Current Students

The Art of the Clown Doctor at the Department of Dramatic Arts: Register today!

Wednesday, May 08, 2013 | By Brock University

Dr. Bernie Warren

There’s a great new course taught by a world specialist in Clown Doctoring, Dr. Bernie Warren, being offered by the Department of Dramatic Arts in Spring 2013.

Current students in Dramatic Arts, New students with some relevant experience and specialists in the field (who are not students registered at Brock) are invited to apply!

DART 3V91: The Art of the Clown Doctor
D27: 2013/05/08 to 2013/05/14 MTWRF 900 -1600 TH 141 (running May 08-10 and 12-14, 6 days only)

This course is a unique opportunity to learn about the practice of clown-doctoring in lifespan maintenance and therapeutic environments. Involving lectures, lab, and running 7 hours per day, this course will be of particular interest to students interested in Drama in Education and Applied Theatre.

Dr Bernie Warren of the University of Windsor will be returning from his travels abroad to lead this very special opportunity for students and professionals in the field. See the article in the Brock News about Dr. Warren and the profession of Clown Doctoring. Did you see the banner picture on the homepage of University website brocku.ca? this is a big deal. Don’t miss out!

The course is open to DART (single or combined) and DART (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors AND OTHERS with permission of the Department. The only prerequisite is DART 1F95 or permission of the Department.

for more information contact [email protected]
and see the story: “Clown doctor in the house this summer at Brock” in the Brock News.

Tags: clown, Clown Doctor, DART 3V91, Dr. Bernie Warren, The Brock News
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, News
Brock Musical Theatre presents the Broadway Hit Spring Awakening

Monday, March 11, 2013 | By Brock University

Brock Musical Theatre, the company that brought you GLEE CLUB and RENT! Is returning again this year with Broadway’s hit SPRING AWAKENING; by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical. This rock musical explores the lives of adolescent students living in 19th century Germany as they journey through the confusing and frustrating world of teenager self-discovery.

The show opens at the Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls on Thursday, March 21st at 7:30pm and runs until Saturday, March 23rd. Tickets are $15.00 in advance as well as at the door. Tickets may be purchased through the Centre for the Arts at Brock University in person during business hours, or on the website, or over the phone, call 905-688-5550 x3257 or toll-free 1-866-617-3257.

FREE transportation has been arranged from Brock to the Seneca Queen Theatre as well as from the Theatre to St. Catharines (downtown), Brock University and the Thorold route.

More information about show times and the company is available here.

Brock Musical Theatre is a student run organization devoted to creating quality musical theatre for the Brock and St. Catharines/Niagara communities. Brock Musical Theatre is a ratified club under the Brock University Student’s Union. It is not affiliated with the Brock University Department of Dramatic Arts or with any University department, staff or faculty member.

Brock Musical Theatre was created in 2005 to provide all Brock University students with the opportunity to participate in quality musical theatre. Today, the company is open to all Brock students no matter their major field of study. Brock Musical Theatre has become a showcase for the wide range of talents that the entire Brock University community possess in the musical field. Students from the Department of Dramatic Arts have developed new learning opportunities and honed their craft by participating in this club. Brock Musical Theatre is devoted to a healthy, respectful and positive learning environment where students can learn and achieve hands on experience in all aspects of a musical theatre production.

SHOW DATES & TIMES

THURSDAY March 21st – 7:30pm
FRIDAY March 22nd – 7:30pm
SATURDAY March 23rd 1:00pm & 7:30pm

THEATRE
Seneca Queen Theatre
4624 Queen Street, Niagara Falls L2R 2L7

Tags: Brock Musical Theatre, musical theatre, Spring Awakening
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, News
Brock actress scores top honour at Spanish international film festival

Friday, October 05, 2012 | By Brock University

Katie Coseni with her Silver Shell Award for best actress from the San Sebastián Film Festival in Spain

(Source: The Brock News, Friday, October 5, 2012)

It was a callback Katie Coseni won’t soon forget.

The second-year dramatic arts student had just returned from six days at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain, where the film in which she plays one of the lead roles, Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang, was given the red carpet treatment.

It was her second stop on the international film festival circuit, after the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September.

She was alone in her room when she got the call.

“I looked at the number and it was from France,” says Coseni. “I was like that’s really weird, why is someone from France calling me?”

It was one of the producers from the film on the other end of the line notifying her that the festival wanted her to come back so that she could accept her award.

I was like, what award?” Coseni remembers.

The award in question was the Silver Shell for Best Actress.

“I made her repeat it six times because I thought she was joking,” says Coseni. “It was really incredible.”

Coseni was given the honour along with Spanish actor Marcarena García for her turn in Blancanieves, a silent black-and-white reinterpretation of Snow White set in 1920s Spain.

