Events

• Public showcase to celebrate acclaimed artist Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Brock residency

  Friday, June 05, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  An upcoming public event will highlight Brock University’s collaboration with celebrated Canadian author, actor and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald. (Photo Credit: Travis Silverman)

  published Friday, June 5, 2026 in The Brock News | by Gillian Minaker

  New Brock University research conducted in collaboration with beloved Canadian author, actor and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald is poised to change the way readers experience and engage with literature.

  The findings of the Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald (MAMM) project will be unveiled at a public symposium on Saturday, June 20 that will also give guests a sneak peek of the critically acclaimed Fall on Your Knees novelist’s latest play, Best Soldier, which she’s been developing during her residency with the University.

  Held at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) in St. Catharines, the event will highlight innovative Brock literary learning and theatre creation research while also offering a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into MacDonald’s creative process.

  MacDonald will perform a reading from Best Soldier, which is still in development.

  MAMM was designed to advance scholarly research on MacDonald’s influential body of work, explore new types of humanities research and promote collaborative student learning across academic disciplines.

  

  Brock University research assistants working on the Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald (MAMM) project put finishing touches on a 3D map for the upcoming MAMM Symposium. From left are third-year English Language and Literature student Riley Campbell, Brock Digital Humanities graduate Paige Wolf (BA ’25), third-year English Language and Literature student Sloane Gray and Social Justice and Equity Studies master’s student Emily Mills.

  Co-led by Neta Gordon, Professor of English Language and Literature, and Aaron Mauro, Chair and Associate Professor of Digital Humanities, the interdisciplinary team also includes Ebru Ustundag, Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies, and Tim Ribaric, Scholarly Publishing and Platforms Librarian, as well as student research assistants.

  The team was driven to explore how MacDonald’s work helps people understand their connections to places, communities and other people.

  Gordon is thrilled to share insights gained during MacDonald’s three-year research involvement at Brock, especially on how the author’s accessible way of questioning political and cultural ideas can inspire new approaches to academic research.

  “In putting together an interdisciplinary team of senior and junior researchers and working collaboratively to make decisions, the MAMM project highlights how new ways of thinking can emerge out of relationships and community building,” she said.

  MacDonald said the project “represents something new. A synthesis. A tool for critical analysis, and a portal to the mysteries of imagination and creative process.”

  The symposium will also celebrate MacDonald’s tenure as Brock’s 2026 Walker Cultural Leader, which launched in January with an excerpt reading of Best Soldier by the playwright.

  Over the past six months, MacDonald has worked with the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) to deliver student workshops offering valuable insight and perspective on developing artistry and creative voice in relation to theatre creation.

  “DART students have had an exceptionally rare opportunity to apply techniques Ann-Marie has taught them in their own play development projects, while observing how Ann-Marie’s own work on Best Soldier has evolved during her residency as Walker Cultural Leader,” said DART Chair and Professor Jennifer Roberts-Smith. “It’s been an inspiring few months.”

  The MAMM symposium program will feature research poster presentations, a 3D map in the MIWSFPA lobby, digital exhibitions showcasing virtual literary maps and live demonstrations run by the research team.

  Faculty and student researchers will formally present their findings to the public from 11 a.m. to noon. MacDonald’s reading from Best Soldier will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., including time for audience questions. Following the reading, Roberts-Smith will facilitate a discussion with MacDonald and Canadian theatre artists Alisa Palmer and Rebecca Harper.

  The public symposium is free to attend, but tickets must be reserved ahead of time on Brock University Tickets.

  The MAMM project was supported by a Government of Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant.

  Tags: Aaron Mauro, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Best Soldier, Digital Humanities, Ebru Ustundag, english language and literature, Geography and Tourism Studies, Insight Development Grant, MAMM, Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald, Neta Gordon, Scholarly Publishing and Platforms, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, symposium, Tim Ribaric
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Plays, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

• Aspiring artists shine at youth theatre festival

  Thursday, May 14, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  The second annual National STAR Festival South (School Theatrical Arts Recognition Festival) welcomed 150 students, guest artists and educators to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts from May 8 to 10. The packed schedule included an intensive 24-hour playwriting workshop led by Toronto-based producer, actor, screenwriter and sound designer Sean Meldrum with support from third-year Dramatic Arts (DART) student Ariel Piluso and Concurrent Education and DART student Kashvi Sharma. Mentoring students in the workshop (right to left, seated at table) are Sharma, Piluso, Liya Edwards of Assumption College School and Ava Montgomery of A.N. Myer Secondary School, directing Als Vanderlee of Laura Secord Secondary School (second from left) and Arlo Ross of AN Myer Secondary School (left).

  published Thursday, May 14, 2026 in The Brock News | by Gillian Minaker

  Emerging young theatre artists nurtured their creativity and built their confidence during a recent festival held at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

  Hosted by Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART), the second annual National STAR Festival South (STAR for School Theatrical Arts Recognition) welcomed 150 students, guest artists and educators to the School from May 8 to 10 for immersive learning, mentorship, performances and community building. Students came from Alexander MacKenzie (YRDSB), A.N. Myer (DSBN), Assumption College (Brant/Hamilton DSB), Bravo Academy (TDSB), E.L. Crossley (DSBN), Holy Cross (Niagara Catholic DSB), Laura Secord (DSBN), Meadowvale (Peel District), Milliken Mills (York Region DSB), St. Paul (Niagara Catholic DSB) and Welland Centennial (DSBN) Secondary Schools. For many this was their first visit to the campus of the MIWSFPA.

