Current Students

  • Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts Alumni Homecoming

    Tuesday, September 15, 2015 | By

    Event date: September 18, 2015, 5 pm – 11 pm

    ***PLEASE SEE THIS NEWS UPDATE ABOUT PARKING ON SEPTEMBER 18TH***

    Alumni of the Arts and Culture, Dramatic Arts, Music and Visual Arts programs and our friends and guests from the Niagara Region and GTA are cordially invited to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Alumni Homecoming and Grand Opening!

    Please join us for an evening of captivating artwork, exciting performances and beautiful music. Grab a glass of wine, take yourself on a tour of the incredible new MIWSFPA facility and spend some time reconnecting with classmates, professors and friends from the Departments of Dramatic Arts, Music, and Visual Arts, and our Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture.

    Official opening ceremonies begin at 3:00; Open house begins at 5:00 pm; VISA Art Gallery Alumni exhibition opens at 5:00 pm; VISA Alumni Dinner, 6:30 – 8 pm at Gord’s Place, 84 James Street; MUSI programming across the evening in multiple venues at 15 Artists’ Common; Cabaret in the DART Theatre at 7:30 pm.

    Affiliated events also include:

    Tale of a Town St. Catharines
    Addressing the Void

    and

    Confluence Field Trip #1, a fifteen minute walk from Rodman Hall to MWSFPA along the Merritt Trail and McGuire St.. for more information see: confluencefieldtrips.ca

    Hope to see you there!

    See the Facebook event by clicking here.

    GET YOUR TICKETS HERE to reserve a seat at the VISA Alumni dinner!

    GET YOUR TICKETS HERE for the DART theatre CABARET!

    For more information about the Homecoming Weekend program at Brock University, to register for events and to learn about shuttle bus service to the region be sure to visit
    https://brocku.ca/alumni/celebrate-homecoming-2
    ***Please note this event will take place at our new address at 15 Artists’ Common, also known as the former Canada Haircloth Building, in downtown St. Catharines. ***not at 500 Glenridge Avenue ***

    Here is a link to a Google street view from June, when our address was known to be IceDogs Way, and here is a Google map for directions to the facilities.

    Please see the Brock University Campus Map here: https://brocku.ca/blogs/campus-map/miwsfpa/

    We are adjacent to the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre and the Meridian Centre.

    ***PLEASE SEE THIS NEWS UPDATE ABOUT PARKING ON SEPTEMBER 18TH***

    *****

    Hear ye! Hear ye! the excellent program for our event on September 18th!

    VISA Painting Studio 
    location: MW 416
    4:00-9:00 pm
    Open house Exhibition
    and
    Musical performances in the VISA Painting Studio by:
    Brock Jazz Band
    Carly Manley
    Danny Lamb Trio
    Grace Notes String Ensemble
    Brock Beatles Band

    VISA Drawing Studio 
    location: MW 406
    4:00 – 9:00 pm
    Open house Exhibition
    and
    Musical performances in the VISA Drawing Studio by:
    Sabrina Xin Liu, piano
    Leanne Vida, piano/vocal
    Andrea Nolan, piano/vocal
    Neva Tesolin, piano/vocal
    Leland, piano/vocal
    Melissa-Marie Shriner, piano/vocal
    H. Campbell, piano/vocal

    VISA Gallery
    First floor at the Main Entrance, 15 Artists’ Common
    MW 159
    5:00-7:00 pm
    Opening Reception for the Alumni exhibition
    and
    Musical performances in the VISA Gallery by:
    Grace Snippe, cello
    Brody Smith, guitar
    Allison Scholtens, violin
    Tyler Merza, guitar

    Classical Recital in the MUSI Vocal Studio 
    location: MW 104
    6:00 – 9:00 pm
    Christina Lerose, piano
    Leanne Vida, soprano
    Jorgo Kalo, piano
    Victoria Hoshowsky, soprano
    Negin Rezaei Asl, piano
    Caroline Nicole Corkum, soprano and Alexandre Soulodre, piano
    Serena Atallah, piano
    Erika Versluis, soprano and Tyler Versluis, piano
    Sabrina Xin Liu, piano
    Leanne Vida, soprano and Jorgo Kalo, piano