“It’s kind of like ‘did that actually happen?’” says Coseni about receiving the award. “I still can’t believe it.”

“I see the box that the award came in on my desk and I forget what it is for a second, and then I remember ‘Oh yeah, I got this really awesome prestigious award,’” she says. “It’s just incredible.”

Created in 1953, this year is the 60th anniversary of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, one of the most important cinema festivals in the world.

“San Sebastien was just a whole otherworldly experience,” says Coseni. “It was all just a huge whirlwind.”

“I would wake up in the morning and then I would go to hair and make-up and then I’d go to a photo shoot and then a press conference and then interviews and then I’d have an hour for lunch, and then I’d have to go get ready for the red carpet, and then I’d have to do this and this and this,” she says. “But it was really fun.”

above, Katie Coseni in the film Foxfire

When asked about her future in acting in light of her recent accolades, the first-time film actor is looking to take advantage of her recent success.

“I’m taking steps now towards getting agents,” she says. “Hopefully that will lead to more auditions because I really do want to do this for as long as I can because I love it.”

After a busy few months of publicizing Foxfire, Coseni is ready to switch gears and get back to her studies.

“For right now, it’s just school and trying to get back to normal,” she says.

A film still from the movie Foxfire featuring Brock-student Katie Coseni (right)

But that all depends on what you consider normal. Coseni received her callback on a Friday morning, hopped on a plane later that night, arrived in Spain Saturday night one hour before she was to receive the Silver Shell at the awards gala, woke up Sunday morning to fly back home, arrived home Sunday night and was back in class Monday morning.

“It feels like it happened so long ago, it’s really weird,” she says laughing. “It took like a day or so getting back to my regular sleeping pattern. It feels like I just got back from summer vacation.”

Foxfire is slated for theatrical release in France in January 2013 and plans are in the works for a Canadian release in Spring 2013.

Tags: Best Actress Award, Blancanieves, film acting, Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang, Katie Coseni, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Silver Shell, The Brock News
Categories: Current Students, News
Brock student hits the international red carpet

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 | By Brock University

Coseni on the red carpet at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

DART student Katie Coseni was recently featured in an article in The Brock News:

“Katie Coseni’s first experience at the Toronto International Film Festival was not typical.

Rather than chasing celebrities for autographs and crowding the edges of red carpets in hopes of catching a glimpse of movie stars, the second-year dramatic arts student found herself on the red carpet soaking up the limelight.

Coseni plays one of the lead roles in the film Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang, which premiered at this year’s festival on Sept. 10.”

The article continues: “. . . . Coseni’s long journey to the red carpet in Toronto all started when she responded to an open casting call in 2010.

“A friend and I went to a drama camp when I was in middle school,” she says. “I guess we stayed on their mailing list and they sent out a flyer about this audition.”

. . . Coseni credits her fellow students and professors in the dramatic arts program at Brock for being extremely supportive of her foray into film. Students would share their notes with her when she missed classes and professors were accommodating when it came to handing in assignments.

“Because I was going to school for drama and I was missing school because of a movie, they understood,” she said. “It’s a very supportive and friendly environment.””

From the article by Jeffrey Sinibaldi in the Brock News. Read more of the article here.

congratulations to Katie!

Tags: Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang, Katie Coseni, The Brock News, TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival
Categories: Current Students, News
Powwow held on Campus Sept.7

Sunday, September 09, 2012 | By Brock University

Adrienne Smoke. Photo By: DK Martin

(Source: The Brock News, Monday, August 27, 2012 | by Tiffany Mayer)

Students, staff and Niagara residents were invited to start their school year off to the beat of a different drum.

The Student Justice Centre hosted a powwow on Friday, Sept. 7 in Jubilee Court to celebrate the fall harvest in partnership with the Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education, Aboriginal Student Services and Brock University Students’ Union.

The event featured inter-tribal drumming and dance demonstrations, and opportunities for audience members to participate in traditional dancing.

“It’s a gathering to celebrate life and be thankful as well as to hang out with old friends and make new ones,” said Adrienne Smoke, a third-year drama student, who came up with the idea for the event. “Powwows are about sharing our culture to help educate people about the current native people not the ancient ones we read about in old outdated textbooks.”

This free event also featured a barbecue, vegetarian options and samples of traditional food, such as three sisters soup, corn bread and strawberry juice. The Brock farmers market was also held during the powwow.

Doors opened at 10 a.m. with the grand entry happening at noon. Closing ceremonies were at 3:30 p.m.

For more information or to participate as a dancer, drummer or vendor, email the Student Justice Centre, visit them online or call 905-688-5550, ext. 6325.