  Students participated in hands-on workshops spanning musical theatre, playwriting, devising through Viewpoints, acting, sound and lighting design, acting for the camera, audition tips and tricks and a special Brock edition of the Theatre Tech Olympics.

  Workshop instructors included guests from AMDA College of the Performing Arts (New York and Hollywood), Savannah College of Art and Design (Atlanta, GA), The Vancouver Film School, Shaw Festival, Brock University, Niagara College, Toronto and the region.

  The performance events were technically produced by our MIWSFPA Theatre Technician Sandra Marcroft, supported by DART students Liam Farrell, Gianna Lupparelli Nash and Skylar Perrier.

  The two-day event culminated in a friendly competition designed to prepare students for future learning, performance and production opportunities. The performances and presentations were adjudicated by guest mentors from across North America including DART faculty David Fancy and Danielle Wilson and students from the Department of Dramatic Arts.

  The winning One Act play for the STAR Short Play Program, The Job, was written by an emerging playwright from Assumption College School in Brantford Ontario, Liya Edwards. The play is a short comedic piece that tells the story of today’s job climate. It follows a young man on his journey through a job interview experience when things don’t turn into what he expected. During the closing ceremonies The Job and two other original plays were performed, following their development during a 24 playwriting intensive under the mentorship of Toronto-based actor, screenwriter, and sound designer Sean Meldrum assisted by DART students Ariel Piluso and Kashvi Sharma. Edward’s play will be published by the TAEA and included in future teaching and learning catalogues of plays for high school and emerging artists.  Read about Edward’s experience in the Brantford Expositor.

  There were 22 scholarship applicants for awards including Performance Arts, Leadership in Performance Arts, Technical Theatre and Design, Future Theatre Educator, Music Theatre Performance, and Creative Citizenship with a total value of approximately $350,000.  Students from schools across Niagara and the GTA were awarded scholarships from AMDA, Savannah College of Art and Design, Vancouver Film School, Theatrical Arts Education Association, and Brock University ranging in value from $200 CAD to $80, 000 USD.

  The festival was co-organized by Tracy Garratt, Program Leader for the Arts with the District School Board of Niagara and a teacher at A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls, and David Vivian, DART Associate Professor and Scenographer.

  In the keynote address welcoming students, Vivian spoke to the legacy of Marilyn I. Walker’s founding gift for MIWSFPA in downtown St. Catharines and invited the visiting emerging artists to make their community — and the world — a better place by creating theatre informed by their own vision.

  “The STAR Festival is a remarkable opportunity for secondary school students, teachers and members of the University community, students and faculty, to come together in the power of the performing arts to express, tell our stories and share our aspirations for future generations,” he said.

  For Garratt, the festival presented participants an opportunity for space for growth, belonging, creativity and connection.

  “The experience provides young thespians with opportunities to learn, develop confidence, collaborate with peers and celebrate the arts in an environment that encourages both excellence and vulnerability. STAR Festival has become an important part of the artistic and personal development of so many young people,” she said.

  Third-year DART student Ariel Piluso, who is pursuing a concentration in Performance, served as a workshop mentor in the one-act playwriting session. She worked closely with secondary school students and helped bring their plays to life in the final performances of the festival.

  “Together, we explored ensemble-based theatre, collaboration, staging and storytelling in a supportive creative environment,” she said.

  After graduating, Piluso aspires to become a theatre educator and work with students from different age groups.

  “The STAR Festival is close to my heart as it gave me the chance to begin developing the mentorship and teaching skills I will use in my future career. This experience is deeply connected with my studies because so much of dramatic arts is rooted in collaboration, creativity, ensemble work, communication and storytelling. Through the festival, I was able to apply those skills in this setting while learning how to adapt them for younger students,” she said.

  Third-year Concurrent Education and DART student Kashvi Sharma worked as an adjudicator and mentor at the festival, which incorporates friendly, rubric-driven competition and culminates with awards given in various performance categories.

  “My biggest takeaway from this experience was having the pleasure of watching such a young, but very mighty, group of artists put themselves out there, test themselves, try new things and take risks,” she said.

  The festival also welcomed back DART graduates who helped facilitate workshops. DART graduate Laura Maieron (BA ’24), who completed a concentration in Production and Design, facilitated a workshop on lighting design and co-led the “Tech Olympics competition.”

  Maieron, Production Manager for Suitcase in Point Multi-arts Company, said her goal was “to help students leave the competition with a newly acquired set of skills to bring back to their creative work, in their high schools and beyond, and help advance their careers as emerging artists.”