    DART Theatre Cabaret!  
    Location: DART Theatre
    MW 262
    7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
    Hosted by Cass Van Wyck and Rox Chwaluk
    Guests are welcome to come and go.
    In order of performance:

    Arms Up Comedy: Caitlin English, Jacqueline Costa, Eric Frank, Chris Boyle
    Attic Window Theatre, In Real Life: Collin Glavac, Colin B. Anthes, Eduardo DiMartino, Nicola Franco, Hayley Rose Malouin
    Piano and Vocal: Lee Stewart
    Brock Improv Alumni: Richard Varty, Rox Chwaluk, Brandon Pachan, Alana Perri.
    Piano and Vocal: Melissa-Marie Shriner and Grace Snippe
    One Four One Collective, Stuck in Horse- Send Help! : Evan Mulrooney and Kevin Chew
    Piano and Vocal: Neva Tesolin
    MOVE! : Alex Kazam, Adrien Hurst, Jerry Prom, Mitchell Peebles, Caleb Fast, Mikey Henley
    Music by Alejandro Del Pino
    The Labour of Forrest Nympho: A Drag Birthing: Geoffrey Heaney
    Piano and Vocal: Andrea Nolan
    Empty Box Theatre, Waiting for Alonzo:  Hayley Rose Malouin, Victoria Cutler, Sean Rintoul
    Piano and Vocal: Holly Campbell
    Garden City Improv: Collin Glavac, Ross Mosher, Jamie Roboz, David Bernard, Hayley Malouin, Jonas McLean
    Guitar and Vocal: Aaron Berger
    Open Mic!
    FOX TRAIL: Iain Lidstone, Marcus Schwan, Brent Cairns, Adam Wood, Alannah Garrett
    ~the end~

    Special events not to be missed!:

    New Work in Progress: Addressing the Void 
    by Maggie Hunter and performed by Abby Rollo, Gemma Bordonaro and Jacqui Noel. (DART)
    location: Studio D MW 256.
    6:00 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm

    Special Installation of Tale of a Town St. Catharines. Listening Booths by FIXT POINT and Suitcase in Point Theatre Company.
    Various locations in the MIWSFPA.

    Confluence Field Trip #1, a fifteen minute walk from Rodman Hall to the MIWSFPA along the Merritt Trail and McGuire St.
    Artist: Elizabeth Chitty. Participants are invited to participate in this self-guided tour of a section of the Twelve Mile Creek valley. For more information see: http://confluencefieldtrips.ca/

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, News

  • Exhibition: DART@PQ2015

    Sunday, August 30, 2015 | By

    September 2015 – April 2016

    Opening: Alumni Homecoming and Grand Opening,
    September 18, 2015
    Location: DART Theatre Lobby, 2nd Level, 15 Artists’ Common

    Exhibit of DART’s participation in the Canadian PQ2015 (Prague Quadrennial) exhibit Elevations, including parts of national collective project Totem. Theme: MUSIC. WEATHER. POLITICS. Also including: Fault Lines: digital exhibit of Brock students’ work. 

     

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors

  • Looking for a Humanities Context Credit? DART 1F95

    Tuesday, July 28, 2015 | By

    dart1f95-flyer_picDrama in Education & Applied Theatre I
    Releasing your Creative Side

    Through collective creation and collaboration with classmates students learn how drama can be used for social change, team building, and as a learning tool. Students can experience the meaning of social commitment through dramatic creations that provoke, inform, celebrate, and respond to local and global events.

    DART 1F95
    9:00-­‐10:00 (Seminar)
    +
    10:00-­‐1:00 (Studio/Lab)
    (W or R)
    (See calendar for details)

    contact [email protected] for more information

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Future students, News

  • Class blog takes centre stage with theatre criticism

    Friday, July 03, 2015 | By

    (Source: The Brock News, Friday, July 3, 2015 | by . Photo: DARTcritics started as a class blog but has grown to fill the void of local arts criticism.)

