Plays

Community collaboration leads to a new play by Brock prof

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | By dtemprile

(Source: The Brock News | Monday, February 12, 2018 by Alison Innes)

It was a simple, yet powerful statement.

“We need to pay attention to the lives of Niagara’s migrant agricultural workers,” René Lopez, a worker advocate, said to Brock University Associate Professor David Fancy in 2010.

That conversation began a journey of community collaboration that lead to the production of Our Lady of Delicias by the Essential Collective Theatre, which runs from Friday, Feb. 23 until Sunday, March 4 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

Fancy, a professor with the Dramatic Arts program, collaborated with dozens of migrant workers and Dramatic Arts students for two years to develop the play. The story features the character of Rangel, a Mexican migrant worker who has been travelling to Canada for years to work in the vineyards and greenhouses of Niagara.

“I’m excited by this new script,” says Essential Collective Theatres’ Monica Dufault, a long-term Brock instructor who is directing the production. “It explores migrant worker issues in considerable depth with a real artistry that I’m keen to share with audiences.”

“Having lived in Niagara for more than a dozen years now, I still feel that this is a reality that is consciously ignored: the lives of people who are our neighbours,” says Fancy.

The cast of four, including Carla Melo, Juan Carlos Velis, Camila Diaz-Varela and Josée Young, features an exceptional range of Canadian acting talent with extensive stage and screen credits. Brock Dramatic Arts graduates James McCoy and Jo Pacinda are creating the design and costume design for the production.

What: Our Lady of Delicias, performed by the Essential Collective Theatre

When: Friday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, March 4

Where: Robertson Theatre, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

SPECIAL OFFER: Present your ECT show program or ticket stub to receive a 20% discount on tickets for Top Girls presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts!

Tags: Applied Theatre, David Fancy, drama in education, Dramatic Arts, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, FOPAC, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Monica Dufault, plays
Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, News, 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
DART 4F56 presents Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom

Thursday, March 16, 2017 | By Brock University

There’s something strange in the neighbourhood…

The Department of Dramatic Arts 4F56 Ensemble presents Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom by Jennifer Haley, a chilling play that blurs the line between the real and the virtual in present day suburbia. This production runs April 21and 22, 2017, and will be held in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common.

The kids are obsessed with Neighborhood 3, a new video game that uses GPS technology to map their own suburban homes into a battle terrain. Pets start disappearing, players freak out, and suddenly the parents can no longer keep track of their teens. As the young players battle a legion of zombies to reach the Final House, they confront their family’s dysfunctions as well as the dreaded Neighborhood Association. In this community, good parenting is nowhere to be found and the adults’ lackadaisical involvement in their teens’ lives has devastating repercussions.

Award winning playwright Jennifer Haley, referred to as “the first major playwright of the digital age” by New York Theatre, focuses her theatrical work on virtual reality and its effect on families. Her cautionary tale explores the transition from technological escapism to violent obsession. Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom asks ‘what is the impact of the virtual on the real? Can real life violence be blamed on violent video games? Who is raising your child – you or your iPad?’

Production managed by Linda Duong, and built by Dana Morin, Neighborhood 3 is directed by Gyllian Raby (Professor) and Olivia De Sousa, and designed by Kaitlyn Seguin (set), Nicole James (properties), Allison Pressnail (projections and lighting), Sydney Francolini (sound), John Clancy (costume), Rachelle Scott, and Demetri Tsioros (choreography and fights). The 4F56 Ensemble further includes Sarah Bradford, Nikka Collison, Caroline Coon, Ben Fallis, Lena Hall, Chantal Hatton, Alexandra Li Tomulescu, Jonah McGrath, Elena Milenkovski, Dana Morin, and Elizabeth Pereira.

Plan to join us for this provocative and unsettling melodrama held in Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, in downtown St. Catharines. Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom runs April 21 and 22, 2017 at 7:30 pm. There will be a free preview day on April 21 at 11:30 am. Tickets are $5 (applicable fees and taxes are extra) and are available for purchase at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Box Office at 905.688.0722; toll-free 1.855.515.0722; e-mail: boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca; or online: firstontariopac.ca

Tags: DART, Dramatic Arts, MIWSFPA, Play, theatre
Categories: Events, Plays

ONE ACT FESTIVAL 2017

Thursday, March 16, 2017 | By Brock University

Theatre students take charge in Brock University’s ONE ACT FESTIVAL 2017!

Every year, Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts presents an exciting festival of ten one-act plays, all completely directed by, designed by and starring the bright and talented students of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. This year’s ONE ACT FESTIVAL 2017 will be held at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre on April 7 and 8, 2017, and promises an engaging and diverse variety of experiences for the theatre-going audience.

The ONE ACT FESTIVAL 2017 is presented in two parts over two days. Both parts are performed each day of the festival. Audiences may choose to view the full run of plays in one day, or watch one part per day.