  The National STAR Festival South is one of five national festivals taking place in May 2026, the others located in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Corner Brook, NL.  A project of the Theatrical Arts Education Association of Canada, TAEA is a national arts service organization strengthening Canadian theatre through artist-led training, national showcasing pathways, and sector resources for artists, teaching artists, educators, and organizations. Sponsors for the National STAR Festival South included Youth Wellness Hubs of Ontario, Contact Niagara, AMDA, SCAD, VFS, Ontario Staging Limited, Shaw Festival, IATSE, Theatrefolk and the John Howard Society of Niagara.  The festivals would not be a success without the dedicated support of teachers and their administrations from across Niagara, Ontario and Canada.

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

  ---

  Tags: David Vivian, Department of Dramatic Arts, Dramatic Arts, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, STAR Festival, TAEA, Theatrical Arts Education Association of Canada, Tracy Garratt
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

• THANK-YOU STARfest National South and WELCOME to Niagara Childrens Festival

  Thursday, May 14, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  After a remarkable three days of the the National STARfestival South of the Theatrical Arts Education Association, when we welcomed students from Alexander MacKenzie (YRDSB), A.N. Myer (DSBN), Assumption College (Brant/Hamilton DSB), Bravo Academy (TDSB), E.L. Crossley (DSBN), Holy Cross (Niagara Catholic DSB), Laura Secord (DSBN), Meadowvale (Peel District), Milliken Mills (York Region DSB), St. Paul (Niagara Catholic DSB) and Welland Centennial (DSBN) Secondary Schools, this weekend we welcome the artists and audiences of the Niagara Children’s Festival 2026 produced by Carousel Players of St. Catharines, one of the pre-eminent companies producing theatre for youth and young people on the national landscape.

  The Niagara Children’s Festival is an exciting explosion of creativity, offering live theatre, performances and arts-based activities for young audiences and their families. Join us in downtown St. Catharines May 14-17 for a celebration of Arts & Culture for all ages!

  See the welcoming instagram posts and get all the information about performances and activities at https://www.niagarachildrensfest.com/

  Check out the Venue Guide and the Festival Program. Opening tonight!

  We also welcome the return of Dramatic Arts alumni Taylor Bogaert (BA Honours Dramatic Arts, 2020), Josh Loewen (BA Honours Dramatic Arts, 2020) and Alex Sykes (BA Honours Dramatic Arts, Concentration in Production and Design, 2022) and their project Why Don’t We Together, a recorded storytelling performance from Dear Bear Multi-Arts (instagram). Why Don’t We Together is an immersive, audio-visual experience that takes place in a custom-built structure called “The Hut.” When audiences enter The Hut, they are met with a choice between several curated audio stories, all written and recorded by a variety of handpicked Ontario artists. These stories are accompanied by rich sound design and dynamic lighting – the walls, seats, ceilings, and airwaves come alive as audiences get transported into the world of each story.  WDWT was presented by Dear Bear Multi-Arts (website) with a different program of stories this past September 2025 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts and was the subject of an exhibition of the Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture at the beginning of 2026.

  Break-a-leg to all of the students and staff of Dramatic Arts at Brock University, some of them participating in experiential education and Work-in-Learning opportunities and helping to make the festival a success!

  Tags: Alex Sykes, Carousel Players, Dear Bear Multi-Arts, Josh Loewen, Monica Dufault, Niagara Childrens Festival, Taylor Bogaert
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

• Spring course spotlights Indigenous playwrights in Canada

  Friday, May 08, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  Canadian playwright and Dramatic Arts (DART) Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie (centre), citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, recently shared a reading of his new play “Strife” with the Brock community at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts followed by a discussion. This spring, MacKenzie will teach DART 2P95 Contemporary Canadian Indigenous Theatre for Non-majors, which is open to all students.

  published Thursday, May 07, 2026 in the Brock News | by Gillian Minaker

  Award-winning Canadian playwright and Dramatic Arts (DART) Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie, citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, is centring Indigenous storytelling through theatre education.

  MacKenzie will teach DART 2P95 Contemporary Canadian Indigenous Theatre for Non-majors this Spring. No theatre experience is required for the virtual course, which is  open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

  

  Cast members of “Strife” — written by Canadian playwright and Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts Matthew MacKenzie, citizen of the Métis Nation of Albert — visited Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts on April 2. The cast performed a read through of the play ahead of its run at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto from April 7 to 26. Pictured from left are Tracey Nepinak, Teneil Whiskeyjack, Jesse Gervais and Micheala Washburn.

  Students will gain a broad understanding of Indigenous plays written by Indigenous playwrights, knowledge MacKenzie believes is foundational to any Canadian dramatic arts education.

  “Embedded in these plays is teaching and wisdom about the Indigenous experience in Canada,” he says.