    They call themselves critics with class.

    But more than being clever, the student writers behind the DARTcritics website are providing theatrephiles with thoughtful arts criticism about performances in Niagara and beyond.

    That wasn’t always its purpose, however. The two-year-old theatre review website, which was recently relaunched with a new look, started as a forum for Dramatic Arts Prof. Karen Fricker to post standout assignments by students in her theatre criticism class. But it soon became apparent the site served a larger purpose.

    DARTcritics picked up where slashed and shrunken newsrooms left off with their arts coverage. Other than a handful of metro and national dailies, few newsrooms boast a dedicated arts and entertainment reporter anymore, leaving a void to be filled.

    “What we discovered was that in some instances, the reviews that we published were among the only, if not the only, review response that productions would receive, because there is so little arts criticism in Niagara,” Fricker said. “This was a startling and empowering realization for the students — that they were in dialogue with art and artists in a privileged way.”

    Of course, seeing their names in print was nothing short of thrilling, too. Hayley Malouin was hooked the moment she got her first byline for her review of London Road, a musical about an English town coping with the murders of five of its women.

    “I thought ‘OK, we’ll see some shows,’” said Malouin, who signed up for Fricker’s class in her third year. “I wrote the first review and got it up on the blog and was ‘This is like crack.’”

    Being published was an incentive, but writing reviews for posting was ultimately a way for Malouin to use what she had learned from Fricker about articulating her opinions of a production beyond saying whether or not she like it.

    “I hated (London Road) and finding out why I hated it was so fun,” she explained. “It really changed my view of what happens in theatre. There’s this critical side to it – this analytical side to it…. I think you can be analytical and creative and that’s a really special thing.”

    Fricker, a former critic with The Guardian in the U.K., capitalized on the opportunity to turn DARTCritics into a bona fide source of arts criticism last April when Malouin and fellow student Nick Leno landed funding from BUSU to cover St. Catharines’ In the Soil Arts Festival.

    She also coached the duo to be editors and social media curators. This summer, they’re running the site like a newsroom with two staff writers, fourth-year DART students Elizabeth Amos and Alex Jackson. Together, they cover theatre in Hamilton, Niagara, Toronto and Stratford, thanks to support from the Match of Minds program run by the Office of Research Services and BUSU.

    The relaunch of the DARTcritics site coincides with this summer’s move of Dramatic Arts to the new home of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines, Fricker noted.

    “It’s such an exciting moment for the arts at Brock and in St. Catharines more broadly, with the new First Ontario Performing Arts Centre opening in the autumn, as well as our own building,” she said. “This seemed the perfect occasion for us to take DARTcritics to a new level with a new look, and more reviews.”

    Fricker will resume the editor’s post when classes resume in the fall, but for summer, the site is “Nick and Hayley’s baby.”

    “It’s a great experience of entrepreneurialism and leadership for them.”

    It has also carved out a potential career path for Malouin. Theatre criticism has become something she would like to pursue further, either as a freelance writer or by developing her own theatre review site.

    Still, there has been one downside to being a DARTcritic: it’s tough to shut off and watch a show for pleasure.

    “I see theatre and can’t not be critical now,” Malouin said. “People see that as a negative but it’s not. I’m always on now when I see a show. I do wish I could go see a Mirvish show and say ‘That’s great!’”

    Visit DARTcritics

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    Categories: Alumni, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, News

  • DART, MUSI and MARS present in Toronto at PLS (Poculi Ludique Societas) Festival of Medieval Theatre

    Wednesday, June 10, 2015 | By

    vsCOLLEAGUES, STUDENTS, FRIENDS & FAMILY, If you were in Toronto in early June you were fortunate to see a performance of:

    Visitatio Sepulchri
    (the Visit to the Sepulchre)

    A 12th-CENTURY EASTER MUSIC DRAMA
    acting version transcribed and translated
    by W. L. Smoldon from the ‘Fleury Playbook’

    A collaboration between:
    Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies,
    Department of Dramatic Arts, Department of Music

    Part of the PLS (Poculi Ludique Societas) Festival of Medieval Theatre.

