Performance Season

• King Ubu tickets on sale now!

  Thursday, January 24, 2019 | By Brock University

  

  Tickets for our spring mainstage presentation of King Ubu, presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts, are on sale now!

  The show runs from March 1 to 9 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

  Buy tickets

  
  

  King Ubu

  Written by Alfred Jarry
  Translated by David Edney
  Directed by David Fancy
  Set and lighting by James McCoy
  Costumes by Jo Pacinda

  Alfred Jarry wrote King Ubu in the 1890’s in large part to poke fun at the idiocy, capriciousness and vanity of political and personal power. it is almost like its author could see into the future and predict the very political climate we are living in today.

  The character of King Ubu is a complete fool who talks about poop, loves himself a lot and kills everybody around him whenever he feels like it. He is a patriarch, a racist and a megalomaniac.

  His wife, Ma Ubu, is very much like Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth and pushes King Ubu to increasing feats of violence and narcissism. When they are not bickering or having food-fights, Ma Ubu demands King Ubu kill off their adversaries and take over the world. They spend the show chasing their enemies all over a fairy-tale-like Poland before sailing off into a sunset.

  In short: the Ubus are the ultimate reality TV show gone wrong.

  Read more about the performance.

  PERFORMANCES:
  Friday, March 1, 2019 @ 7:30 PM
  Saturday, March 2, 2019 @ 7:30 PM
  Sunday, March 3, 2019 @ 2:00 PM
  Friday, March 8, 2019 @ 11:30 AM
  Friday, March 8, 2019 @ 7:30 PM
  Saturday, March 9, 2019 @ 7:30 PM

  Tickets:
  $18 Adult
  $15 Student/Senior
  $12 Group (10+) each
  $5 EYEGO Highschool Student (with Valid ID upon ticket Pick-Up)

  General Admission seating.

  Performance location:
  The Marilyn I. Walker Theatre
  Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts – downtown campus – Brock University
  15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, ON

  Tickets for all performances are available online through the Box Office of the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre. by email at boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca, or in person in downtown St. Catharines at 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON, L2R 3M2.

  Open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Holiday and summer hours may vary).

  Buy tickets

  Tags: DART, David Fancy, Department of Dramatic Arts, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, king ubu, Marilyn I. Walker, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, spring mainstage production
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Performance Season, Plays

• Public roundtable to explore Antigone’s relevance to modern society

  Thursday, October 25, 2018 | By jbezaire

  

  Students in Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts have been working for months to bring the classic Greek tragedy Antigone to the mainstage this weekend. The production will have a six-show run at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines, opening on Friday, Oct. 26. Seen during last week’s media call are actors Catherine Tait (Antigone), left, and Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk (Ismene).

  ---

  (From The Brock News, Thursday Oct. 25, 2018 | By Jaquelyn Bezaire)

  Gender inequality, corruption and the conflict between personal beliefs and the laws of society are all at the centre of Brock’s new mainstage production, Antigone.

  And although the classic Greek tragedy is more than 2,500 years old, a roundtable discussion will be held at the University next week to discuss its relevance to today.

  Elizabeth Vlossak, History Professor and Director of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), hopes to delve into the reasons why Antigone is one of the most read, performed and adapted plays in all of dramatic literature.

  On Wednesday, Oct. 31, she will moderate the roundtable that will include a panel of professors from Brock’s departments of Classics, Political Science, Philosophy and Dramatic Arts.

  Faculty, staff, students and the community are invited to join the panellists in the conversation, which begins at 3 p.m. in the Scotiabank Atrium of the Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex.

  The informative and lively discussion will highlight the importance of Antigone and the connections that can be made across academic disciplines.

  The panellists will explain why Antigone is not only studied in courses about Ancient Greece but is also used to explore political theory, gender dynamics and various religious and moral problems.

  Panellists include professors Roberto Nickel (Classics), Adam Rappold (Classics), Athena Colman (Philosophy), Stefan Dolgert (Political Science) and Mike Griffin (Dramatic Arts).

  Vlossak organized the event in part to promote the upcoming production of Antigone, which opens Friday, Oct 26. The play is presented by Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts.