  Students will read works by accomplished writers such as Kevin Loring, a Governor General’s Award winner and the first Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre at National Arts Centre; Frances Koncan, an Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright and theatre artist from Couchiching First Nation; and Kim Senklip Harvey, author of Kamloopa: An Indigenous Matriarch Story and the first female Indigenous author to be awarded a Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama.

  Through a range of works that span comedy to deeply serious themes, students will explore topics such as cultural reclamation, identity and representation of historical events.

  MacKenzie says the course will also help students understand why Indigenous theatre has only recently gained wider visibility.

  “For a long time, the cultural sharing of Indigenous stories was criminalized in Canada, so Indigenous storytelling was suppressed or done in private. Only in relatively recent history have these stories been shared more widely and taken their place in Canadian theatre,” he says.

  For MacKenzie, foregrounding the work of Indigenous artists, and students engaging with it, is a form of active reconciliation.

  “Through this learning, we are not just talking about it, we are doing the work,” he says.

  Issues explored in the plays — including the Sixties Scoop and the lasting impacting of the foster system and Residential Schools — reflect both distinct Canadian histories and broader patterns of colonialism.

  The course invites students to engage with the material from their own perspective, whether they are Indigenous, non-Indigenous or international students.

  

  The cast of “Strife” — written by award-winning Canadian playwright and Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts Matthew MacKenzie, citizen of the Métis Nation of Albert — previewed the play in a read through open to the Brock community on April 2. Pictured from left are performers Jesse Gervais, Val Planche and Grace Lamarche.

  “Seeing students develop this understanding through their own lens is incredibly meaningful,” he says.

  MacKenzie brings a unique perspective to the classroom as an accomplished contributor to the Indigenous theatre canon in Canada and award-winning playwright. His works include First Métis Man of Odesa, Bears, After the Fire and The Particulars. His new play Strife recently ran at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto and was called a “a triumph” by the Toronto Star.

  He is also Artistic Director of Punctuate! Theatre, an Indigenous-led theatre company in Edmonton which frequently tours nationally.

  MacKenzie was honoured to recently be featured by the Métis Nation of Alberta, Otipemisiwak Métis Government, in its Citizen Spotlight for being a creative mentor for Métis and Indigenous people across Canada and the globe in theatre and arts spaces.

  Building up other Indigenous artists is a key driver of MacKenzie’s work.

  “Lifting up Indigenous theatre artists and helping to strengthen the Indigenous theatre ecosystem in Canada is a way to ensure a sustainable and thriving future for Indigenous artists moving forward,” he says.

  Tags: Brightspace, DART, Dramatic Arts, humanities, Indigenous, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Matt Mackenzie, MATTHEW MACKENZIE, metis, MIWSFPA, plays, playwriting, spring/summer courses
  Categories: Announcements, Events, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Plays, Uncategorised

• DART students debut new play exploring obsession

  Friday, April 03, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  Fourth-year Dramatic Arts (DART) students Jaxson Schut, (left), and Gabriela Queiros perform in Enjoy Your Stay a new play premiering at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts on Friday, April 10.

  published Thursday, April 02, 2026 in The Brock News | by Gillian Minaker

  Fourth-year Dramatic Arts students are inviting audiences on a harrowing journey to a sinister hotel haunted by a controlling spirit — a hotel so grand guests might not want to leave.

  Enjoy Your Stay, a production by Kaleidoscope Collective, opens at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre on Friday, April 10.

  The play follows the journey of staff members trapped in a seemingly lavish hotel where the spirit of a man lives inside the walls. The spirit controls the building and all within, including a woman who has been trapped for decades.

  

  Fourth-year DART student and performer Victoria Marshall performs in Enjoy Your Stay, a new production by Kaleidoscope Collective.

  When two new faces enter the story, Edith and Lilian, the world of the hotel begins to shift. While clumsy and shy Edith falls prey to the horrors within, Lilian uses her spiritual gift to uncover the mystery of the building and the truths hidden in the walls.

  A key theme explored is humanity’s tendency toward obsessiveness and control and how it can lead to a path of destruction.

  The play was created as part of DART 4D56 Collaborative Play Development, an upper-year Dramatic Arts (DART) course in which students collaborate as a theatre company to produce and mount a new play.

  Fourth-year DART student Victoria Marshall said the sense of community in the collective has been powerful.

  “We all know theatre is a community, and this process has been both intense and beautiful,” she said.

  From scriptwriting to stage management and acting, the student collective came together throughout the year to explore their creativity while building theatre making skills.

  The experience has helped Marshall deepen her skills as an actor while gaining a broader understanding of the many gears that make the machine of theatre turn.

  “It’s been so refreshing to try my hand in every aspect of the production. Whether helping with lights, hanging curtains or helping to install a set, I am trying new things I wouldn’t have touched before,” she said.

  

  Fourth-year DART student Nav Brar works as Head of Wardrobe, Assistant Production Manager and as part of the lighting Crew on Enjoy Your Stay.

  Like Marshall, fourth-year DART student Stewart Shaw said learning about the design process and how a show gets made has been a valuable experience.