    When: Saturday, June 6, 7 p.m.
    Sunday, June 7, 2:30 p.m.
    Where: Trinity College Chapel University of Toronto,  6 Hoskin Avenue

    Music Director: Dr. Brian Power, Department of Music
    Stage Director: Professor Virginia Reh, Department of Dramatic Arts

    img_1284cr_400px

    The company of Visitatio Sepulchri in the Trinity College Chapel. Photograph by Mrs. Chin Tso.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News

  • Students and Alumni representing Dramatic Arts at Fringe Festivals around Ontario

    Friday, June 05, 2015 | By

    NOTE: this article does not refer to the Fringe Festivals of 2015.

     

    Promotional poster for Super

    Students and alumni of the Department of Dramatic Arts are engaged in creating, performing and producing new and innovative theatrical productions In three out of the four Fringe Festivals in Ontario. Canada enjoys more Fringe festivals than any other country in the world with 16 individual festivals. Originating with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in 1947, these shows create an opportunity for affordable and accessible theatre where artists and audiences can take risks in an unjuried, uncensored, lottery programmed festival of the performing arts. The festivals are united under the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals.

    The London Fringe Festival closed on June 16th and featured two shows developed and performed by DART students and graduates. 

    Promotional poster for Trailers, Credits, Prologues & Epitaphs

    James Lowe (class of 2013) wrote and directed the production Super. A comedic farce on the Superhero genre, Super showcased the trials and tribulations of seven mismatched and dysfunctional Superheroes with unfortunately awful powers. Performing in the show were 8 students/grads of the program, Brent Cairns, Rachelle Lauzon, Kendra Kneaves, Brianne Lidstone, Cassandra Van Wyck, Matt Da Costa, Nicholas Leno, and Emma Strong. All of these performers have been featured in main stage productions at Brock. In a review published in theatreinlondon.ca  Erika Faust said “The eight members of the cast work well together as they help each person tell the story of how they discovered their powers. Super is definitely about the journey, not the destination.”

    Current DART student Evan Bawtinheimer wrote the edgy piece Trailers, Credits, Prologues & Epitaphs also produced at London Fringe this year. In theis new play a runaway teen, a husband with severe memory loss, and a nurse with a guilty conscience are victims of a movie theatre shooting. Each of them seeks redemption and recognition in this memory play exploring family, honour, and love.

    The cast of A Young Lady’s Guide to Vivisection posing with portraits of their historical counterparts

    Toronto Fringe, running July 3rd to 14th, has many DART students and graduates among the participating creators and theatre makers. 

    Empty Box Theatre is producing the new show A Young Lady’s Guide to Vivisection. This “gruesome dramedy” follows the Queen’s University medical class of 1884 as they adjust to the arrival of the first female students, new scientific ideas, and the marvellously mad world of Victorian medicine. Artistic director and DART student Keavy Lynch has cast performers from both the Brock and Queens theatre communities including DART grad Jonathan Philips (class of 2012).

    In her review in Toronto Now Magazine, Kathleen Smith wrote “In a series of well written vignettes by director Keavy Lynch and the company, the struggles of women and men wanting to become doctors in mid-nineteenth century Ontario are explored, with both silly and macabre humour.”

    Promotional poster for Spoon

    Spencer Smith (class of 2011) is presenting his show Spoon in the Toronto Fringe Festival. This play premiered at Brock University as a part of his Honours thesis project. Spencer recently spoke to gathered future students at the May DART Invitational and imparted some words of wisdom about studying theatre.