  “One of my goals as Director of the MIWSFPA has been to increase student, faculty and public awareness, interest and participation in our programming at the school,” said Vlossak. “But this interdisciplinary panel discussion is also about bridging the two campuses. It’s bringing faculty from different departments together to share their expertise with students and the public, and it’s showcasing how the fine and performing arts can be incorporated into all of our teaching, learning and research, as well as our everyday lives, in meaningful ways.”

  The roundtable will begin by exploring the world of Sophocles and Antigone’s significance in ancient drama and performance.

  Other topics of discussion include the legacy of Antigone in the fields of politics and philosophy, the continued pedagogical value of studying Antigone, and the play’s relevance in the current political climate.

  “Antigone still inspires political rebels today, who find in her obstinate resistance a role model for action in the present,” said Dolgert. “Antigone is for those who refuse to accept the tired cliché that politics is ‘the art of the possible,’ as it is her seemingly irrational affirmation of the impossible that ultimately prevails.”

  Griffin, a Dramatic Arts lecturer and the production’s Director, will join the panel and explain why he chose the play for Brock’s mainstage performance.

  He hopes to “paint Antigone as a strong woman,” and aims to show how themes of the #MeToo movement are reflected throughout the production.

  Antigone runs Oct. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. and Nov. 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a high school matinee on Nov. 2 at 11:30 a.m.

  The production will be held in MIWSFPA’s Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines. Tickets are available through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office at 905-688-0722 or on the PAC website.

  Tags: Adam Rappold, Antigone, Athena Colman, department go political science, department of classics, Department of Dramatic Arts, department of philosophy, Elizabeth Vlossak, Mike Griffin, Roberto Nickel, Stefan Dolgert
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Performance Season, Plays

• Brock students on Broadway

  Monday, April 30, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  Cast members from the student-run Mirror Theatre had the unique opportunity to perform in the heart of the New York City theatre district recently.

  On Wednesday, April 25, the cast members performed vignettes from their applied theatre work at the Marriott Marquis hotel.

  Mirror Theatre is a comprised primarily of Brock Dramatic Arts students that produce and perform interactive scenes on a variety of social issues. The group is coached by Dramatic Arts Chair and Professor of Drama in Education and Applied Theatre Joe Norris. It gives students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they learn in their courses in real-world situations. Through experiential education, the students develop life and learning skills that will prepare them for their careers and future studies.

  Mirror Theatre was invited to attend the Arts Based Educational Research (ABER) business meeting in New York City by the ABER Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association. At the conference, they presented “Employing Playbuilding Research and Pedagogy in Addressing Educational and Social Issues Facing Youth.” Their scenes addressed issues of academic integrity, seeking help, dealing with gossip, refusing unsafe working conditions, parental pressures and healthy eating.

  

  Regent cheque presented to Mirror Theatre for $500.

  The trip was partially funded by the Regent Student Livings’ Dramatic Arts Student Independent and Outreach Projects fund. Recently, Mitch Allanson (BA ’16) presented Abby Rollo, Mirror Theatre’s President and Lindsey Abrams, Treasurer a cheque for $500. This award will be available to DART students each year and is part of Regent Student Livings investment in the success of the students at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

  Cast members of Mirror Theatre include, Lindsey Abrams, Dani Shae Barkley, Kaedyn Brouse, Candice De Freitas Braz, Aaron Drake, Nadia Ganesh, Rosa Moreno, Mike Metz, Abby Rollo, Sumer Seth, Dawson Strangway and Director Joe Norris.

  Tags: ABER, Broadway, brockudart, DART, Dramatic Arts, Dramatic Arts in Education, Experiential Education, Joe Norris, Joe Norris Playbuilding, Mirror Theatre, MIWSFPA, New York City, Regent, Regent Student Living
  Categories: Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, News, Performance Season

• Graduating students present gritty play about oil in Canada

  Thursday, April 12, 2018 | By dvivian

  

  The cast of Lac/Athabasca takes the stage from April 12 to 14 in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre for the last Dramatic Arts production of the 2017-18 season.

  For the final production of the regular 2017-18 season, Brock’s fourth-year Dramatic Arts students will tackle some hard-hitting Canadian issues.

  The DART 4F56 ensemble will present Len Falkenstein’s award-winning play Lac/Athabasca in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. The production, inspired by the Lac-Mégantic train explosion of 2013, tells the dark truth of the forces behind the disaster.