  Shaw has worked as Lighting Designer, Technical Director, Head of Props and Projections Designer on the play, honing technical skills including how to do projections on QLab and operating various lighting and production technologies simultaneously.

  “I’ve also learned a lot about the decisions that have to be made along the way — the paperwork, the documentation and the process of creating an idea into a prototype and how things can change along the way,” they said.

  Enjoy your Stay runs Friday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 11 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased through University Tickets.

  Tags: 4D56, Collaborative Play Development, DART, Dramatic Arts, Enjoy your stay, humanities, Kaleidoscope Collective, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Nav Brar, Stewart Shaw, Victoria Marshall
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised

• Dramatic Arts will be LIVE at the OPEN HOUSE, March 29, 2026.

  Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  Mike Griffin with his puppet creation Pendamire Dragonius for ESCAPE TO ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters in 2026.

  Join us for OPEN HOUSE @MAIN CAMPUS for presentations and an information fair. Professor Mike Griffin will be present to answer your questions.

  Join us for OPEN HOUSE @MIWSFPA for tours and one-on-one meetings with faculty and students. Dr. Jennifer Roberts-Smith, Chair of the Department, and Professor David Vivian look forward to meeting you.

  A shuttle bus will depart the main campus at 1:00 pm to take visitors to the MIWSFPA and return at 2:45pm – but you can drive yourself too! Parking is free.

  You can register for OPEN HOUSE and get a copy of the program at discover.brocku.ca/openhouse

  Here’s a short video that gives tips on how to make the most of the OPEN HOUSE experience.

  And welcome to everybody coming for the DART Invitational on Saturday March 28. We can’t wait to meet you!

  #FIVE MINUTES WITH DART Faculty and Staff!

  In 2025-26 DART sat down with our faculty and staff and asked them about their teaching, research, work and experiences at DART.

  We asked about their impressions of DART, of the students and their current projects.

  To get us ready for OPEN HOUSE and to celebrate the conclusion of a stellar year we’re posting our friendly faculty and staff profiles.

  Follow us on Instagram at @BrockuDART and see our posts at #fiveminuteswithbrockudart

  All of the interviews are available at the department APPLY page, brocku.ca/miwsfpa/dramatic-arts/apply/five-minutes-with-dart-faculty-and-staff starting with Professor Mike Griffin.

  See you at OPEN HOUSE!

  Tags: apply, Dramatic Arts, dramaticarts, fiveminuteswithbrockudart, instagram, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, new students, open house, openhouse
  Categories: Announcements, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, News, Uncategorised

• Dramatic Arts mainstage brings fantasy world to life in celebration of unique identities

  Wednesday, March 04, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  Fourth-year Brock University Dramatic Arts student Nav Brar (left), the puppeteer for Melifollee, and third-year student Landon Drexler, the puppeteer for Pendamire Dragonius, enter into a scene in Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters.

  published Monday, March 02, 2026 | Brock News | by Gillian Minaker

  Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is set to whisk audiences away to a magical land of powerful beings and fantastical creatures.

  

  Cast members Sandra Nampiima and Daisy Ford with puppets during a technical rehearsal.

  From dragons and elves to wizards and sorceresses, Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters invites viewers to leave the real world behind and embark on a journey of the imagination. The mainstage production opens Friday, March 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.

  Written and directed by DART Assistant Professor and playwright Mike Griffin, the play explores escapism and fantasy genre tropes through diverse characters and extraordinary creatures.

  “Our creative exploration of escapism began by asking why people want to escape through stories and where they want to escape to,” he says.

  Featuring bold theatrical components that incorporate puppets, masks and physical theatre, the fantasy unfolds in nine chapters, each featuring a host of characters who travel to different areas in the magical land of Ilkanor.

  Many of the characters reflect marginalized perspectives that are not often represented in leading roles, Griffin says. Through their magical transportation to Ilkanor, these characters are able to explore different parts of their identity.

  

  Cast members Curtis Honsberger, Sandra Nampiima and Ryleigh OBrien rehearsing with th puppets Trink and Somp.

  Among the play’s chapters, for instance, are tales of a neurodivergent individual who becomes a wizard in Ilkanor and a non-binary drag artist who becomes the leader of a kingdom.

  Griffin says the play is not a typical hero’s journey.

  “Instead, we are exploring representation in fantasy, touching on neurodiversity and disability, and wrestling with identity and self-care,” he says.

  More than 40 DART students in all years of the program will bring Ilkanor to life, advancing their learning by collaborating with both emerging and established theatre makers.

  “The show is truly magical, not only in the fantasy elements, but also in the collaborative work and care to build the world of Ilkanor,” fourth-year DART student and mainstage performer Nav Brar says. “I personally don’t know another show that has highlighted so many different people that don’t always get their time, in one production.”

  

  DART student Julia Foley, assistant designer for the play presents her mask and costume designs to the first year students in Scenography and Stagecraft.

  Third-year DART student Julia Foley, an assistant designer for the play, says the crew embraced a sustainability mindset while creating the fictional world, with the production incorporating recycled materials in the set, costume and puppet designs.