    Mooney on Theatre, a Toronto-based theatre website run by Megan Mooney, reviewed Spoon saying “The mention of a play in this year’s Fringe that explores queer theory through the lives of a gay couple trying to make sense of gender stereotypes caught my interest. Happily, this play more than delivers on its promise.” The full review can be found here.

    Christian Baines wrote in The Charlebois Post: “Spoon swings happily from the disturbingly violent to the perversely erotic. But more than just titillating, writer and actor Spencer Charles Smith has created a work that attacks our preconceived notions of gender within the scope of a budding relationship […] It’s great to find a work that’s willing to go there with such vulnerability and intelligence.”

    Another DART grad, Trevor Ketcheson (class of 2012) is also performing in the Toronto Fringe in The Retirement Plan, a comedic cautionary tale that examines one family’s priorities and the trade-offs they make in attempts to control their future. Mooney on Theatre also reviewed this production calling it “a charming play” and “while the play was a satire I left thinking about my own plans for the future.” The Retirement Plan was chosen as one of the Patron’s Picks. Selection is based on a combination of cash ticket sales after the first four shows coupled with media reception and overall ‘buzz’ of the production. The chosen shows receive an additional performance slot on the final day of the Festival.

    promotional poster for Here playing in the Toronto Fringe Festival

    Graduate Evan Mulrooney (class of 2013), general manager of the company Fulcrum Theatre, is producing the show Here. This multimedia dance-theatre piece examines the notions of being stuck and learning when to say goodbye to something you love. Another grad, Erica Charles (class of 2013), performs the role of Ester in the production Here. Erica was recently awarded the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master’s) for her work “The voice in phenomenology and semiotic theory” as part of her Honours Thesis. Here is also being produced for the Hamilton Fringe Festival running July 18th-28th.

    Mooney On Theatre also reviewed the production saying “Here has all the ingredients of a great play. It has the drama, the dance, the romance, the betrayal, the flashbacks and so much more.”

    Production poster for Nobody’s Idol

    Alexandra Lean (class of 2007) is producing her show, Nobody’s Idol, also in the Toronto Fringe. This is an edgy musical parody where misfits and wannabes dual with their voices for a grand prize of a “lifetime supply of fame” at the world’s most popular televised competition.

    In her graduating year Alexandra was awarded the F. Janet Dolman Prize for Playwritting. We asked her about her experience during the six years since graduating from the Department of Dramatic Arts. Alexandra commented “This award, which came out of the experience I gathered at Brock, really gave me the confidence to go out into the world and say I’m a playwright. I found my experience in courses like Directing (DART 3P53) and Advanced Studies in Theatre (DART 4F56) gave me the hands on experience I needed to take on the task of putting on my first professional production. Even though my Fringe show is a musical I have taken all that academic talk about theatricality and such into this experience” Alexandra continued. She also spoke of her experience running the Brock Improv club. “This was my first real leadership role and it has informed my work as both a writer and producer.”

    Also playing in the Hamilton Fringe Festival (July 18th-28th) is Nocturne, where you will see Michael Pearson (BA 2011, BEd 2012) as a young aspiring (albeit incompetent) magician thrown into the depths of the second world war. See their Facebook page here.

    The Department of Dramatic Arts is proud to have such talented, creative students and alumni in some of the largest Fringe Festivals in North America. Break a leg!

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    Categories: Alumni, Current Students, News

  • Looking for a unique Spring/Summer course? Register for DART 2F04: Introduction to Physical Theatre

    Wednesday, April 22, 2015 | By

    Theatre Beyond Words - object-based theatre and full-body mask

    Theatre Beyond Words – object-based theatre and full-body mask

    Looking for a unique Spring/Summer course? sign-up for a three week-long intensive Introduction to Physical Theatre taught by the resident theatre company of Brock University, Theatre Beyond Words, along with special guest artist Trevor Copp of the company Tottering Biped Theatre based in Burlington. www.totteringbiped.ca

    DART 2F04: Physical Theatre – Education through Collective Creation
    Students will explore a wide range of physical theatre styles (mask, mime, pantomime, graphics, theatrical clown, and commedia dell’arte) by recreating a series of scenes from professional repertoire using masks, puppets, costumes and sets from international touring theatre ensemble and Brock Resident Theatre Company, Theatre Beyond Words. This is a 3-week intensive, full-credit course, running 6 hours per day, 5 days per week. There will be a final performance for invited friends, family and staff at the end of the 3 three weeks. As this is a practicum course, attendance at all classes is mandatory.

    More information about this full-credit course may be found at https://brocku.ca/springsummer/courses/intro-to-physical-theatre

    Enrollment is limited to 20 students. Don’t delay!
    Applicants without previous theatre training at Brock University may enrol with permission of the instructor.

    for more information contact [email protected]

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    Categories: Current Students, Future students, News

  • DART Spring and Summer courses open for registration March 9

    Friday, March 20, 2015 | By

    Snowbanks are deep and winter term still has weeks to go, but registration will soon open for Brock’s expanded Spring Summer 2015 course offerings.

    Two years of double-digit enrolment growth speak to the program’s booming popularity, and on March 9 registration will open for Spring Summer 2015.

    The 2015 course lineup can be viewed now at brocku.ca/springsummer/

    See the complete article here.

    DART courses available for registration include:

    Contact the Department for more information: [email protected] or 905.688.5550

    A special opportunity to study in Ottawa at Canada’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival!

    Canada’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival (MNTF) takes place in Ottawa this year, and students in this three-credit undergraduate course (for University of Ottawa) will explore its past, present and future during one intense week focusing on theatre history, performance analysis and criticism. Students are expected to see all nine MNTF shows outside of class time (evenings and weekend).

    from the University of Ottawa:

    Special Summer Course Announced

    Canada’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival (MNTF) takes place in Ottawa this June 2015, and students in this three-credit undergraduate course will explore its past, present, and future during one intense week. [read more].

    Students approach the Festival from a number of perspectives, as arts administrators, theatre historians, theatre critics, artistic directors, and arts consultants. They explore MNTF’s mandate and wider role in Canadian theatre; track the history of theatre festivals in Canada and MNTF’s place in this; engage with this year’s festival by viewing and reviewing many of its productions; and consider the festival’s role in disseminating and promoting Canadian theatre. Assessed outcomes include reviews of MNTF productions; optional engagement as a volunteer with the festival; and a final consultant’s report analyzing the 2015 MNTF. This course will be taught in English.

    http://www.magneticnorthfestival.ca/uottawacourse2015festival/

    See this document for all the details!

    Students from Canadian universities (such as Brock) may register as of Wednesday, April 15th but must first complete this form for the University of Ottawa, as well as this form at Brock University ASAP in order to receive a Letter of Permission to earn credit for the Ottawa course.  LOP’s are recorded as Pass or Fail on the Brock transcript. Once the course is finished, you must order a transcript to be sent directly to the Brock Registrar’s office to have a Pass awarded to you. This course will earn you 0.5 credit towards your Brock degree as a third-year level course.

    See here for more information about completing Letter of Permission courses at Brock University.

    Brock students would be reponsible for the Brock LOP application fee, tuition at the University of Ottawa, travel and accommodation costs as well as the Magnetic North Theatre Festival pass available at a discounted rate from the University of Ottawa and the fee for the Univerity of Ottawa transcript.

    At DART please contact Professor Karen Fricker for more information: [email protected]

    for most inquiries regarding the course at the University of Ottawa contact Ms Valérie Laframboise in the Faculty of Arts office at (613) 562-5800, extension 1132, or by e-mail at [email protected]

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Future students, News

  • Dramatic Arts student in the news: Students build skills, community during Alternative Reading Week

    Wednesday, March 18, 2015 | By

    (Source: The Brock News, Wednesday, March 18, 2015 | by . Photo: A crew of Brock staff and students travelled to South Carolina during reading week to build a house with Habitat for Humanity.)