  Co-directed by Professor Gyllian Raby and student Mark Dickinson, the play premiered at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts on Thursday, April 12 and will continue nightly until Saturday, April 14.

  

  Production poster designed by Michelle Mohammed. click to download a PDF copy.

  Audiences follow the train filled with explosive fuel as it journeys across time and place, beginning with townsfolk sharing their experiences of the tragic event and lamenting for the lives lost. The crowd is taken to tour the magnificent Athabasca glacier and meets workers at the oil sand companies in Fort McMurray, witnessing Canada’s exploitation of its land and peoples from the 1800s to now. The beauty and terror of these encounters reveal a Canadian dream as twisted as the train tracks that stretch across it.

  The DART 4F56 students unanimously picked the play not only because of its Canadian roots, but also because “it’s about something that matters,” says Raby. The production tells the story of the train explosion, but audiences can also “expect to see a First Nations story play out,” she says.

  “We were fortunate enough to be advised by Adrienne Smoke of the Six Nations and William Constant, a Cree mentor, to make sure we were approaching the Indigenous story correctly.”

  On a daily basis, Canadians are reading about the problem of oil and the exploitation of natural resources. Lac/Athabasca is a deeply Canadian play that provokes reflection on corporate greed, environmental policies and the future transportation of oil.

  In addition to Dickinson, the 2017-18 Dramatic Arts fourth-year ensemble features cast members Mackenzie Kerr, Adrian Marchesano, Sarah Marks, Michelle Mohammed, Tarndeep Pannu, Naomi Richardson and Kaylyn Valdez-Scott. Set construction is by Helena Ciuciura, costume design by Samantha Mastrella, properties design by Rebecca Downing, sound design by Jillian Wardell, lighting design by Meryl Ochoa, and projections design and production management by Chelsea Wilson, assisted by guest instructor and Brock University Dramatic Arts alumnus, James McCoy. The production team also includes Allie Aubry as stage manager and Candice Burn as head of publicity.

  Lac/Athabasca plays Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the MIWFSPA in downtown St. Catharines. Tickets are $5 (plus taxes and fees) from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office at 905-688-0722 or online. Tickets will also be available at the door. Limited parking is available onsite.

  ---

  see the preview article by Mike Balsom on YourTV Niagara/Cogeco

  Tags: DART 4F56, Gyllian Raby, Lac/Athabasca, Len Falkenstein, Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, MIW Theatre, oil
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Performance Season, Plays

• Dramatic Arts students explore the theme of Expectation and Reality

  Tuesday, April 03, 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: DART, Dramatic Arts, Expectation and Reality, Kevin Hobbs, Mainstage, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIW Theatre, Neil Silcox, One Act festival, One Acts, One Acts Festival, Pay-what-you-can, production and design, The Brock News, theatre
  Categories: Current Students, Events, In the Media, News, Performance Season, Plays

• TOP GIRLS: opens March 2!

  Wednesday, January 10, 2018 | By dvivian

  

  by Caryl Churchill.

  Directed by DANIELLE WILSON
  Set Design by NIGEL SCOTT
  Costume Design by KELLY WOLF
  Lighting Design by JENNIFER JIMENEZ
  Original Music by MAX HOLTEN-ANDERSEN
  Assistant Direction by MICHELLE MOHAMMED
  Dialect Coaching by JANE GOODERHAM

  When: March 2-10, 2018

  FRIDAY, MARCH 2 and SATURDAY, MARCH 3 at 7:30 pm
  SUNDAY, MARCH 4 at 2:00 pm
  FRIDAY, MARCH 9 at 11:30 am and 7:30 pm
  SATURDAY, MARCH 10 at 7:30 pm

  What would you sacrifice to get to the top?
  Top Girls opens at the MIWSFPA on March 2.

  TOP GIRLS, by celebrated playwright Caryl Churchill and directed by Danielle Wilson, runs from Friday, March 2, 2018 to Saturday, March 10, 2018 in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines.

  

  Manchari Paranthahan as Nell, Meryl Ochoa as Win, in Top Girls at Brock University.

  The Department of Dramatic Arts, part of Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, is proud to present an original production of this venerable play about women and power. First produced in 1982, last seen in Niagara at the Shaw Festival in 2015, this contemporary play tells the story of Marlene, a career-driven woman who is only interested in women’s success in business.