  Working with limited or thrifted materials meant having to explore and be open to new possibilities based on what is available, she says.

  

  Brock University’s Dramatic Arts mainstage performance of Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters opens Friday, March 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

  “The elements of transformation and rebirth are at the core of the show’s landscape, communicated not just through the set and costumes, but through the stories told by each character as they journey from the real world to Ilkanor, where they unlock their full potential,” Foley says. “We similarly saw the potential in our thrifted fabrics, books and garbage materials and transformed them into something beautiful and new.”

  Escape to Ilkanor: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters opens Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines. Performances will also take place Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m., Thursday March 12 at 11 a.m., Friday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.

  General admission tickets are $25 and tickets for students and seniors are $20. Visit Brock University Tickets to reserve seats.

  Tags: DART, Dramatic Arts, fantasy, humanities, Ilkanor, Main stage, Mainstage, Mike Griffin, Play, production, The Fantasy Project
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

• Community climate symposium sparks creative conversations

  Monday, February 02, 2026 | By dvivian

  

  Climate action in Niagara was the focus of enthusiastic gathering of scientists, Indigenous Knowledge keepers, artists and community members co-hosted by Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre as part of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre’s Arts in Action: Climate festival, which runs until Sunday, Feb. 8.

  published Monday, February 02, 2026 | Brock News | by Amanda Bishop

  Professor Julia Baird has long recognized the value of engaging with community about sustainability science and action.

  So, when the opportunity arose to co-lead a daylong climate symposium at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) with community leader Jennifer Dockstader, the Director of Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) says it was “an easy yes.”

  The took place Saturday, Jan. 31 as part of a 10-day Arts in Action: Climate festival at the PAC. The symposium welcomed the Niagara community for a series of panel discussions featuring a wide variety of Indigenous, scientific and artistic voices.

  Colleen Smith, CEO of the PAC and Executive Producer of the festival, says the event built on the PAC’s history of “convening community to explore and further enhance public dialogue pertaining to local, national and global topics and concerns.”

  “When designing an art and climate festival, the notion of also hosting a climate symposium, reflecting both Indigenous and western science perspectives, was a natural progression,” says Smith. “Finding two such passionate and complementary leaders as Jennifer Dockstader and Dr. Julia Baird willing to co-lead this symposium meant that Art in Action: Climate could be a festival that could truly embrace and engage a diverse community on a subject that would complement and expand on our artistic presentations.”

  Dockstader says one of her goals as co-lead was to bring brilliant Indigenous scholars, artists and community members to a wider Niagara audience, which she says should be pushing for more Indigenous voices in public conversations.

  “We have some great minds already doing this work, so it’s wonderful to bring to the stage all of these great innovators, thinkers, creators, artists and scientists,” she says. “We really shouldn’t be doing this work without Indigenous people, so it’s been an honour to bring the people I know to this symposium.”

  Several Brock faculty members, many of whom are ESRC affiliates, also participated, including:

  • Associate Professor of Chemistry Jianbo Gao
  • Dramatic Arts Instructor Shannon Hughes
  • Assistant Professor of Physics and Engineering Jasneet Kaur
  • Associate Professor of Computer Science and Biological Sciences and Canada Research Chair in Machine Learning for Biomedical Data Yifeng Li
  • Biological Sciences and Psychology Professor Gary Pickering
  • ESRC Adjunct Professor Kerrie Pickering
  • Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Sociology Lyn Trudeau
  • Professor of Biological Sciences and UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global Liette Vasseur

  For Vasseur, who has placed a strong emphasis on art and poetry in her work as UNESCO Chair, the symposium was a natural fit.

  “It’s a chance to open the eyes of people to realize that we all have a role to play in this — it’s the art in action, but it’s also people in action,” she says.

  Vasseur also says sharing the stage with Rick Hill Sr. was particularly meaningful.

  “It was an honour to be able to have this conversation with Dr. Rick Hill, a conversation between the settler white scientist and the Indigenous scientist about how we can have the fertility of these two knowledges connect, to be able to advance the challenge that we have with climate change,” she says.

  In addition to the one-day symposium, Brock students minoring in Environmental Sustainability are acting as Youth Ambassadors throughout the festival and will share their perspectives at Youth in Action: Next Gen Speaks on Saturday, Feb. 7.

  Baird and ESRC Research Associate Gillian Dale are also conducting a research project on how participating in the festival may build empathy and climate action. Any festival attendee can take part.

  Overall, Dockstader says the symposium shone a light on the importance of breaking down divisions in order to tackle challenges like climate change.

  “Moving forward in Niagara, we need to be walking side by side, together, all communities walking side by side,” says Dockstader. “We all have a stake in what is going to happen with the environment in Niagara, and we leave no one out of the conversation. We are all going to be focused on solutions.”

  Baird says the chance to partner with Dockstader and the PAC to create space for sharing knowledge was a wonderful opportunity, and one that typifies the community-driven research prioritized by the ESRC.