    Like many other students come Reading Week, Aaron Drake hopped a plane to an exotic locale. But the first year dramatic arts and education student didn’t kick back and relax when he arrived.

    Drake was one of several Brock students who travelled to El Salvador with Habitat for Humanity to build sidewalks and tamp dirt floors in houses. The experience gave him new perspective, he said.

    “By encouraging myself to continue broadening my understanding of community, I have learned that a world where everyone has a decent home is possible,” Drake said. “It’s about a hand-up, not a hand-out, and when we move beyond the barriers that hold us back, we will find those waiting with open arms.”

    The excursion was part of Student Life and Community Experience’s fifth annual Alternative Reading Week program. This year, 110 Brock staff and students gave up the opportunity to catch up on sleep or studying to volunteer locally or abroad.

    el-salvador-2015-dirt-arrival-300x199

    Brock students helped build sidewalks and tamp floors in houses in El Salvador during Alternative Reading Week.

    Students also joined Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina, where they built a single-story home. Others travelled to Dominican Republic to teach English and lead children’s activities in partnership with Outreach360.

    At home, participants volunteered with Start Me Up Niagara, Lincoln County Humane Society, Heartland Forest, Job Gym/John Howard Society, and the Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara.

    Students were challenged to learn new skills while bettering their community and the lives of others. By the end of the week, staff and students logged 4,100 volunteer hours.

    Jamieson Carr, who joined Drake in El Salvador, would do it all again, if given the opportunity.

    “It’s an incredible experience where you get to witness the impact you can have while serving others,” the first-year accounting student said.

    “Travelling with Brock was an incredible experience,” added kinesiology student Haley Gourley, who went to South Carolina. “I met some amazing people that I never would have gotten the chance to meet otherwise, challenging myself in learning new skills. It was a journey of a lifetime. If you like fried chicken, you’ll love this opportunity even more.”

    Amber Scholtens, a Student Life staff member, led the South Carolina trip. She marvelled at the work Brock students put into the build.

    “Everyone worked hard, with such a positive, genuine attitude and willingness to learn. It was truly an incredible display of what the University is all about and what it means to be a Badger,” Scholtens said. “Witnessing the impact we had on the community and the impact the overall experience had on everyone was amazing.”

    To learn more about students’ experiences during Alternative Reading Week, bring your lunch and join the Service-Learning lunch conversation on Thursday, March 19 from noon to 1 p.m. in TH253.

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    Categories: Current Students, In the Media, News

  • DART students improving gender representation one webpage at a time

    Monday, March 16, 2015 | By

    Second year DART students Sarah Bradford and Sidney Francolini share their new Wikipedia page for theatre director, actor, and professor of the Department of Dramatic Arts, Virginia Reh.

    Second year DART students Sarah Bradford and Sidney Francolini share their new Wikipedia page for theatre director, actor, and professor of the Department of Dramatic Arts, Virginia Reh.

    On March 8, 2015, International Women’s Day, Dramatic Arts students, faculty, and community members joined Equity in Theatre in addressing the online gender disparity of the representation of women in theatre. For three hours, Brock’s Hackathon joined groups of theatre practitioners and supporters from across the country as part of Equity in Theatre’s Hackathon to create or update Wikipedia pages for diverse women in Canadian Theatre.

    Brock’s Hackathon was led by a group of student leaders from DART 1F93, Introduction to Drama, but also saw students from other cohorts in attendance. Musicians Bri Lidstone and Hayley Malouin, fourth year Dramatic Arts students, performed strategically female-driven set-lists during the event, creating an empowering and inclusive atmosphere for all those in attendance. At the end of Brock’s Hackathon, the group had updated and completed 16 Wikipedia entries, focusing on female faculty and staff members, as well as members of the greater Niagara arts community. While the official number of pages updated and/or created is yet to be released from Equity in Theatre, if the online communication and support from groups across the country is any indication, the event succeed in increasing gender representation online, and fostering a network of engaged young theatre practitioners. (Kat Gottli)

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    Categories: Current Students, News

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