  The play is an exploration and critical look at women and their relationship to power and success. For the director, Professor Danielle Wilson, the main question at the heart of the play is “what would you sacrifice to get to the top?”

  The play follows the story of Marlene, who in 1980’s London has just been promoted to managing director of the Top Girls Employment Agency. With a magic realist twist we see Marlene celebrate her success at a dinner party with five women from history, literature, and art, and as the drink begins to flow, so do their stories of family, adventure, and loss which overlap in witty and humorous dialogue.

  

  Manchari Paranthahan as Nell, Meryl Ochoa as Win, Helena Ciurciura as Marlene, in Top Girls at Brock University.

  Throughout the play we also meet the real-life women in Marlene’s life at the office. They struggle to rise to the top of the corporate ladder but are held back by lack of opportunity and the harsh competitiveness of the business world.

  The themes and story of the play are extremely topical.  The play examines the challenges of working women who choose self-promotion and career over motherhood, family, domesticity. We learn of the cost of Marlene’s ‘successful’ life. Set during the reign of the British Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher, known as the “Iron Lady”, the play asks whether it was an advance to have a woman prime minister if we elected someone with policies like hers.

  TOP GIRLS highlights the contradictions between feminism and capitalism. A running theme throughout the play is the secrets that underpin Marlene’s success which in some ways serve to perpetuate the patriarchal structure common in many workplaces. We only learn of these secrets in the final confrontational scene with her closest family, Joyce and her daughter, Angie.

  The play is directed by Dramatic Arts faculty Danielle Wilson. Professional collaborating artists include set designer Nigel Scott, costume designer by Kelly Wolf, lighting designer Jennifer Jimenez and music composer Max Holten-Andersen. Jane Gooderham is the Dialect Coach.

  

  Helena Ciurciura as Marlene, Emma McCormick as Angie, in Top Girls at Brock University.

  TOP GIRLS showcases the talents of students in the Department of Dramatic Arts undergraduate program. Michelle Mohammed is the Assistant Director, Alicia Marie Bender is the Stage Manager, Whiney Braybrook-Byl is Assistant Stage Manager. Performers include: Helena Ciuciura, Emma McCormick, Samantha Mastrella, Meryl Ochoa, Manchari Paranthahan, Catherine Tait and Kristina Ojaperv.

  READ ALL ABOUT IT!

  Director Danielle Wilson discusses feminism, ambition, #MeToo and the unique challenge of mounting this play in a brief interview found at the bottom of this page.
  
  Fourth-year student and Assistant Director for the production, Michelle Mohammed, is writing about the development of the show in a dedicated blog: darttopgirls.wordpress.com and dartcritics.com

  The public presentation program of the Department of Dramatic Arts is an integral part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate to contribute to regional cultural development and build community connections by engaging our audiences with the breadth of talent and creativity of the students, staff, guest artists and faculty of Brock University.

  The Department invites teachers and educators to bring their students to see this exciting production of TOP GIRLS.
  Read the Special Invitation to learn more.

  Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the
  Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
  Limited parking onsite.

  Purchase tickets at the FirstOntario PAC Box Office
  905.688.0722 or online firstontariopac.ca
  Tickets: $18 Adults|$15 Seniors/Students| $5 eyeGo | $12 Groups
  *Applicable fees and taxes are extra

  See the article in the Brock News.

  ---

  We asked the director of Top Girls, Professor Danielle Wilson, about feminism, ambition, and the unique challenges of mounting this play.

  What type of feminist beliefs does Top Girls draw upon?

  The play is an exploration and critical look at women and their relationship to power and success. For me the main question at the heart of the play is “what would you sacrifice to get to the top?” Something is always sacrificed, whether it be relationships, personal integrity, mental health, leisure time etc., in the pursuit of success. Top Girls looks specifically at women’s responsibilities and relationships with each other in a capitalistic and individualistic society. It tackles these issues in a broader political spectrum vs. it being about women overcoming their oppression. You can’t get away from being a woman in this play, no matter how hard these women try. What I understand is that the play was inspired by two streams of feminism: one which is about changing the economic situation for everyone which is more collectively oriented and one that accepts and supports an individual’s success over the collective gain. Top Girls examines an individualistic society in which the few thrive at the expense of many and one in which isolated female success overshadows the plight of the majority.

  How do you connect the feminism of the 1980’s portrayed in Top Girls to feminist movements and/or beliefs today? How do you think our students will understand the representation of feminist thought in your production?

  Fourth wave feminism, which we are seeing now, tends to be more collectively oriented. Social media started an entire #MeToo movement, which questions abuse of power. Top Girls discusses power and success in relationship to women. The main character in the play, Marlene, tends to use what one might call more ‘masculine’ tactics in the workplace. The entire corporate structure has been built on more masculine characteristics of leadership. When a woman is in a top position, masculine qualities can run contrary to what is expected of her gender, so she may be perceived as cold or distant or a bitch. Margaret Thatcher, who serves as an unseen character in the play was described as the ‘Iron Lady”, but no man who ruled in the way she did was ever called the ‘Iron Man’, he was just a man. She even had voice lessons to help her sound more masculine so that her cabinet would take her seriously. One of the characters in the play, Nell says that “an employer is going to have doubts about a lady, whether she’s got the guts to push through to a closing situation. They think we’re too nice. They think we listen to the buyer’s doubts. They think we consider his needs and his feelings.” We’re becoming aware that there is more than one way to lead and it is not an imperative to oppress or step on others in order to succeed.

  I think students will recognize the issues being debated between Marlene and Joyce as they each argue opposite political viewpoints. Today, there is definitely a more collectively oriented mindset as evidenced by the Occupy movement, Idle No More, and the #MeToo movement. There is resistance to the social and economic status quo. Young people, both men and women, are building strength through bonds with each other and challenging systemic abuse, racial profiling, and poor economic prospects.

  What is “the top”?

  I think it depends on the person. Success and reaching ‘the top’ is complicated and is defined by each person differently. For some it may be reaching the top over someone else, for others it may be reaching the top of one’s own potential.

  Marlene’s character seems to be the one striving for the “top” and stepping on anyone in her way, should we be feeling empathy for her? Should we like or dislike her? What should we be learning from her actions?

  I think ultimately it will be up to the audience to decide how they feel about her.  We learn a lot about her personal life in the third act and what she has sacrificed to get to where she is. Caryl Churchill, the playwright, has written a complex character who is flawed, but what human being isn’t? Some may admire and empathize with her actions. She did what she had to do. Others may not. We see both sides of the story in the final act in which she has a showdown with her sister, Joyce, who has taken a very different path in life. Ultimately, Churchill has written a play that involves more questions than answers, but that’s the beauty of it, you get to chew over these questions after the play is over. To me, that’s the mark of a great play.

  Are there significant challenges with this production that our audience would be interested in knowing about?

  The play involves a big dinner party at the very beginning. Caryl Churchill has written overlapping dialogue where people are talking over each other, like at a real dinner party. It has been challenging to choose what the audience hears and doesn’t hear.  Sometimes the audience will hear both and have to choose which to listen to. It has been both a challenge as a director and as an actor. Not only must the actors learn their lines, but they must also learn when they begin speaking in the middle of someone else’s line.

   

  February 17, 2018
  /dv

  Tags: Caryl Churchill, Danielle Wilson, Mainstage, Top Girls
  Categories: Events, Performance Season, Plays

• DART presents: Five Women Wearing the Same Dress

  Thursday, November 02, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  It’s the perfect day for the perfect Tennessee wedding– but where are the bridesmaids?

  Skulking in her attic refuge, Meredith rebels. Frances prays. Mindy eats. Georgeanne lusts, and Trisha swears off romance forever– until Tripp, the wise-cracking usher turns her eye. Trouble lurks everywhere for these colourful and disorderly women, and as the music gets louder and things get rowdier, they must come together to figure out past burns and current conundrums. With a little booze, a little wisdom, and lot of crazy talk, they help one another navigate the storms of life.

  Five Women Wearing the Same Dress comes to St. Catharines from Academy Award winning author Alan Ball of “American Beauty”.

  You have never experienced a wedding party like this one!

  Directed by professor Gyllian Raby, and assisted by Tarndeep Pannu. Other students from the 2017-2018 4F56 ensemble include cast members Helena Ciuciura, Meryl Ochoa, Samantha Mastrella, Rebecca Downing, Candice Burn and Mark Dickinson. Set Design is by Jillian Wardell, Costume Design by Sarah Marks, Sound Design by Naomi Richardson, and Lighting Design by guest instructor James McCoy. The production is Stage Managed by Chelsea Wilson, Allie Aubry and Michelle Mohammed with Kaylyn Valdez-Scott as Publicist, and Adrian Marchesano and Mackenzie Kerr on the Production Team.

  Characters:

  Meredith Marlowe: The bride’s rebellious, pot-smoking younger sister who is very sarcastic and much annoyed with the whole fiasco downstairs. Sporting an outwardly tough attitude, she has a lot of insecurity to hide. Bridesmaid.
  Georgeanne Darby: Tracy’s “ugly sidekick” in high school and college. Accepted the invite to be a bridesmaid even though her relationship with Tracy is strained because Tracy’s boyfriend had once got her pregnant. Bridesmaid.
  Trisha: One of Tracy’s former friends with a supposed bad reputation; a jaded beauty. Bridesmaid.
  Frances: The very naive and religious cousin of the bride. Bridesmaid.
  Mindy McClure: The groom’s clumsy and outspoken lesbian sister. Bridesmaid.
  Tripp Davenport (Griffen Lyle Davenport the Third): An usher who falls for Trisha.

  When: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 and SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

  Time: 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm.

  Location: The Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, Brock University

  Tickets: $7†; $5† child (14 and under); $5† eyeGo program. Free admission to current students of the MIWSFPA with valid student ID card. † Applicable fees and taxes are extra. ONLY 100 SEATS AVAILABLE for each performance, don’t delay.

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

  Tags: DART 4F56, Five Women, Play, theatre
  Categories: Events, Performance Season, Plays

• PANTALONE’S PALACE, DART’S First Mainstage for 2017-18, opens October 27!

  Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  Pantalone’s Palace

  Love and power collide in this fun-filled, fast paced physical comedy.

  Written and Directed by Mike Griffin

  Set & Costume Design by: Kelly Wolf
  Lighting Design by Chris Malkowski
  Sound Design by: James McCoy
  Mask Maker: Gina Bastone
  Assistant Direction by: Helena Ciuciura

  Hardworking Columbina just wants to enjoy the majestic Wooers’ Woods in peace after a long day’s work, but the greedy business tycoon Pantalone is scheming. When Columbina discovers his plot to build the biggest casino in the world, she knows she must take action. Armed with her wits and her lovesick friends, she aims to set things right in this fun-filled, fast paced, physical comedy that explores the meeting of contemporary life and classical Commedia dell’Arte.

  When: October 27 – November 4, 2017
  FRIDAY, OCT. 27 & SATURDAY, OCT. 28 at 7:30 pm
  SUNDAY, OCT. 29 at 2:00 pm
  FRIDAY, NOV. 3 at 11:30 am & 7:30 pm
  SATURDAY, NOV. 4 at 7:30 pm

  The Department invites teachers and educators to bring their students to see this exciting new production of Commedia dell’arte.
  Read the Special Invitation to learn more.

  See the article in the Brock News.

  See the teaser video.

  Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the
  Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
  Limited paid parking onsite

  Purchase tickets at the FirstOntario PAC Box Office
  905.688.0722 or online firstontariopac.ca
  Tickets: $18 Adults|$15 Seniors/Students| $5 eyeGo | $12 Groups
  *Applicable fees and taxes are extra

  Tags: commedia, commedia dell’arte, Dramatic Arts, Mainstage, Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, Performance, Play, plays
  Categories: Events, News, Performance Season, Plays

• Lac/Athabasca

  Saturday, September 16, 2017 | By dvivian

  By Len Falkenstein.

  A play about the Lac Megantique explosion and the environment.

  DART 4F56 is a production class that morphs each year depending on the people enrolled, but is always student driven and student produced. It enables students to work as a company in multiple production roles, utilizing the spectrum of skills they have developed in DART, from in depth research, to dramaturgical analysis resulting in the staging choices.

  A Media Release for this production will be available.

  When: FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 and SATURDAY, APRIL14, 2018. Matinee (TBC): SATURDAY, APRIL14, 2018

  Time: 7:30 pm to 8:45 pm.

  Location: The Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, Brock University

  Tickets: $7†; $5† child (14 and under); $5† eyeGo program. Free admission to current students of the MIWSFPA with valid student ID card.

  † Applicable fees and taxes are extra.

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

  Tags: DART 4F56
  Categories: Events, Performance Season, Plays