  “I’m just thrilled about how it has come together,” she says.

  Tags: Colleen A. Smith, community engagement, DART, Dramatic Arts, environmental sustainability research centre, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, humanities, Shannon Hughes, Women's and Gender Studies
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

• How the arts shaped Walker Cultural Leader’s path to Indigenous roots

  Wednesday, December 03, 2025 | By dvivian

  

  As part of the 2025-26 Walker Cultural Leader Series presented by the Marilyn. I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, celebrated multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser (second from left) is in residence in the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART). Joy-Fraser plays the role of the Métis Nutcracker in DART’s mainstage production, performing alongside DART students second-year student Tejay Morley (left), fourth-year student Emma Marcy (second from right) and second-year student Sarah Lazo de la Vega Sanchez (right).

  Originally posted in the Brock News | Tuesday, December 02, 2025 | by Gillian Minaker

  Reclaiming their First Nation identity has led multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser down many paths, from international theatre stages to local drum circles and, recently, to Brock.

  As one of Dramatic Arts’ (DART) Walker Cultural Leaders for 2025-26, Joy-Fraser plays the role of the Métis Nutcracker in DART’s upcoming mainstage production.

  They will join Assistant Professor and Métis Nutcracker playwright Matthew MacKenzie, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, for a public artist talk, “Making Métis Nutcracker,” on the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre stage on Friday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.

  Joy-Fraser is a proud bear clan matriarch who grew up in Mississauga with Euro-Settler, Tsa’tinée, Nehiyaw and Métis bloodlines from Horse Lake First Nation in Alberta.

  Identity is the heartbeat of Joy-Fraser’s artistic practice, which spans more than 25 years of storytelling on stage and screen with celebrated companies such as the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival, Mirvish, Theatre Aquarius, CBC, CBS, BBC and Telefilm.

  “The more I learn about my background, the more I am driven to keep sharing Indigenous theatre and more deeply understand my job as an artist to propel stories forward not just about identity but also reconciliation,” Joy-Fraser says.

  

  Dramatic Arts Walker Cultural Leader Nicole Joy-Fraser is a proud bear clan matriarch who grew up in Mississauga with Euro-Settler, Tsa’tinée, Nehiyaw and Métis bloodlines from Horse Lake First Nation in Alberta. As a multidisciplinary artist, community theatre practitioner and cultural facilitator, Joy-Fraser continues to advocate for Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, which have greatly impacted their journey as a Sixties Scoop witness and 2Spirit Helper.

  Inspired by — as it happens — a performance of The Nutcracker they saw with their parents, Joy-Fraser spent much of their youth performing with local theatre companies. They instantly fell in love with ballet and began singing thanks to the “golden oldie” musicals on repeat in their home.

  It was in high school drama class, when handed a copy of Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989) by Cree writer and performer Tomson Highway, that Joy-Fraser began asking more questions about their roots.

  After three years at performing arts college Randolph Academy, Joy-Fraser landed a dream-come-true gig as a member of the first North American cast of Mirvish Theatre’s Mamma Mia! auditioned by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus himself.

  Years of performing in many non-Indigenous roles followed for Joy-Fraser on prestigious stages across Canada and with West End Theatre in London, U.K.

  At the same time, Joy-Fraser’s drive to learn about their First Nation identity burned brighter, spurring them on in their journey to find their maternal birth family.

  After years of searching and almost giving up, Joy-Fraser finally connected to their Northern Alberta roots. An Elder at their first sweat ceremony recognized their surname as belonging to their birth mother and realized her cousin was married to Joy-Fraser’s Auntie.

  “At that time, we weren’t equipped with the language and learnings to help us carry our trauma as intergenerational survivors and Sixties Scoop witnesses,” Joy-Fraser said.

  Joy-Fraser began attending traditional healing ceremonies and connecting with Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Suddenly, they were learning their history.

  “My acting roles began resonating with my personal growth, and I knew I was bound to give back to our community by sharing my story and helping others heal through the arts,” they said.

  Performing the role of the Métis Nutcracker as DART’s Walker Culture Leader has been a meaningful experience for Joy-Fraser, moved by sharing both their extensive experience as theatre practitioner as well as First Nation customs that have been part of the production process, including smudging ceremonies and feasts.

  “The best way to learn something is to experience it, and DART students are learning about Indigenous cultures by embodying this story — by living it and reflecting on it — you couldn’t ask for a more active action of reconciliation than what Brock is doing right now with this piece.”

  As an Indigenous student and actor, second-year DART student Abbey Keays of the Upper Mohawk Turtle Clan who performs in Métis Nutcracker said she has learned so much from Joy-Fraser, who she looks to as a mentor.

  “We have had important talks about what we can do to keep our cultural stories accurate, appropriate and informative. It’s not very often you get the chance to experience Indigenous work or work with Indigenous artists as an actor who is starting out,” Keays said. “I am very grateful to have Nicole Joy-Fraser to look up to in my career.”

  For more information about the Métis Nutcracker see the Department’s Events + Programming webpage.

