica Tigchelaar, a second-year student, accompanied by Luis Molina on the piano. The show will take place at the Concordia Seminary Chapel on campus, where half of the recitals will take place. The remaining shows will happen at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

  

  Fourth-year pianist Luis Molina accompanies Jessica Tigchelaar on stage Friday, March 2. Molina then has his own solo performance Monday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

  The series will feature Brock’s most talented performers, who enrol in recital courses for credit following a rigorous audition process.

  Details for the following performances are available at the respective links:

  •   Friday, March 2: Jessica Tigchelaar and Luis Molina
  •   Monday, March 5: Rebecca Heathcote and Karen Lam 
  •   Friday, March 9: Alyssa Shanghavi and Gary Forbes
  •   Monday, March 19: Ryan Baxter
  •   Saturday, March 24: Jesse Luciani
  •   Sunday, March 25: Eric Godfree
  •   Monday, March 26: William Sadler and Lesley Kingham
  •   Monday, April 2: Luis Molina

  Tags: Brock University, Cairns Recital Hall, Concert, Concordia Seminary Chapel, department of music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Instrumental students, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, Student Solo Recitals
  Categories: Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events