Tags: Aboriginal Student Services, Adrienne Smoke, BUSU, powwow, student justice centre, Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education, The Brock News
Categories: Current Students, In the Media, News
Graduates of the Department of Dramatic Arts are on the boards again and this time they are playing IN THE SOIL.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012 | By Brock University

The Clockmaker by Stephen Massicotte

April 27 @ 8:00pm and April 28 @ 2:00pm
Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre 101 King Street, St Catharines

Tickets: $10 at the door
Festival pass: $25 through inthesoil.on.ca

Nathan Tanner MacDonald – Director
Geoffrey Heaney – Performer
Dylan Mawson – Performer
Michael Pearson – Performer
Caitlin Popek – Performer
Kate Hardy – Stage Manager
Finn Archinuk – Designer

Nathan Tanner Mac Donald – a resident of the St Catharines and recent graduate of the Department of Dramatic Arts – has brought together a company of DART students to present The Clockmaker by Stephen Massicotte. A metaphysical rollercoaster, The Clockmaker may seem like little more than a love story set inside a murder-mystery-to-be, but it just might end up exposing the very truth of existence itself. The show will be performed April 27 @ 8:00pm and April 28 @ 2:00pm at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre in downtown St Catharines.

Nathan recently performed in the 2011 STRUTT wearable art show and this past summer he wrote and directed Circus, which played at Factory Theatre in the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival. Nathan’s company includes graduates and Geoffrey Heaney, Dylan Mawson, Michael Pearson, Caitlin Popek as Performers, current student Kate Hardy as Stage Manager and graduate Finn Archinuk as the Designer.

In the Soil Arts Festival brings Niagara artists from a range of disciplines together to provide unique audience experiences. The festival nurtures the creation of new work, showcases talent, encourages innovation, offers learning opportunities for youth and provides intimate and uncommon platforms for audiences to experience work by contemporary performing and literary artists, musicians and media artists. In the Soil is Niagara’s homegrown arts festival and is working to make a Niagara that is self-determining and culturally distinct.

for more information see the IN THE SOIL website.

Break-a-leg, Nathan, Caitlin, Dylan, Finn, Geoffrey, Kate and Michael!

Tags: Caitlin Popek, Dylan Mawson, Finn Archinuk, Geoffrey Heaney, In the Soil, Kate Hardy, Michale Pearson, Nathan Tanner MacDonald, The Clockmaker
Categories: Alumni, Current Students, Events, News, Plays
SHAW Summer Internship Program

Thursday, March 29, 2012 | By Brock University

Robyn Cunningham, seen in one of her Tumblr vlogs.

Every year Brock’s emerging artists have an opportunity to intern with one of Canada’s most renowned theatre organizations, the Shaw Festival, for a six-week intensive learning experience. Early in the new year an application is offered to students who successfully complete DART 4P92 “Voice and Text of Bernard Shaw” as part of their final year of study. One deserving student is invited to polish their studies at DART by interning with professionals at the top of their game as they create productions for the Shaw Festival season.

Graduating student Robyn Cunningham will be the Summer Intern at the Shaw Festival for 2012. Under the guidance of Co-Artistic Director Eda Holmes, Robyn will experience an intense period of production rehearsal and development from first read through to season premieres. Some of the shows Robyn will witness in development include The Millionairess and Present Laughter. Robyn (seen below) will be regularly posting to her tumblr vlog across the six weeks – check in regularly and say ‘hi!’.

Brock graduate Jacqueline Costa was the first DART Intern at the Shaw Festival in 2011. Jacqueline graduated with a BA (First Class Honors) in Brock University’s Theatre Stream with strong interests in both production and performance. While a student her success in theatre creative research and production was seen in the Brock main-stage performances like Charles Mee’s Big Love (2010) and Sharon Pollock’s Blood Relations (2010) and in her work as Departmental Technical Production Assistant and Research and Production Assistant to faculty.

While at Shaw Jacqueline worked together with Lighting Design Director Kevin Lamotte and assisted with the development of his lighting designs for the 2011 performances of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Heartbreak House, where she also had the privilege of meeting directors Eda Holmes and Christopher Newton. Jacqueline attended various dress-tech rehearsals, show previews, read-throughs and clean-up calls. Jacqueline remarks that “it was interesting seeing lighting levels, lighting hangs, load in’s and changeovers for the shows on such a grand scale at the Shaw Festival.”

During the remaining weeks, Jacqueline worked with Design Director William Schmuck, where she was able to preview other shows from the 2011 season such as Drama at Inish – A Comedy and My Fair Lady. She also witnessed the build of lighting level sets for Alan Brodie’s Admirable Crichton and Louise Guinard’s On The Rocks. In addition, Jacqueline toured to other Shaw facilities including the properties, scenic painting and carpentry shops and met with designers Sue Lepage, Charolette Dean and Christina Poddubiuk. Jacqueline comments, “in terms of being introduced to interesting members of the professional design/theatre community, this internship succeeded.”

Working closely with the Shaw Festival, Brock’s Dramatic Arts Department aims to develop these programs, and many more, to it’s young emerging artists – offering them post-graduate opportunities to interact and network with the greater professional performing arts community.

Also at the Shaw Festival this season are recent Department graduates working in various aspects of technical theatre production. Anrita Petraroia (DART ’07) is back at the Festival this year, having helped out on a couple projects in Technical Direction last season. Chris Penney (DART ’08) has secured a regular season’s call in the audio department. Sadie Isaak (DART ’10) is now being trained to take over the Cobbler’s position in Production Wardrobe and will be joining the Wardrobe Running staff later in the season.

Tags: alumni, Anrita Petraroia, Chris Penney, DART 4P92, graduating student, Jacqueline Costa, Robyn Cunningham, Sadie Isaak, Shaw Festival, summer internship
Categories: Alumni, Current Students, News
Spring Course opportunity in Dance Education

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 | By Brock University

Looking for a unique course opportunity this Spring?

Register for PEKN 2P06, running April 30th to June 1st , Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 13:30. Registration opens for non-PEKN majors after April 5th.

PEKN 2P06
Dance Education
Introduction to dance as an art form through making, performing and appreciating dance. Emphasis on the creative process, dance skills and vocabulary through exploration of dance concepts and observational skills.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to BPhEd, BPhEd (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), BPhEd (Honours)/BEd (Junior/Intermediate) until date specified in Registration guide. After that date available to BKin and BSc (Kin) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 4.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): PEKN 1P90 and 1P93 or permission of the instructor.
Note: students will be expected to pay the cost of a ticket to a dance performance on campus. Modes of instruction/evaluation will normally include vigorous physical activity.

The foundation of this course is Laban’s Movement Principles coupled with Valerie Preston-Dunlop. There will not be a critique based on a live performance in the spring session. To view videos from past sessions of the course please go to the IRC and review the collection on reserve under PEKN 2P06.

For more information contact Janet Westbury at [email protected]

Tags: course opportunity, dance, dance education, PEKN 2P06
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, News
DART Students attend Stratford Shakespeare Academy

Saturday, March 17, 2012 | By Brock University

Every summer students of the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) attend the annual Stratford Shakespeare Academy for a three week intensive two-course experience. The courses present an opportunity to study Shakespeare through the lenses of both performance and structured analytical criticism with some of Ontario’s leading university professors and Stratford professional coaches. During the typical 7.5 hour day students observe and enquire of the talent of working actors, trainers and directors while experiencing first-hand the programming of one of Canada’s most triumphant theatre Festivals. In 2012 fourteen students will attend the Stratford Academy. To read more click here.

Tags: Shakespeare, Stratford Shakespeare Academy
Categories: Current Students, News
DART graduates premiere new work from Theatre Beyond Words

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 | By Brock University

Theatre Beyond Words

The Resident Theatre Company of Brock University Theatre Beyond Wordswill soon premiere the 2012 Edition of Tales from the Garden. This brand-new Potato People show includes the characters Nancy Potato and friend George Beanstock entwined in hilarious escapades with industrious giant ants, a demanding trio of baby birds, a metamorphosizing caterpillar and a flash storm.

Theatre Beyond Words was founded in 1977 and remains a pioneer in the development of mask and visual theatre in Canada. The Potato People is a series of 13 non-verbal mask plays for family audiences with a unique style of visual storytelling that has inspired a generation of artists in physical theatre across the country and has won the hearts of audiences around the world.

The comedy and adventure of this Theatre Beyond Words original creation comes from the collaboration of Jacqueline Costa (DART BA ’11), Katharine Dubois (DART BA ’05, BEd ’10), Caitlin English (DART BA ’09) and Carlene Thomas (DART BA ‘09, BEd ‘10). Brianne Lidstone (DART BA ‘15) is the lighting operator. Jacqueline Costa also designed and built the production.

Following four performances beginning March 23, 2012 at the Sullivan-Mahoney Courthouse Theatre in St. Catharines the company tours the show throughout Ontario.

Theatre Beyond Words will be leading a three week-long intensive Introduction to Physical Theatre during the Spring session of 2012. For more information contact [email protected]

Check out the trailer and sneak peak at theatrebeyondwords.ca
For more information contact 905 468 7582 or [email protected]

Break-a-leg Theatre Beyond Words!

Tags: alumni, Brianne Lidstone, Caitlin English, Carlene Thomas, DART grads, Jacqueline Costa, Katharine Dubois, Tales from the Garden, The Potato People, Theatre Beyond Words
Categories: Alumni, Current Students, News