  Tags: Abbey Keays, DART, Department of Dramatic Arts, Dramatic Arts, humanities, Mainstage, MATTHEW MACKENZIE, Metis Nutcracker, MIWSFPA, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Nutcracker, Walker Cultural Leader, Walker Cultural Leader Series, WCL
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

• Métis Nutcracker: Classic winter tale reimagined in celebration of Indigenous identity

  Saturday, November 29, 2025 | By dvivian

  

  Brock Dramatic Arts students are preparing for the University’s upcoming mainstage production of Métis Nutcracker written by award-winning Canadian playwright and Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie. Third-year student Ella Martin, Assistant Head of Wardrobe (left), adjusts third-year student Molly Solomon’s (centre) handmade Maple Sugar Fairy regalia, assisted by fourth-year student Nav Brar, Wardrobe Co-ordinator.

  Originally posted in the Brock News | Friday, November 28, 2025 | by Gillian Minaker

  When Molly Solomon brings her contemporary Fancy Shawl Dance to life in Brock University Dramatic Arts’ (DART) mainstage production, she will draw strength from her Ojibwe name, Ishkode Kwe.

  The name, translated to “Fire Woman” and “First Spark in my Heart,” was gifted to the third-year DART student by her grandmother — and she wears it proudly, just like the handcrafted regalia she dons on stage.

  Solomon plays the Maple Sugar Fairy in Brock’s upcoming production of Métis Nutcracker, which opens Friday, Dec. 5 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. The new play was written by award-winning Canadian playwright and DART Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie, citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and is directed and choreographed by celebrated theatre artist Monica Dottor.

  Solomon says sharing her Indigenous heritage with the Brock community is a profound experience.

  “I feel so welcome when my peers and mentors are genuinely curious to learn about my Indigenous identity,” she says.

  Brimming with magic, song and dance — and sprinkled with a dash of playful audience interaction that may involve throwing snowballs at the stage — the story is inspired by MacKenzie’s family heritage.

  In Métis Nutcracker, two Ukrainian refugees named Tatiana and Vanya are forced to flee from their home in the Red Pine Forest to escape the evil Rat King. They seek safety on Turtle Island where they are taken under the protection of the Métis Nutcracker, played by DART Walker Cultural Leader and multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser.

  “They travel in the four directions learning about different nations and sacred medicines in the Land of Flowers, Land of Berries, Land of Snowflakes and Land of Pine Cones,” MacKenzie says of the characters’ journey in his adaptation of the classic Nutcracker tale.

  Created for young audiences, the play celebrates identity and diversity.

  “My son is Ukrainian and Métis, and I wanted to be able to speak to him about his Indigeneity while exploring concepts of colonialism in a way that he could understand,” MacKenzie says.

  For Joy-Fraser, performing the role of the Métis Nutcracker also resonates with reclaiming their own Indigenous background. Joy-Fraser is a proud bear clan matriarch who grew up in Mississauga with Euro-Settler, Tsa’tinée, Nehiyaw and Métis bloodlines from Horse Lake First Nation in Alberta.

  Paramount to the production was ensuring that youth — particularly those with an Indigenous background — had the opportunity to experience Métis Nutcracker. Support from St. Catharines theatre company Carousel Players helped to achieve this goal, with two school-day matinee performances now sold out.

  “I hope every Indigenous child sitting in the audience sees themselves and their beliefs reflected in the beauty of the show,” Joy-Fraser says. “It’s magical storytelling embedded in nature, which is so much a part of who we are.”

  Indigenous practices of cultural significance are woven throughout the play,  including set pieces, costumes and regalia featuring intricate beadwork as well as custom painted canoe paddles, created in collaboration with Indigenous theatre cohort Pemmican Collective.

  MacKenzie, who teaches Contemporary Canadian Indigenous Theatre, says learning about different Indigenous nations alongside the cast and crew has been transformative.

  “Métis Nutcracker celebrates differences,” he says. “Everyone involved at Brock has come together to honour those differences, putting the ‘action’ in truth and reconciliation.”

  As the first Indigenous DART faculty member to write an original mainstage production for the University, MacKenzie says the in-house work of Indigenizing theatre is gaining momentum.

  MacKenzie is also excited to see more Indigenous representation at the University in the future.

  “We have such a supportive environment at the MIWSFPA, a true willingness and curiosity to learn,” he says. “Our conversations are centred on this performance, but they will carry forward.”

  Additional performances of Métis Nutcracker will take place Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $25 and tickets for students and seniors are $20. Visit Brock University Tickets to reserve seats.

  MacKenzie and Joy-Fraser will also host a public artist talk related to the production at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre on Friday, Dec. 5.

  For more information about the Métis Nutcracker see the Department’s Events + Programming webpage.

  Tags: DART, Dramatic Arts, humanities, Indigenous, Mainstage, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MATTHEW MACKENZIE, metis, Metis Nutcracker, MIWSFPA, Molly Solomon, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Nutcracker, Walker Cultural Leader Series
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists