Articles by author: gminaker

  • Educational theatre festival builds community connections

    Tuesday, December 17, 2024 | By

    A group of people wearing masks stand in a studio.

    Niagara high school students weren’t waiting in the wings at a recent theatre festival held at Brock; they had the spotlight.

    The second annual Niagara Regional STAR Festival (School Theatrical Arts Recognition) brought secondary school students and teachers to Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) on Dec. 12.

    Presented by the Theatrical Arts Education Association and MIWSFPA, the full-day event was organized by Brock Dramatic Arts (DART) Associate Professor and Scenographer David Vivian and Tracy Garratt, Program Leader for the Arts, School Culture and Student Engagement with the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) and a teacher at A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls, Ont.

    The festival activities were the result of collaboration between local professional artists, educators and arts organizations, including the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and the Shaw Festival.

    Following workshops in MIWSFPA studio spaces led by professional artists, Brock alumni, regional educators and theatre designers, students presented their performances and productions in the categories of Technical Theatre and Design, Musical Theatre Acting — including monologues, duet and ensemble — and one act plays.

    Garratt says these opportunities to engage with diverse narratives and characters will help students develop empathy and critical thinking skills, fostering a deeper understanding of the world around them and inspiring change in their communities.

    “As a passionate teacher in the arts, I believe in the transformative power of theatre and the joy of participating in festivals that celebrate creativity. Theatre not only nurtures artistic voices, but also serves as a vital educational tool that helps students explore complex social issues and inequities,” she said.

    Vivian said the talent of participants was impressive, with students singing one moment and sharing their design and production skills the next.

    “We can’t wait to see what these emerging artists will bring to the major stages of the world in the future,” he said.

    The Brock and Niagara community are invited to the upcoming three-day National South STAR Festival held at MIWSFPA in May 2025. For details, visit Theatrical Arts Education Association.

    Categories: News

  • Creativity abounds at inaugural voice conference

    Monday, July 15, 2024 | By

    A large group of people stand together, some sitting and some standing, in the lobby of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University.

    A group of professional voice and speech educators recently came together at Brock to share ideas and ignite discussion about the field of voice work in the arts.

    The newly formed National Voice Association/Association Nationale De La Voix (NVA/ANV) conference took place at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts on June 8 and 9.

    With the theme of ‘Beginnings’ guiding the sessions and events, NVA/ANV welcomed organization members and non-members to attend events spanning a diverse offering of topics meant to spark inspiration among attendees.

    Following a Welcome Song shared by Strong Water Singers, sessions and workshops ranged from play readings, breath​ release work, exploring nuances of voicework and script-based theatre practices, and an opportunity to pose questions related to the future of the profession.

    At the core of the event was a shared interest to listen to the stories of voicework professionals from diverse cultures and backgrounds.  Guests attended from across the country including British Columba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, as well as many Canadians teaching in New York, Michigan, and California.

    Danielle Wilson, Dramatic Arts Associate Professor, said the reach of the organization is already apparent as attendance and interest exceeded expectations.

    “Canada is such a large country geographically, and there is a hunger for conversation and collaboration among voicework professionals in the performing Arts. We are all excited to begin our journey together as a national organization,” Wilson said.

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    Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Uncategorised

  • Voice Work the focus of special edition Canadian Theatre Review

    Monday, May 06, 2024 | By

    Dramatic Arts Associate Professor Danielle Wilson’s interest in voice work began with her very first voice class when she began her theatre education. The actor quickly realized how her voice was tied to her identity, and how much power it could have.

    Through her professional practice and creative research, Wilson now aims to broaden the definition of what voice work is and highlight its profound impact on theatre practice.

    Wilson recently co-curated and co-edited a special edition of the Canadian Theatre Review (CTR) dedicated to voice work.

    The special edition investigates voice work within a broad context expanding on the notion that voice work is solely a skills-based subject for performers.

    “Many people may think that voice work is only about projecting your voice, enunciating, and performing accents. While those are fundamental elements, I wanted to look beyond the basics and explore what ‘voice work’ means in all its complexity. The work goes beyond what we sound like when we speak”, Wilson says.

    There are eleven articles in the issue which delve into the ways that voice work intersects with other areas and disciplines such as social justice, cultural and gender identity, feminist philosophy, and performance practice.

    Wilson found it fascinating, and at times challenging, to curate and edit an issue about a discipline so tied to sound and physical presence.

    As part of the issue, Wilson interviewed three prominent voice coaches at the Stratford Festival — the only theatre company in Canada with a dedicated team of voice professionals —  to illuminate what a voice coach does and help expand the common understanding of voice work.

    Another contributor, Jane MacFarlane, explores how theatre-based vocal practice can help people support their gender identity.  MacFarlane offers gender affirming voice classes through a transgender support organization in Calgary.

    Peruvian-born scholar Nae Hanashiro Ávila discusses voice work and performance through a social justice lens and how it can provide a platform for women’s voices to be heard in the public sphere.

    “At the root of voice work is self-expression by helping people embrace who they are. It’s not about developing a brand-new voice but about expanding and deepening your relationship with your voice and all that it can do”, Wilson says.

    “One of my mentors, voice teacher Richard Armstrong, said, ‘If you work on your voice, you work on yourself’. That has always resonated with me.”

    Wilson is also helping to organize and host the inaugural conference for the newly formed National Voice Association which will take place at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts from June 8-9th.

    The CTR special edition is now available on the Canadian Theatre Review website.

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    Categories: Announcements, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Uncategorised

  • Announcing DART Open Studies and Summer Institute

    Thursday, May 02, 2024 | By

    Three people stand on an empty stage with a bank seats and theatre lights behind them.

    The Department of Dramatic Arts is launching the summer of 2024 with a selection of learning and creative theatre-making opportunities at both the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines, at the Stratford Festival, and at theatres in Toronto and the region.  Many of the courses have online learning components.

    Following the Spring Session course, DART 1F01 Acting for Non Majors, a successful online course that began April 29, Dramatic Arts has opened registration to a selection of courses for non-Dramatic Arts students, alumni, students from other universities, and members of the public. This is an especially good opportunity for recent alumni looking to build their professional networks, graduate students looking for research-creation experience, or for other non-DART students looking to get some creative research experience in theatre and/or work on a particular project of interest.

    This includes:

    DART 3P91 Shakespeare in Performance and DART 4P51 Shakespeare: Voice and Text: two-weeks of viewing, studying, and performing Shakespeare with members of the Stratford Festival company in Stratford, Ontario. June 10-22, 2024.

    DART 3P40 Self-Producing: a two week, online intensive preparing students to produce independent projects with producer, writer, and director Matt Mackenzie. Online. June 24-July 6, 2024.

    DART 4P94 Creative and Critical Responses to Theatre: three weeks of viewing and responding to professional theatre in the GTA and Niagara region with theatre critic Karen Fricker.  Online and at the theatres. July 15-Aug 2, 2024.

    DART 3P90 Performance Research Workshop: five weeks of creative research and development workshops with professional theatre companies at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. June 7-July 26, 2024.

    DART 3F90 Performance Research Project: five weeks of staged workshop development with Hamilton’s Red Beti Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    July 29-August 30, 2024

    Members of the public interested in registering for these courses, including roles as creative researchers in the Summer Institute program, may join us through the Open Studies program. Open studies is a good opportunity for anyone (eg. artists, producers, teachers, recent alumni, mature students) to enhance skills in a particular area, take a course for interest, or try out DART before applying to a degree program. This will be of particular interest to people interested in the self-producing and theatre criticism courses! If you are taking the course for credit, tuition is charged, but the application process is very quick and easy.  Brock University Open Studies is available to people with all educational backgrounds, is part-time study, does not require you to enroll in a full certificate or degree, and has no formal admission requirements. Folks participating in the Summer Institute as creative researchers are not obliged to enrol in a course; they can also apply to participate part -time on just one or a few projects.

    See the Open Studies and Summer Institute flyers for more information.

     

    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, News, Uncategorised

  • DART students journey to whimsical world in original production

    Tuesday, March 26, 2024 | By

    Pictured above: Fourth-year Dramatic Arts students use lighting effects and props to create shadow puppetry portraying a fantasy world of their creation in their upcoming show Truth & Other Things: A Journey Through Alitheia.

    Fourth-year Dramatic Arts (DART) students have been hard at work creating a new play that promises to transport audiences to a magical world full of surprises.

    Truth & Other Things: A Journey Through Alitheia follows five individuals who are whisked off on a magical journey that challenges their strengths and sense of self. Bound together by fate, the wanderers are put to the ultimate test when asked to rely on someone they struggle to trust: themselves.

    Presented by Patchwork Productions (DART 4F56: Advanced Studies in Theatre Practice), the show opens on Thursday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.

    Led by Instructor Mike Griffin, DART students formed a vibrant theatre collective over the course of the academic year and have been working on every aspect of staging the show, from conceptualizing the story and writing the script to composing music and choreographing movement.

    The theatre collective chose Patchwork Productions as their name to reflect the process of artistic collaboration they have undertaken as a group since September using movement, music, puppetry and dialogue.

    Fourth-year DART student and Head of Construction Genevieve Batista said that the creative process felt like piecing together pieces of a patchwork to create a cohesive final play.

    “We are telling a story together and helping each other out whenever we can; that’s what this year has been all about,” Batista said.

    “This is a unique experience for everyone involved as we are exploring different media that some of us haven’t touched before,” said Benoit St-Aubin, fourth-year DART student and Associate Director of the production.

    Griffin said this is a significant course for students in Dramatic Arts with the faculty member acting as a mentor and guide for students as they take ownership of all facets of devising and producing a play.

    “This is an invaluable, hands-on experience that prepares them well for their next steps as theatre creators,” he said.

    Truth & Other Things: A Journey Through Alitheia runs from Thursday, March 28 to Saturday, March 30 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased through Brock University Tickets.

    Categories: Events, News, Performance Season, Plays

  • Innovative mainstage production explores brain injury through the arts

    Thursday, February 15, 2024 | By

    Pictured above: An upcoming performance from Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts will explore mild traumatic brain injuries through an artistic lens, communicating symptoms of concussion through physical theatre and character mask.

    An upcoming production from Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is shedding light on the experiences of individuals impacted by mild traumatic brain injuries.

    The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy, written and directed by DART Instructor Mike Griffin, uses non-verbal storytelling to create a visceral and imaginative performance.

    Opening Thursday, Feb. 15 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, the story follows its title character as her ordinary life is transformed after experiencing a concussion, sending her on a tumultuous journey back to health.

    The production communicates the symptoms caused by brain injuries through physical theatre, movement and the use of character mask to convey the many struggles and obstacles facing those affected.

    For those who suffer with mild brain trauma, symptoms can often be invisible and therefore difficult for others to comprehend, Griffin said.

    “This production aims to stage the invisible; to heighten the symptoms, physiology and experiences of someone struggling from a concussion,” he said. “We hope this show will raise awareness of the serious impact that concussions can have on one’s life — physically, socially and emotionally.”

    Prioritizing accessibility for all audience members, the production run will include a sensory-reduced experience known as a “relaxed performance” on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. The relaxed performance is intended to welcome audience members who struggle with sensory stimulation by reducing flashing lights, loud noises and providing a quiet room where a livestream of the performance can be viewed on a screen.

    Additionally, the Saturday night performance will also be livestreamed for those who might need to watch the performance in the controlled environment of their own homes.

    Complementing the mainstage is the Molly Gallery, a response to the play by DART student and visual artist Rebecca Cowan, displayed in the second-floor hallway at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre for audience members to take in during or after the event.

    “As we created a show that staged the experience of a brain injury through heightened theatrical methods, we were aware that things like bright lights and a crowded environment were not ideal for those affected. This provides folks an opportunity to come and view artwork inspired by the production at their leisure,” Griffin said.

    To spark further conversation about the interdisciplinary nature of brain injuries, DART will host a public research colloquium, Brain Injury and the Arts, on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. The event will bring together performing artists and panellists, including faculty members from Brock’s Faculties of Applied Health Sciences and Social Sciences, as well as representatives from the Ontario Brain Injury Association and Active Life Rehab+ Concussion Management Clinic.

    The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy opens Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines.

    Performances will also take place Thursday, Feb. 15 at 11:30 a.m. (student preview matinee), Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. (relaxed performance) and 7:30 p.m.

    General admission tickets are available for $20 and tickets for students and seniors are available for $16. Visit the Dramatic Arts event website to reserve tickets.

  • Inaugural theatre festival showcases talents of Niagara student artists

    Tuesday, December 19, 2023 | By

    Students performing on a stage.

    Image caption: As part of the inaugural Niagara Regional STAR Festival held at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, students from Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School staged a short performance in Studio C following a morning of workshops honing their creative skills.

    Elementary and high school students from across Niagara recently gathered at Brock to take the stage and put their theatre skills to the test.

    Hosted by Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) in partnership with the Theatrical Arts Education Association, the inaugural Niagara Regional STAR Festival(School Theatrical Arts Recognition) saw more than 150 students, teachers and theatre professionals gather for a day of workshops, performances and community building on Thursday, Dec. 14.

    The festival allows young people to compete against a rubric created by theatre educators while receiving valuable feedback from professionals in the industry.

    Throughout the day, students participated in workshops led by local theatre professionals and educators exploring topics such as vocal techniques, improvisation and community building.

    A.N. Myer Secondary School student Leah Miller said that it was a fun day learning about different art forms.

    “Having the opportunity to try out new things like improv and vocal skills has been a wonderful experience,” said Miller.

    Students presented skills developed in their school drama classes and performed theatrical pieces in categories including contrasting monologues, musical theatre ensembles, solos and short plays. The categories were adjudicated by theatre experts, including Brock faculty and Dramatic Arts students.

    “The only requirement was that students bring their best efforts. No costumes, sets, lighting or makeup was required, just their best work and theatre blacks,” said Tracy Garratt, Program Leader for the Arts, School Culture and Student Engagement with the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) and Teacher at A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls.

    Associate Professor and Scenographer David Vivian, the Brock faculty lead, said the community partnership with the STAR Festival not only offered emerging student artists the opportunity to showcase their talents and creativity, but also to receive feedback fostering creative growth in a supportive environment.

    “The faculty and senior students of the Dramatic Arts program at the MIWSFPA were thrilled with the opportunity to discover the emerging talent of the region and to share our excellent facilities with the high school community,” Vivian said.

    The event was supported by local organizations sharing a common mandate of supporting youth and their families with wellness resources, especially focusing on mental health.

    In addition to the participation of local arts organizations, representatives of the Vancouver Film School (VFS) travelled to Niagara to lead workshops on acting for the camera, strengthening ties between DART’s undergraduate programming and a professional program such as VFS.

    For more information about the event, please visit the Theatrical Arts Education Association website.

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    Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised

  • Putting theatre skills to work at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

    Friday, November 10, 2023 | By

    Pictured above: Fourth-year Dramatic Arts student Manikham Marianne Vongboutdy recently returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she put her Brock theatre training to work gaining international experience.

    THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2023 | by

    Carrying with her the skills she’s learned as a Brock Dramatic Arts (DART) student, Manikham Marianne Vongboutdy recently headed overseas to work at the world’s largest performance arts festival.

    The fourth-year student spent time this summer with the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she was invited by her high school to work as a stage manager on the St. Catharines Collegiate and West Niagara Secondary School production, Piece of Me.

    With a concentration in production and design, Vongboutdy said her Brock theatre training was key to her landing the stage management gig in Scotland.

    “Working with Brock’s state-of-the-art technology in Dramatic Arts has been invaluable,” she said. “Learning tech in the theatre has been a special experience. I am developing the skills I will need in the professional theatre world.”

    Piece of Me navigates the relationship of a mother and daughter in a coming-of-age tale offering an innovative take on adolescence told through a teenager’s eyes. Like the characters in the play, Vongboutdy has found many moments of personal reflection as she has grown in her creative practice at Brock.

    Piece of Me was an adaptation based on two different plays exploring similar subject matter, which from a stage management perspective, meant merging two plays into one. This complex staging posed interesting challenges that Vongboutdy was prepared to take on.

    As an upper-year DART student, she was able to transfer the skills gained in her first few years at Brock to her international experience, such as learning to sew in wardrobe classes so she could step up and help with costumes or painting props using skills from props classes.

    “A unique thing about studying at the Marilyn is that we get to learn about different aspects of staging a show, which served me so well during my Edinburgh experience,” she said. “We are stronger artists because of it.”

    After her experience abroad, Vongboutdy said she has a wider perspective of what theatre can look like.

    “It was eye-opening for me,” she said. “As a stage manager, we try and put forward the best show possible, but part of our job is to work with what is happening in the moment. I am thrilled to put my experience into practice.”

    Vongboutdy is now working as stage manager for Brock’s upcoming winter mainstage production, The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy, written and directed by DART Instructor Mike Griffin. The play explores brain injury and related mental health issues through the styles of full-mask, puppetry and physical theatre.

    Working with Griffin is a valuable experience for Vongboutdy, who aims to pursue a master’s degree in puppetry. Exploring the medium is especially important to her Laotian heritage, a culture in which many teachings occur using masks and puppets.

    “As an immigrant, I always hold my home and culture in Laos very close, and I try to incorporate elements of my culture into the work I do every day creating theatre,” she said.

    The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy will run at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre Feb. 15 to 19. More information can be found on the DART website.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, In the Media, News, Uncategorised

  • Dramatic Arts mainstage production puts modern spin on classic play

    Thursday, October 19, 2023 | By

    Pictured above: Third-year Dramatic Arts student Lucas Charters (left) and second-year student Victoria Marshall rehearse on the set of the upcoming Dramatic Arts mainstage production at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, opening Friday, Oct. 27.

    THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023 | by

    More than a hundred years after it was written, a celebrated play by famed playwright Anton Chekhov is getting a contemporary reboot that invites audiences to explore how love and art fuel the pursuit of happiness.

    Stupid F**king Bird, the mainstage production from Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART), opens at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre on Friday, Oct. 27.

    Directed by retired Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts Gyllian Raby and fourth-year DART student Hayley King, the play is a contemporary adaptation of Chekhov’s classic 1896 play The Seagull written by Aaron Posner. The story follows the lives and complicated love triangles of characters Con, Mash, Dev and Nina, teenagers coming of age in rural Ontario.

    Third-year Dramatic Arts student Lucas Charters rehearses on set for the upcoming Dramatic Arts mainstage, an adaptation of the famous play The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, whose face is displayed as an artistic rendering seen here as part of the staging.

    As the characters wrestle with the disappointments of love, rejection and growing up in the shadow of the boomer generation, they also find hope for the future through artistic expression when they stage their own play their way.

    Raby said the adaptation is faithful to Chekhov’s original comedic work, exploring themes of human relationships in society that are as relevant today as they were in 1896 when the play was written, although it was considered revolutionary at the time.

    “This is a production with big ideas attempting to reproduce theatrical innovation that Chekhov sought during his time. It is irreverent and laugh-out-loud funny, even given the character’s tendencies to self-destruct,” she said.

    King, who is in her final year of study with a concentration in performance, said she has greatly enjoyed working on this innovative production as Associate Director and Choreographer, especially reimagining the theatrical conventions used by Chekhov and staging them in a fresh way for new audiences.

    “Working alongside Gyllian Raby, I have learned so much about creating theatre. Investigating the metatheatrical nature of the play through staging, choreography and design has been both a great learning experience and a lot of fun,” King said.

    Stupid F**king Bird opens Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    Performances will also take place Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

    General admission tickets are available for $20 and tickets for students and seniors are available for $16. Visit the Dramatic Arts event website to reserve tickets.

  • Brock co-led team awarded $2.5M for project giving minoritized voices centre stage in transforming theatre education

    Monday, September 04, 2023 | By

    Pictured above: The cast of Brock’s 2022 Mainstage production ‘Red Bike’ by Caridad Svich, directed by Mike Griffin. Mainstage productions will be among the focus of Brock Dramatic Arts faculty, including Griffin, as they develop more inclusive approaches to teaching theatre as part of the new partnership project, Staging Better Futures/ Mettre en scène de meilleurs avenirs (SBF/MSMA).

    Red Bike, production principale (Mainstage) de l’Université Brock en 2022, écrite par Caridad Svich, mise en scène par Mike Griffin au Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. 

    MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 04, 2023

    Deneh’Cho Thompson, a displaced and dispossessed member of the Pehdzeh ki Nation, became an academic because he wanted others to have a better experience with theatre education than he did.

    Responding to experiences such as Thompson’s, a Brock University co-led research project is putting the spotlight on minoritized voices.

    Staging Better Futures/Mettre en scène de meilleurs avenirs (SBF/MSMA) is the first national, cross-sectoral partnership approach to decolonizing, anti-racist, equitable, diverse and inclusive systemic change ever undertaken in post-secondary theatre education in Canada.

    On Tuesday, Aug. 29, it was announced the project has been awarded a $2.5-million Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant. Contributions from partner organizations bring the project budget to more than $5.5 million, with Brock making the largest partner organization contribution of $1.57 million in cash and in-kind contributions over seven years.

    The funding announcement — made by Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Mark Holland, Minister of Health — included more than $960 million supporting more than 4,700 researchers and research projects across Canada.

    Jennifer Roberts-Smith, Professor and Chair of Dramatic Arts (DART) at Brock, is co-leader of SBF/MSMA along with Nicole Nolette, University of Waterloo Associate Professor of French Studies and Canada Research Chair in Minority Studies. They observed that while Canadian universities and colleges have been working on local equity initiatives, there is no platform yet for sharing valuable information on providing an equitable and welcoming environment for minoritized theatre students and educators.

    Thompson dropped out of high school and college and took more than 10 years to finish his undergraduate degree because of the systemic racism he experienced. He is now a member of the governance committee on the project.

    Even while he was a student, as interest increased in Indigenous theatre, Thompson found people, including faculty and mentors, looked to him to provide Indigenous expertise.

    But “I was alone,” he said of his time studying in Vancouver. “I didn’t have supports in the university or in my program. I didn’t have anyone I could look up to.” Thompson has since become an Assistant Professor and co-ordinator of the wîcêhtowin Theatre Program at the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Drama.

    SBF/MSMA’s key areas of focus are racialization; Indigeneity; gender diversity; disability; and linguistic minoritization. The project’s guiding principle is that it centres the voices of students and educators with lived experiences of exclusion, such as Thompson.

    Brock DART students Hayley King and Benoit St-Aubin echo Thompson’s calls for greater representation of faculty from historically under-represented backgrounds in theatre departments.

    “In attempts to sympathize with and accurately represent the experience of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) students onstage, non-BIPOC individuals fall prone to tokenism and misrepresentation,” said King, who is of biracial Black and South Asian descent. “Having someone in the department with the same lived experiences as these students can serve as a voice for them when injustices are committed.”

    For St-Aubin, who is from the Niagara region and whose first language is French, it’s also important to decolonize curriculum and repertoire.

    “Historically, Canadian theatre has subscribed to Eurocentric ideologies, which has skewed the education we receive,” they said. “By introducing non-Western, non-European theatre practices to students, our department can shape us into well-rounded theatre practitioners and academics.”

    Roberts-Smith said there needs to be a transition “from small-scale solutions within our own institutions to thinking collaboratively about how we do post-secondary theatre education more equitably across Canada.”

    In the course of preparing the grant, the project leaders developed a wide network of collaborators with lived experience of systemic inequity and expertise in combating it. The fully bilingual project now involves more than 90 participants across Canada, with representation from colleges, universities, theatre companies, arts services organizations, a student caucus and a freelance artist-educator consultancy. There are seven Brock faculty members involved in the project, mostly from Dramatic Arts.

    “Receiving this prestigious, highly competitive award is an outstanding achievement,” said Brock University Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon.

    “The research team’s success demonstrates the need for systemic practices and structures in dramatic arts education to be transformed so that knowledge and expertise from minoritized artist-educators form a core part of the education,” he said.

    The Partnership Grant covers a period of seven years.

    Partnership Grants are the largest that SSHRC offers, supporting formal partnerships between academic researchers, businesses and other partners that will advance knowledge and understanding on critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance.

    In addition to the Partnership Grants, SSHRC announced Tuesday that seven Brock researchers were awarded a total $965,636 in Insight Grants, which support research judged worthy of funding by fellow researchers and/or other experts. The University also received more than $4.8 million in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for a variety of projects.

    Une équipe codirigée par l’Université Brock reçoit 2,5 millions de dollars pour un projet visant à placer les personnes minorisées au cœur de la transformation de l’enseignement du théâtre

    Deneh’Cho Thompson, membre déplacé et dépossédé de la Nation Pehdzeh ki, est devenu universitaire afin que d’autres vivent une meilleure expérience de l’enseignement du théâtre que la sienne.

    En réponse à des vécus comme celui de Thompson, le projet de recherche, mené conjointement par l’Université Brock, souhaite mettre en lumière les voix des personnes minorisées.

    Staging Better Futures/Mettre en scène de meilleurs avenirs (SBF/MSMA) se veut le premier projet partenarial national et intersectoriel visant un changement systémique à des fins de décolonisation, d’antiracisme, d’équité, de diversité et d’inclusion dans l’enseignement postsecondaire du théâtre au Canada.

    Le mardi 29 août, l’octroi d’une subvention de partenariat de 2,5 millions de dollars du Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines (CRSH) pour ce projet a été annoncé. Les contributions des organismes partenaires portent son budget à plus de 5,5 millions de dollars. La contribution de l’Université Brock est la plus importante, soit 1,57 million de dollars en espèces et en nature sur une période de sept ans.

    L’annonce officiellement a été faite aujourd’hui par Randy Boissonnault, ministre de l’Emploi, du Développement de la main-d’œuvre et des Langues officielles, au nom du ministre de l’Innovation, des Sciences et de l’Industrie, François-Philippe Champagne, et du ministre de la Santé, Mark Holland. Ce financement fait partie d’une enveloppe dépassant les 960 millions de dollars pour soutenir plus de 4 700 projets et équipes de recherche à travers le pays.

    Jennifer Roberts-Smith, professeure et directrice du Département d’art dramatique (DART) de l’Université Brock, codirige SBF/MSMA avec Nicole Nolette, professeure agrégée en Études françaises à l’Université de Waterloo et titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en études des minorités. Toutes deux ont remarqué les efforts des universités et des collèges canadiens pour mettre en œuvre des initiatives locales en matière d’équité. Cependant, aucune plateforme ne permet de partager des informations précieuses sur la création d’un environnement équitable et accueillant pour le corps étudiant et les pédagogues en théâtre issu·e·s de minorités.

    Thompson a abandonné ses études secondaires et supérieures et a mis plus de dix ans à obtenir son diplôme de premier cycle en raison du racisme systémique. Aujourd’hui, il est membre du comité de gouvernance du projet.

    Ce dernier était aux études à l’époque de l’engouement grandissant pour le théâtre autochtone. M. Thompson a alors constaté que certaines personnes, y compris des professeur·e·s et des mentor·e·s, se tournaient vers lui pour son expertise à titre de personne autochtone.

    Mais « j’étais seul, » dit-il à propos de son séjour à Vancouver. « Je ne recevais pas de soutien de mon université ou de mon programme. Je n’avais personne vers qui me tourner. » Depuis, M. Thompson est devenu professeur adjoint et coordinateur du programme de théâtre wîcêhtowin au Département d’art dramatique de l’Université de Saskatchewan.

    Les principaux domaines d’intérêt de SBF/MSMA concernent la racisation, l’autochtonie, la diversité des genres, le handicap et la minorisation linguistique. Le projet a pour principe directeur de faire entendre les voix d’étudiant·e·s et de pédagogues ayant vécu l’exclusion, comme M. Thompson.

    Hayley King et Benoit St-Aubin, étudiant·e·s à l’Université Brock, font écho aux appels de Thompson en faveur d’une plus grande représentation de professeur·e·s issu·e·s de milieux historiquement sous-représentés dans les départements de théâtre.

    « En essayant de sympathiser avec les personnes noir·e·s, autochtones et de couleur (PANDC) et de représenter fidèlement leur expérience sur scène, les personnes non-PANDC sont sujettes à une représentation symbolique et erronée, » a déclaré King, d’origine biraciale noire et sud-asiatique. « Le fait d’avoir au sein du département quelqu’un avec les mêmes expériences que ces étudiant·e·s leur assurent d’être entendu·e·s lorsque des injustices sont commises. »

    Pour St-Aubin, qui est originaire de la région de Niagara et dont la langue maternelle est le français, la décolonisation du programme d’études et du répertoire s’avère tout aussi importante.

    « Historiquement, le théâtre canadien a souscrit à des idéologies eurocentriques, ce qui a faussé notre éducation, » a-t-iel déclaré. « En présentant aux étudiant·e·s des pratiques théâtrales non occidentales et non européennes, notre département peut former des praticien·ne·s du théâtre et des universitaires bien équilibré·e·s.

    Selon Mme Roberts-Smith, il faut passer « de solutions à petite échelle au sein de nos propres institutions à une réflexion commune sur la manière de dispenser l’enseignement postsecondaire du théâtre de manière plus équitable dans l’ensemble du Canada. »

    Au cours de la préparation de la subvention, les responsables du projet ont développé un vaste réseau de collaborateur·trice·s avec une expérience vécue de l’iniquité systémique et une expertise dans la lutte contre celle-ci. Le projet entièrement bilingue compte aujourd’hui plus de 90 participant·e·s à travers le Canada, dont des collèges, des universités, des compagnies de théâtre, des organismes professionnels, un caucus d’étudiant·e·s et un groupe d’artistes pédagogues indépendant·e·s. Sept membres du personnel de l’Université Brock participent au projet, notamment dans le domaine de l’art dramatique.

    « Recevoir ce prix prestigieux et hautement compétitif est une réussite exceptionnelle, » a déclaré Tim Kenyon, vice-président chargé de la recherche à l’Université Brock.

    « Le succès de l’équipe de recherche démontre la nécessité de transformer les pratiques et les structures systémiques de l’enseignement de l’art dramatique afin que les connaissances et l’expertise des artistes pédagogues minorisé·e·s fassent partie intégrante de l’enseignement, » a-t-il déclaré.

    La subvention de partenariat couvre une période de sept ans.

    Les subventions de partenariat, les plus importantes offertes par le CRSH, favorisent la collaboration entre les chercheur·euse·s universitaires, les entreprises et d’autres partenaires afin d’approfondir les connaissances sur d’importantes questions d’ordre intellectuel, social, économique et culturel.

    De plus, le CRSH a annoncé ce mardi l’octroi d’un total de 965 636 $ en subventions Savoir à sept chercheur·euse·s de l’Université Brock, pour soutenir des projets proposés par des pair·e·s et/ou d’autres expert·e·s. L’Université a également obtenu plus de 4,8 millions de dollars du Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada pour financer divers projets.

     

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