Part One (April 7 at 2 pm & April 8 at 7:30 pm):

Part Two (April 7 at 7:30 pm & April 8 at 2 pm):

Pillow

by Frederick Stroppel

Directed by: Kelli Sitarski

The Tarantino Variation

by Seth Kramer

Directed by: Samantha Mastrella

A Florentine Tragedy (excerpt)

by Oscar Wilde

Directed by: Mark Dickinson

Ghost Trio

by Samuel Beckett

Directed by: Helena Ciuciura

One for the Road

by Harold Pinter

Directed by: Michelle Mohammed

Check Please

by Jonathan Rand

Directed by: Candice Burn

The Cowboy

by Patrick Holland

Directed by: Mackenzie Kerr

Irene and Lillian Forever

by Bonnie Farmer

Directed by: Tarndeep Pannu

Batteries Not Included

by Caitlin English

Directed by: Iain Beaumont

All By Myself

by Robert Scott

Directed by: Naomi Richardson

As the final assignment for the third-year Directing II class, each directing student chooses a one-act play to produce for the ONE ACT FESTIVAL 2017. This year, the directing and design students are mentored by Visiting Director (and retired faculty member) Professor Virginia Reh, collaborating with Professor David Vivian. The students direct, design and perform ten short plays as they complete their courses in directing and theatrical design.

Topics of the plays include the exploration of human relations in historical settings through to the thrills and chills of contemporary life. Professor Virginia Reh states, “Over the years I have enjoyed watching the young directors select challenging plays and grow their confidence and artistry during the 10 weeks of rehearsal development. Completing the One Act Festival is a capstone achievement as they prepare for their final year of study.

This is the first year the directing and design students have collaborated together to realize the festival. Professor David Vivian states, “As we complete the second season at 15 Artists’ Common our students will bring their bold visions to life in a reconfigured Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. With every production we learn about innovative possibilities provided by our excellent new facility.”

The festival will be held in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at 15 Artists’ Common, downtown St. Catharines on April 7 and 8, 2017. Part One will be performed on April 7 at 2 pm and April 8 at 7:30 pm. Part Two will be performed on April 7 at 7:30 pm and April 8 at 2 pm. Seating at this event is limited. Tickets are available at the door, and admission is “pay-what-you-can.”

Parking is not available on-site, however, there are more than 1,000 spots available in nearby parking garages, surface lots, and on city streets within a five-minute walk to our address at 15 Artists’ Common. Visit http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/livein/ParkingLotsGarages.asp for a list of parking locations.

Such performances from the Department of Dramatic Arts are an integral part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.

Tags: BrockU, DART, Dramatic Arts, MIWSFPA, One Acts, One Acts Festival, Play, theatre
Categories: Events, Plays

On Cultural Power: The August Wilson/Robert Brustein Discussion, Re-enacted!

Wednesday, February 15, 2017 | By Brock University

Experience the famous and controversial 1997 debate that took New York by storm: “The intellectual equivalent of extreme fighting” – Frank Rich

March 15, 2017 at 6 pm

Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

To reserve your tickets for this free community event, visit this link: http://bit.ly/2k8CbnP

Tags: alumni, DART, Debate, Discussion, Dramatic Arts, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, plays, theatre
Categories: Events, Plays
Moral decay exposed! Radium Girls on stage at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre

Monday, January 30, 2017 | By Brock University

Brock University
MEDIA RELEASE

Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
905.688.5550, x4765

Moral decay exposed! Radium Girls on stage at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre

Radium Girls, by D.W. Gregory, is a chilling tale of unchecked corporate greed, market demand, and scientific ambition exceeding human empathy. This production runs March 3 – 11, 2017 in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common.

Between 1918 and 1928 in Orange, New Jersey, towards the end of World War I, applying luminous paint to watches, clocks and military dials was thought of as a desirable occupation for young working-class American women. Their employer, United States Radium Corporation (U.S. Radium), lead them to believe that the paint was harmless, that it contained only minute quantities of radium, and besides, radium was good for your health. Across the country, patent medicines pushed radium as a cure for all ailments. So, the young women happily painted, often putting their paint-covered brushes into their mouths to create a finer point.

Within a year or so, an alarming number of women fell ill: their teeth were falling out, their jaws were rotting away, and cancer was rampant. U.S. Radium denied all liability, suppressed information that supported the women’s claim of negligence, and smeared their reputations to protect their bottom line.

In today’s political landscape, where dangers to human health are suppressed to protect corporate interests, this story of women labourers struggling to claim a voice in an unjust society is hauntingly appropriate.

Directed by Philip McKee and designed by Kelly Wolf, with music composed by Holger Schoorl, Radium Girls showcases the talents of students in the Department of Dramatic Arts undergraduate program. Performers include: Nikka Collison, Olivia De Sousa, Rebecca Downing, Ben Fallis, Sydney Fracolini, Bernadette Kahnert, Mackenzie Kerr, Adrian Marchesano, Samantha Mastrella, Elena Milenkovski, Michelle Mohammad, Sean Rashotte, Naomi Richardson, and Colin Williams.

Director Philip McKee stated, “Today, the excitement of innovation and the opportunity to make money results in ordinary workers around the world being exposed to deadly substances. This is especially true in the global south where the laws which protect labourers in more developed countries don’t apply. The protagonists of the play discover that laws cannot guarantee our safety or our guiltlessness, as there will always be ways in which laws can be manipulated or ignored. Radium Girls helps us to see that we are ultimately dependent on the ethics and good intentions of individuals to protect ourselves and others from harm.”

Radium Girls runs March 3, 4, 10, 11 at 7:30 pm; March 5 at 2 pm.; and March 10 at 11:30 am, and will be held in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines.

Tickets are $18 Adults; $15 Students/Seniors; $10 Groups; $5 eyeGo high school program, and are available through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office at 905.688.0722, or online, or via email: boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca

Such programs from the Department of Dramatic Arts (https://brocku.ca/miwsfpa/dramatic-arts) are an integral part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.

Parking is not available on-site, however, there are more than 1,000 spots available in nearby parking garages, surface lots, and on city streets within a five-minute walk to our address at 15 Artists’ Common. Visit http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/livein/ParkingLotsGarages.asp for a list of parking locations.

Media Day: Thursday, February 16 at 5:30 pm, held in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, ON.

-30-

For more information or to set up interviews contact:
Communications
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
T: 905.688.5550, x4765
C: 905.964.7646
E: miwsfpa@brocku.ca
W: http://brocku.ca/miwsfpa

Videos:

View the video teaser for RADIUM GIRLS below:

View the TVCogeco feature for RADIUM GIRLS below:

Tags: DART, Dramatic Arts, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Radium Girls
Categories: Events, Media Releases, News, Plays
Gormenghast

Monday, November 07, 2016 | By Nikki Prudden
DART Performances in 2016-17

Our second season in the new Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at 15 Artists’ Common!

Presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts, Brock University

Gormenghast

by Mervyn Peake. Stage adaptation by John Constable.

Directed by MIKE GRIFFIN, Assisted by SYDNEY FRANCOLINI
Designed by DAVID VIVIAN
Lighting Design by JENNIFER JIMENEZ
Sound Design by MAX HOLTEN-ANDERSEN

When:
November 11-19, 2016
FRIDAY, NOV. 11 & SATURDAY, NOV. 12 at 7:30 pm
SUNDAY, NOV. 13 at 2:00 pm
FRIDAY, NOV. 18 at 11:30 am & 7:30 pm
SATURDAY, NOV. 19 at 7:30 pm

Location:
Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

Cost:
Tickets: $18† adults; $15† seniors/students; $5† eyeGo program; $12† groups (10+)
†Applicable fees and taxes are extra.

Evil is afoot in the Gormenghast castle! Come and join us in this labyrinth of dark corridors, where the bizarre and mysterious come to life. Gormenghast is a haunting and hilarious tale of the dysfunctional house of Groan, adapted from the UK cult classic fantasy trilogy written by Mervyn Peake.In a world bound by iron laws, where ancient ritual and order reigns supreme and the governing motto is “No Change!”, two youth rise up to shake the castle walls: Titus Groan, the rebellious seventy-seventh Earl and heir to the decaying castle, and Steerpike, a conniving kitchen boy, determined to rise above his lowly position to control the House of Groan.The Guardian wrote about John Constable’s adaptation of Gormenghast, “A gloriously impossible realisation of Mervyn Peake’s soaring flight of fancy.”

“The play has a huge appeal to those with taste for very dark humour…not for the faint of heart.” (The BBC)

see the calendar listing for more information.
Teaser

Check out this sneak “Peake” of Gormenghast – a haunting and hilarious tale adapted from the fantasy trilogy written by Mervyn Peake.

The play runs Nov. 11 – 19 in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, ON.

Buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/2fwuqdE

Teachers and faculty should read this letter about group bookings and discounts.

Study Guide

This is a Study Guide to inform and enhance your appreciation of our production of Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, with stage adaptation by John Constable. The production is directed by Mike Griffin, faculty at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. The Study Guide was prepared by the Assistant Director, Sydney Francolini.

The Study Guide provides information about considerations regarding Direction, Design, Style, Puppetry, and Gender.

The authors of the Study Guide do not own the visual content found on the web and are using it here for educational and learning purposes. Please contact us if you wish to have any material removed.

Contact and Media inquiries:
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
905.688.5550, x4765 or e-mail: mbalsom@brocku.ca
Tags: 2016-17, Gormenghast, John Constable, Mainstage, Mervyn Peake, November 2016
Categories: Events, Plays