Current Students

  • Another remarkable year for our DART Intern at the Shaw Festival

    Monday, July 14, 2025 | By

    Vikki (centre) with some of the cast members at the end of a rehearsal for which she was asked to step in and read for the leading lady of the show, Angel, played by Virgilia Griffith.

    Dramatic Arts senior student Victoria Marshall was the DART Intern at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake for 2025. The Department has partnered with the Shaw Festival to provide internships to graduating students since 2011. Internships focus on diverse aspects of production at the Festival including performance, design, technical production, directing, arts management and education. Throughout the program, individuals will receive integrated exposure to the scope of the Shaw experience. This year the five-week paid internship began a full-time intensive schedule in early May, 2025

    Victoria Marshall, 2025 Shaw Festival Intern.

    Vikki shadowed Associate Artistic Director Kimberley Rampersad as she directed Blues for an Alabama Sky for the Shaw Festival’s 2025 season. During the rehearsals Vikki was called upon to read for the leading lady as well as the leading lady’s love interest on separate occasions when the actors were not available. This allowed her to stretch her acting muscles with professionals. The director invited Vikki to share her thoughts and observations with her and the cast during rehearsals. Some of the notes were shared and those suggestions were transformed and integrated into the final blocking for certain scenes and characters.

    “I became more confident in my ideas and I learned how to value my voice even more because of the director seeking input from me.”

    Vikki also sat in on a production meeting for this show where she met many new faces and also had the pleasure of being reunited with some familiar ones, like Emma Dirks who created the wigs for Blues for an Alabama Sky and taught the makeup course in the winter semester for DART this year (“which was an awesome class”) and Chris Malkowski who was the lighting designer for this show and has been the lighting designer for all of the mainstages she has done at Brock.

    She also participated in the Thursday morning ensemble classes taught by Tim Carroll (Artistic Director for the Shaw Festival) and attended by all members of the Shaw Festival. She toured the scene and set shops and worked one-on-one with actors to help them with line memorization and discussing the world of the play or their character arcs.

    “Through this internship I learned a lot about myself, the kind of artist I am, and the kind of working artist I can become in the future. I went in as an actor, but over those 6 weeks, I studied as a director and actor.”

    Vikki (in white) with company members in the Shaw Festival scene shop.

    From the first table read of Blues for an Alabama Sky to meticulously blocking out the whole play, Vikki witnessed the brilliant work by the incredible cast and crew of this production. “Kimberley took me under her wing and made me feel right at home both at the main Festival Theatre and in the rehearsal hall as I became a member of the Blues family. I learned so much about the individual creative process and just how different every actor is when they work in the space and take on their character arc. The company of Blues for an Alabama Sky was a beautiful synergy of diverse representation and creativity with an all-Black cast and a majority female production team which Kimberley affectionately called “team lady leadership.”

    “Working in a room full of folks like me, doing what I hope I will be doing after my time in the DART program at Brock was truly enriching. They did not shy away from including me from the jump and making me a part of the company.”

    Vikki highly recommends that future students of DART seek out the opportunity to participate in the DART Shaw Festival Internship. Graduating students and students entering 4th year are all eligible to apply. Part participants have completed their terms at Shaw in the diverse fields of Stage Management, Lighting Design, Props Building, Directing, Dramaturgy, Production and Design and Audience and Community Engagement. “This internship opened my eyes to so much and gave me unforgettable moments and lasting relationships. This has been such an enriching experience and I am looking forward to what the future holds for me. It is sad to see it come to an end, but I know that this is not the last the Shaw Festival will see of me!”

     

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    Categories: Current Students, Future students, In the Media, News, Shaw Intern Blog, Uncategorised

  • ‘Now, you get to exist the way you want to’: Dramatic Arts grad’s life-changing journey

    Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | By

    Graduating student in gown proudly holds up Pride flag

    Image caption: Dramatic Arts graduate Oliver Webb Wilkinson (BA ’25) celebrated his academic achievements as well as his journey of self-discovery through artistic creation during Brock’s 117th Convocation.

    Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | by 

    Oliver Webb Wilkinson (BA ’25) will never forget the first time he stepped on the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre stage as his authentic self: a transgender man.

    At the end of his first year studying Dramatic Arts (DART) at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), Webb Wilkinson realized he was not quite who he thought he was.

    “I entered first year living in residence a regular city girl, but quickly realized something was different for me,” he said.

    Webb Wilkinson embarked on a winding — and joyful — journey of self-discovery.

    “All of my professors and classmates were so supportive as I was figuring out what was happening in my head and heart. How could I marry what my soul is with what my body is? The path is different for every trans or gender-queer person,” he said.

    Brock’s Student Health Services team helped Webb Wilkinson navigate important health information and access resources, support that Webb Wilkinson was grateful for as he began his medical transition.

    Photograph of four actors in scene from Mementos

    Oliver Webb Wilkinson (BA ’25) performed alongside fourth-year Dramatic Arts students and members of Peregrine Theatre Co. in “Mementos,” which explores themes of hope and amidst life’s challenges. From left are Megan Mastantuono, Simon Bell, Webb Wilkinson and Maddox Keller.

    “Partaking in the creation of who you are is a beautiful, empowering thing; truly feeling who you are and seeing it outwardly is magic,” he said.

    Studying theatre at Brock, with a Concentration in Performance, allowed Webb Wilkinson to explore themes of identity through creativity and playfulness.

    “Failure doesn’t exist in DART; if things don’t work, you try something else. What I will remember is the sense of play and lack of judgment in classes,” he said. “Trial and error is part of making theatre, we learn from things that don’t work.”

    Through Brock co-op opportunities, Webb Wilkinson worked every summer at professional theatre organizations, including Crane Creations Theatre Company as Artistic Producer, Pirate Life Theatre as a performer and recently Theatrix Costume House in Hamilton as an intern.

    These experiences gave Webb Wilkinson a sense of what his future workplace would look like and allowed him to benefit from professors who are theatre makers and learn from professionals like DART’s Head of Wardrobe Bobbi Pidduck, who works in wardrobe at the Shaw Festival.

    “It’s school theatre at a professional calibre, and there is nothing like a mainstage at Brock,” Webb Wilkinson said.

    In the DART 2023 mainstage production of A Vampire Story, Webb Wilkinson played his first role as a male character, and said the creative team led by Director Gyllian Raby were completely open to his interpretation of masculinity.

    “It was an incredible and affirming moment for me,” he said.

    In his final year, Webb Wilkinson explored his interest in costuming as the Assistant Designer for the Department Mainstage Scorched, mentored by Head of Wardrobe Bobbi Pidduck and production designer and faculty member, David Vivian, and also played key roles in the DART 4D56 production Mementos, a student-led production guided by Associate Professor Mike Griffin.

    “We were so lucky to have Professor Griffin guiding us as we wrote and mounted Mementos,” he said. “I spoke with him a lot about the growing stress of being trans at a time when there is increasing oppressive legislation targeting the trans and queer community — but at the same time, experiencing the joy of being loved and supported by your family and friends.”

    Webb Wilkinson wrote characters reflecting these themes into the play. He said a line in Mementos summed it up for him.

    “‘Now, you get to exist the way you want to’: to write those words and perform them was life changing. Theatre speaks to people in profound ways, and Brock gave me that chance to communicate with audiences whose stories were similar,” Webb Wilkinson said.

    This summer, Webb Wilkinson will be working in Toronto with MERCHANT, a production company specializing in commercials and collaborations with advertising agencies. He will help build storyboards, check and book film locations, conduct research on props and costumes and be a production assistant on set.

    Webb Wilkinson said he’s become a whole different person in the best way possible at Brock.

    “The University has been such a kind and wonderful environment. I don’t want to leave, but Brock has made sure I’m prepared to go.”

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    Categories: Alumni, Current Students, News

  • Rising Brock star makes feature film debut in pop musical ‘Juliet & Romeo’

    Monday, May 12, 2025 | By

    Photo of Max Parker in Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

    Image caption: Artist Max Parker, a third-year Brock student studying at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, plays Benvolio in Timothy Scott Bogart’s new pop musical ‘Juliet & Romeo’.

    Monday, May 12, 2025 | by 

    A new take on a Shakespeare classic has set the scene for Max Parker to take Hollywood by storm.

    The third-year Brock student is ready to make his mark with moviegoers in his breakthrough role playing Benvolio in Juliet & Romeo, which premieres in theatres across Canada later this month.

    The musical, from acclaimed filmmaker Timothy Scott Bogart, boasts a star-studded cast, including Rebel Wilson as Lady Capulet and Jason Isaacs as Lord Montague.

    Majoring in Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC), including courses in Dramatic Arts (DART) at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), Parker said his studio work at Brock helped him to hone his acting skills.

    “My classes helped me realize the physicality in acting to prepare me for a role like Benvolio; a character who is always worried, weary and cautious,” he said. “I would not have played the role to the best of my abilities if it hadn’t been for all my training in the arts and at Brock.”

    Driven to grow as an artist, Parker was signed by his acting agent in 2022 and thrown into a world of creating audition tapes while also studying full time at the University’s downtown arts school.

    An accomplished musician whose debut album, including a chart-climbing single, was followed by the 2024 release of the song “Rush,” Parker’s musical ascension has rocketed over the past few years.

    Currently working on a self-written and produced project, Parker also continues to work alongside award-winning Canadian and American producers such as Derek Hoffman (Arkells), John Nathaniel (OneRepublic) and Justin Gray (Mariah Carey, Avril Lavigne), who is also a music producer alongside songwriter Evan Bogart (Beyoncé) for the film’s soundtrack.

    It was a special moment when he broke the news to Associate Professor Danielle Wilson and retired Associate Professor Gyllian Raby that he had been cast in the feature film, which resulted in rescinding his role in the DART mainstage production that year.

    A dedicated, straight-A student his whole life, Parker was heartbroken to let them down.

    “They stared at me for a minute before erupting with joy and said, ‘you are going to act in a movie!’ I am forever grateful for their warmth and positivity, that vote of confidence will always stay with me,” he said.

    Parker took key lessons with him while shooting on location in Italy, harnessing meditative and body breathwork skills from Wilson’s voice and speech class, which helped him stay grounded.

    “Professor Wilson let me know she was just a phone call away, and that really shows how caring Brock is,” he said. “I felt comfortable, safe and supported to have this life-changing experience.”

    Parker also drew on his studies in STAC, devouring diverse reading materials that deepened his connection to artistic creation.

    “Truthfully, 75 per cent of the job in acting for film is waiting in your trailer. Breathwork, meditative exercises and reading allowed me to be ‘on’ when I was called to set,” he said.

    In the film, Benvolio’s character is the peacekeeper, Romeo’s right-hand man, but anxious and cautious about the famous feuding families central to the plot. Parker relied on his practice to achieve heightened moments of emotion expressed through movement and facial expressions.

    “My theatre skills gave me the foundation to make creative choices so I could channel those emotions for BenvoIio’s character,” he said.

    Parker said Brock helped show him how much one can learn from others about their experiences and create lasting friendships in the process.

    “Jason Isaacs, for example, was just looking for someone who would play tennis with him. I told him I’ve played since I was a kid and then taught tennis, and we ended up playing together off set. You learn quickly that human connection is what brings artists together,” he said.

    Parker said believing in his abilities was his key to success, adding he “had confidence knowing my Brock family was in my corner.”

    For updates on the film and behind-the-scenes moments, follow Parker on Instagram at @maxparkerofficial.

    For official news and exclusive content from Juliet & Romeo, follow the film at @julietandromeomovie.

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    Categories: Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, News

  • Creative collaboration sets stage for new student play

    Friday, April 04, 2025 | By

    Photograph of four actors in scene from Mementos

    Image caption: Fourth-year Dramatic Arts students and members of Peregrine Theatre Co. look for hope and amidst life’s challenges in their new play Mementos. From left are Megan Mastantuono, Simon Bell, Oliver Webb Wilkinson and Maddox Keller.

    Friday, April 04, 2025 | by 

    Aspiring theatre artists at Brock are mining the complexity of human experience in an original production premiering at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

    Mementos, a new play conceived and created by students in DART 4D56 Collaborative Play Development, is the result of a year-long creative exploration into the world theatre-making from the initial inspiration to final presentation.

    Through fragmented storytelling that builds a wider narrative arc, Mementos captures the beauty — and ugliness — of what it means to be human. Audiences take on an active role of “onlooker” as pieces of character’s lives, full of love, loss and uncertainty, unfold on stage.

    DART 4D56 gives students the opportunity to develop their artistic voices, showcase their work and gain knowledge from industry professionals by taking on the roles of a small theatre company. The ensemble, Peregrine Theatre Co., is comprised of seven students each contributing to the final production in creative and technical ways.

    Fourth-year student Megan Mastantuono, Mementos Associate Director and Head of Wardrobe, said working with a small company meant collaboration was key.

    “As an ensemble, we’ve done a lot of writing together to create the final play. Through writing different pieces of the production, I have discovered new things about myself. It is an emotionally charged show for all of us,” she said.

    Fourth-year student Maddox Keller, Peregrine Theatre Co.’s Head of Sound Design who also performs and leads the ensembles marketing and promotion, said his most valuable takeaway is embracing the idea that developing artistic work is never finished.

    “No matter how you slice it, your first draft will never be the complete product. Things will change, things will get cut, things won’t always work on the first try — and that’s OK. The work will continue to grow and develop because of these stumbles,” he said.

    The first iteration of Mementos was shown in November at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) under a different name: Picking Up the Pieces. The first draft of the script was created using a variety of devising experiments and exercises, challenging the cast to create material based on personal experience and interests.

    Mementos explores themes from Picking Up the Pieces, such as loss and societal commentary, refining and expanding ideas to create an immersive and impactful performance for audiences.

    Fourth-year student Oliver Webb Wilkinson — Mementos’ Costume Designer, Performer, Scripter and Graphic Designer — reflected on how working on the show has impacted the group’s artistic development.

    “Mementos is a big experiment for all of us. Through nonlinear storytelling we examine human connection, the balance of hope and existential worry, and what we carry with us from our pasts,” he said. “I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far as a company, and I can’t wait for folks to see it.”

    Mementos runs from Thursday, April 10 to Saturday, April 12 at the MIWSFPA. Tickets can be purchased through Brock University Tickets.

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    Categories: Current Students, Performance Season, Plays

  • DART Invitationals provide a unique audition process at Brock

    Friday, March 28, 2025 | By

    Image caption: Participants of Brock University’s Dramatic Arts March Invitational create and explore a piece of theatre together.

    Thursday, March 20, 2025 | by  |
    This article was originally published in the Brock Press.

    High school students across Canada are preparing for Brock University’s upcoming DART Invitationals.

    DART, an acronym that refers to the Dramatic Arts program at Brock University, recently held their first annual invitational of the year on March 1. Students who received a conditional offer of admission to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Dramatic Arts or Bachelor of Arts (Honours)/Dramatic Arts Concurrent Education programs were invited to attend the invitational, held at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), as a part of their admissions process.

    Unlike other, more traditional auditions, students who attended the invitational participated in a series of workshops that allowed them to develop introductory skills in performance, creation, design and production. The day gave students an opportunity to use what they learned to work together and create a piece of theatre with their peers.

    In preparation for the second invitational on May 3, The Brock Press spoke to DART student Adia Buckle — who participated in the process in May 2024 — about her experience being a part of the event.

    Buckle said while she got nervous driving herself from her hometown of Hamilton, she was “so excited to create.”

    The day started with a series of activities that allowed Buckle and her fellow classmates to get comfortable in the space they would be working in. The attendees, having been asked to read Sophocles’ play Antigone, all came with an essay they had prepared about the work. Their reading and writing helped guide them, inspiring many of the pieces they worked on throughout the day.

    This work was facilitated by upper-year student volunteers, professors and other Brock staff, allowing students like Buckle the opportunity to meet some of their future DART peers. David Vivian, a professor in the Dramatic Arts department at Brock, said he thinks professors and the current students are the heart of the DART invitational experience.

    “The Chair of the Department, Jennifer Roberts Smith, and the Invitational team of faculty and students, begin the day with presentations to the applicants and their parents and guardians about the program […] and then about the ideas that circulate in and inform our understanding of the play that we have asked our applicants to come prepared to investigate and explore during the day [of the invitational],” said Vivian.

    By allowing students to work with their prospective instructors, Vivian believes DART places all their applicants on a path to success for when they arrive in September. The process also allows students to get acquainted with the campus.

    “I had an opportunity to meet some of my future classmates,” said Buckle, an experience that gave her and her peers something to talk about when classes started in the fall. “Even figuring out where the bathrooms were prior to the first week of school was a comfort to me in those first days of university where everything was a little scary.”

    But most meaningful to Buckle was the experience she had working with her group to create a piece of theatre. “The moment where all of us were excitedly brainstorming, our passion at an all-time high,” said Buckle, “that is my favourite part of theatre creation.”

    While Buckle has spent much of her life working in the theatre world, she said the adrenaline of that moment is what draws her back to the work time after time. Getting to work alongside fellow artists and creatives helped cement her choice to pursue studies in dramatic arts at Brock University.

    Creating this feeling is the goal for Vivian and the other event organizers, as Vivian said participants often report that the experience helped them make sure they were making the right choice.

    “[Students] often remark that our methods and the context of learning at the MIWSFPA are different than what they’ve experienced when applying for other programs,” said Vivian, “and that by participating in the Invitational, they’ve discovered something that is unique and attractive to them.”

    Vivian, much like the students who attend the invitational, has found that his favourite part of the process is getting to learn about applicants’ dreams and hopes for the future, as well as what matters most in their lives.

    “Our applicants never fail to impress us with the depth and breadth of their passion for making theatre,” said Vivian, “whether by teaching theatre to youth in their future careers as teachers, as theatre artists, content generators, scholars and researchers, [or] as entrepreneurs and community leaders who want to make change in our world.”

    The work that Vivian and his colleagues are doing is important and timely, shaping young artistic minds to ensure the future of dramatic arts is in exceptionally good hands.

    Read the article in The Brock Press: https://brockpress.com/dart-invitationals-provide-a-unique-audition-process-at-brock/

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

  • Brock to make splash with Metamorphoses mainstage

    Monday, February 24, 2025 | By

    Photograph of rehearsal for DART mainstage production Metamorphoses

    Image caption: Brock University’s Dramatic Arts mainstage performance of Ovid’s Metamorphoses opens this Friday, Feb. 28 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

    Monday, February 24, 2025 | by 

    Creative minds in Brock University’s Faculty of Humanities have joined forces to bring an epic ancient Roman poem to life on stage.

    The Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) will present playwright Mary Zimmerman’s award-winning adaption of Metamorphoses — complete with a challenging stage element sure to make waves with audiences.

    The play, which includes a large pool of water central to the production, opens Friday, Feb. 28 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre stage in downtown St. Catharines.

    Though the original literary work dates back more than 2,000 years, Metamorphoses continues to capture imaginations across creative and academic disciplines. Written in Latin by Ovid, a Roman poet exiled by emperor Augustus in 8 CE, the collection of myths explores themes of transformation, beauty and struggle in the ancient world.

    “Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation shows how powerless people are empowered through Ovid’s stories, and we hope the hilarity and poignant drama will open similar transformations for audiences,” said retired DART Associate Professor Gyllian Raby, who is directing the production.

    Adam Rappold, Assistant Professor of Classics and Archaeology, teaches a course dedicated to Ovid’s Metamorphoses and worked on the mainstage as Dramaturge —  an expert in the interpretation and composition of theatrical works, often advising on the text and how it is represented on stage.

    Rappold advised on the poem’s literary devices and shared insights with the cast about storytelling and the construction of myths.

    “Contemporary artists and scholars have re-examined the rebelliousness of Ovid’s poem and rediscovered the critique of the Roman Empire, revealing the full compassionate range of the exiled Ovid’s vision,” he said.

    Raby says that theatrically, this has been the most challenging play she has tackled to date. She credits the production team at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts for rising to the occasion.

    The DART cast and production crew created a technically advanced and visually stunning stage environment, including the large pool of water famously called for by Zimmerman’s adaptation.

    DART Technical Director Gavin Fearon said throughout rehearsals, the production crew have continued to discover new aspects of the pool’s impact on every element of the show including choreography, props and lighting.

    “Students in every role are navigating challenges introduced by the water,” he said. “The costumes team in particular, needed to track wet and dry quick changes in under 30 seconds.”

    Audiences will also experience original music of composer and DART sound design Instructor Joe Lapinski (BA ’99) who has drawn inspiration from the ancient Greek philosophical idea that celestial bodies make music, known as the “music of the spheres.”

    Voice Instructor and soprano Leanne Vida in the Department of Music coached individual singers in the production, including fourth-year actor Maddox Keller, who also took on the role of Choral Conductor.

    Metamorphoses opens Friday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines. Performances will also take place Saturday, March 1; Friday, March 7; and Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 2.

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

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    Categories: Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, News, Performance Season, Plays

  • Dramatic Arts welcomes celebrated theatre leader for mainstage production

    Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | By

    Director Soheil Parsa works with students Simone Cinapri and Lennon Paul on stage.

    Image caption: Simone Cinapri (left), a fourth-year Concurrent Education student with teachables in Dramatic Arts (DART) and History, rehearses on stage at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre with guest Director Soheil Parsa and second-year DART student Lennon Paul (right) in preparation for DART’s mainstage production of Scorched.

    Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | by 

    Director and writer Soheil Parsa is bringing his award-winning theatre expertise and artistry to Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

    Parsa, co-founder and former artistic director of Modern Times Stage Company in Toronto, is directing Scorched, a bold, innovative play written by Wajdi Mouawad, for the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) fall mainstage production. Parsa was Dramatic Arts Walker Cultural Leader for the 2023-24 season.

    With set and costume design by DART Associate Professor and Scenographer David Vivian, the deeply political and philosophical play explores fate, retribution and the human capacity for violence and destruction.

    Scorched tells the story of Nawal, a woman who fled a country tormented by violence, and her twins, Janine and Simon, who were raised in Quebec. Following Nawal’s death, the twins must return to their mother’s war-torn country to carry out her last wishes and deliver letters to their father, believed dead, and a brother they didn’t know they had.

    Parsa said Scorched strongly resonates with the events shaping the world today.

    “In this remarkable poetic piece, Mouawad explores the darker sides of human nature, contemporary barbarism, dehumanization in the face of war, friendship, separation, love and loss,” he said.

    Fourth-year Concurrent Education student Simone Cinapri, who plays the role of Janine, said Parsa guided the cast and creative team through the challenging script with patience and wisdom.

    “Beyond developing my skills as an actor, this experience has taught me about dedication, communication and creativity, lessons I will carry with me beyond my time at Brock,” she said.

    Cinapri explored how to bring characters like Janine to life — characters Parsa described as archetypal beings representing the essence of human hope, struggle and failure — as a tribute to women who have been affected by war and sexual violence.

    “By exploring the cycle of violence experienced by immigrant families in the play, I have drawn connections to my own family who faced many barriers to live in Canada today,” she said. “I am so grateful for DART’s dedication to providing memorable learning opportunities through mainstage productions.”

    Vivian, who attended National Theatre School with Mouawad, said the DART students involved in the production have “carried the characters in the play very carefully in our hearts these past few months.”

    “Digging deep into the histories and destinies of a multi-generation family led by women of great humanity has been simultaneously a privilege and a challenging responsibility for the artists of DART,” he said.

    Scorched opens Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines. Performances will also take place Saturday, Nov. 2, Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3.

    General admission tickets are available for $25 and tickets for students and seniors are available for $20. Visit the DART event website to reserve tickets.

    The public is also invited to a mini symposium on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Film House (FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre) for an engaging conversation with lead creatives from the production and guest scholars from Brock’s Faculties of Humanities and Applied Health Sciences. Free registration, ticket required.

    Content Advisory: The production contains mature content and is only recommended for individuals aged 16 and up.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Media Releases, News, Performance Season, Plays

  • Announcing DART Open Studies and Summer Institute

    Thursday, May 02, 2024 | By

    Three people stand on an empty stage with a bank seats and theatre lights behind them.

    The Department of Dramatic Arts is launching the summer of 2024 with a selection of learning and creative theatre-making opportunities at both the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines, at the Stratford Festival, and at theatres in Toronto and the region.  Many of the courses have online learning components.

    Following the Spring Session course, DART 1F01 Acting for Non Majors, a successful online course that began April 29, Dramatic Arts has opened registration to a selection of courses for non-Dramatic Arts students, alumni, students from other universities, and members of the public. This is an especially good opportunity for recent alumni looking to build their professional networks, graduate students looking for research-creation experience, or for other non-DART students looking to get some creative research experience in theatre and/or work on a particular project of interest.

    This includes:

    DART 3P91 Shakespeare in Performance and DART 4P51 Shakespeare: Voice and Text: two-weeks of viewing, studying, and performing Shakespeare with members of the Stratford Festival company in Stratford, Ontario. June 10-22, 2024.

    DART 3P40 Self-Producing: a two week, online intensive preparing students to produce independent projects with producer, writer, and director Matt Mackenzie. Online. June 24-July 6, 2024.

    DART 4P94 Creative and Critical Responses to Theatre: three weeks of viewing and responding to professional theatre in the GTA and Niagara region with theatre critic Karen Fricker.  Online and at the theatres. July 15-Aug 2, 2024.

    DART 3P90 Performance Research Workshop: five weeks of creative research and development workshops with professional theatre companies at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. June 7-July 26, 2024.

    DART 3F90 Performance Research Project: five weeks of staged workshop development with Hamilton’s Red Beti Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    July 29-August 30, 2024

    Members of the public interested in registering for these courses, including roles as creative researchers in the Summer Institute program, may join us through the Open Studies program. Open studies is a good opportunity for anyone (eg. artists, producers, teachers, recent alumni, mature students) to enhance skills in a particular area, take a course for interest, or try out DART before applying to a degree program. This will be of particular interest to people interested in the self-producing and theatre criticism courses! If you are taking the course for credit, tuition is charged, but the application process is very quick and easy.  Brock University Open Studies is available to people with all educational backgrounds, is part-time study, does not require you to enroll in a full certificate or degree, and has no formal admission requirements. Folks participating in the Summer Institute as creative researchers are not obliged to enrol in a course; they can also apply to participate part -time on just one or a few projects.

    See the Open Studies and Summer Institute flyers for more information.

     

    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, News, Uncategorised

  • Putting theatre skills to work at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

    Friday, November 10, 2023 | By

    Pictured above: Fourth-year Dramatic Arts student Manikham Marianne Vongboutdy recently returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she put her Brock theatre training to work gaining international experience.

    THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2023 | by

    Carrying with her the skills she’s learned as a Brock Dramatic Arts (DART) student, Manikham Marianne Vongboutdy recently headed overseas to work at the world’s largest performance arts festival.

    The fourth-year student spent time this summer with the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she was invited by her high school to work as a stage manager on the St. Catharines Collegiate and West Niagara Secondary School production, Piece of Me.

    With a concentration in production and design, Vongboutdy said her Brock theatre training was key to her landing the stage management gig in Scotland.

    “Working with Brock’s state-of-the-art technology in Dramatic Arts has been invaluable,” she said. “Learning tech in the theatre has been a special experience. I am developing the skills I will need in the professional theatre world.”

    Piece of Me navigates the relationship of a mother and daughter in a coming-of-age tale offering an innovative take on adolescence told through a teenager’s eyes. Like the characters in the play, Vongboutdy has found many moments of personal reflection as she has grown in her creative practice at Brock.

    Piece of Me was an adaptation based on two different plays exploring similar subject matter, which from a stage management perspective, meant merging two plays into one. This complex staging posed interesting challenges that Vongboutdy was prepared to take on.

    As an upper-year DART student, she was able to transfer the skills gained in her first few years at Brock to her international experience, such as learning to sew in wardrobe classes so she could step up and help with costumes or painting props using skills from props classes.

    “A unique thing about studying at the Marilyn is that we get to learn about different aspects of staging a show, which served me so well during my Edinburgh experience,” she said. “We are stronger artists because of it.”

    After her experience abroad, Vongboutdy said she has a wider perspective of what theatre can look like.

    “It was eye-opening for me,” she said. “As a stage manager, we try and put forward the best show possible, but part of our job is to work with what is happening in the moment. I am thrilled to put my experience into practice.”

    Vongboutdy is now working as stage manager for Brock’s upcoming winter mainstage production, The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy, written and directed by DART Instructor Mike Griffin. The play explores brain injury and related mental health issues through the styles of full-mask, puppetry and physical theatre.

    Working with Griffin is a valuable experience for Vongboutdy, who aims to pursue a master’s degree in puppetry. Exploring the medium is especially important to her Laotian heritage, a culture in which many teachings occur using masks and puppets.

    “As an immigrant, I always hold my home and culture in Laos very close, and I try to incorporate elements of my culture into the work I do every day creating theatre,” she said.

    The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy will run at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre Feb. 15 to 19. More information can be found on the DART website.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, In the Media, News, Uncategorised

  • New summer workshop puts students at centre of creative process

    Tuesday, July 18, 2023 | By

    Image caption: Dramatic Arts (DART) Research Assistants Geneviève Batista (left) and Ezri Fenton participated in the DART Summer Institute of Performance Research workshop session ‘Anthr-Apology.’

    Brock arts students have been honing their creative skills and working alongside professional theatre artists through a new summer workshop series presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART).

    The inaugural DART Summer Institute of Performance Research ran from May 29 to July 7 at the University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

    Conceptualized by DART Chair and Professor Jennifer Roberts-Smith, the workshop allowed students to be at the centre of the creative process as professional theatre-makers, artists and DART faculty explored performance ideas, working scripts and scenic possibilities for future work.

    Roberts-Smith said DART’s Summer Institute was founded to expand opportunities for what the department calls ‘vertically-integrated’ experiential learning.

    “It’s ‘vertical’ because members of the DART community at all career stages are learning together,” she said. “Collaborative research means we’re asking questions that none of us — not even the most seasoned professionals and faculty — know how to answer.”

    Roberts-Smith said the model sees students’ perspectives and contributions as just as important as workshop leaders.

    Anthr-Apology, a session led by DART Professor David Fancy and DART Scenographer and Associate Professor David Vivian, explored the creative possibilities of a new performance collective, with the first stage of presentation slated for 2024, building on creative research undertaken on the fall DART Mainstage production AnthropoScene.

    Fancy and Vivian are motivated by exploring the ways in which theatre and performance as art forms can be truly responsive to the climate crisis.

    “The project is based on the idea that the world needs a truth and reconciliation commission for all humans and their relationship with one another, as well as their individual and collective relationships with the planet,” Fancy said.

    Vivian said the workshop also generated opportunities for participating graduate- and senior-level MIWSFPA students “to bridge their undergraduate studies to the next level of scholarship and professional opportunities.”

    In another session, Packing a Punch, students worked directly with theatre artist Trevor Copp, Artistic Director and Founder of Tottering Biped Theatre (TBT). Students participated in the creative process of developing TBT’s new multimedia live-action play, Mr. Punch, adapted from a lesser-known Neil Gaiman graphic novel.

    “It was a brilliant week. In the end, what we really found was momentum and artistic excitement about this piece and its possibilities,” Copp said.

    Evalyn Parry, DART’s 2022-23 Walker Cultural Leader and award-winning queer performance-maker, theatrical innovator and artistic leader, led a workshop engaging with choral performance and text from their master’s research-creation thesis, “An Unsettled Account,” reflecting on queer arts leadership, decolonial futures and systems change.

    “Together with my longtime collaborator Karin Randoja (music director for the workshop), rich discoveries were made about how the choral arrangements — both sung and spoken — work on the page and translate into the bodies and voices of singers and actors,” Parry said.

    DART Instructor Mike Griffin, Faculty of Humanities’ 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award recipient, workshopped ideas for his DART winter mainstage production, The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy. An original new work written and directed by Griffin, the play explores brain injury and related mental health issues.

    “This has been a great laboratory experience for the development of Molly. The show is primarily movement-based and so we have had a productive week of getting up on our feet and physically working through and testing ideas. A highlight was seeing how deeply connected to the work the students became after such a short period of time. It really speaks to the value of this kind of intensive work,” Griffin said.

    “A set of very strong projects with exciting futures emerged from the inaugural Summer Institute,” Roberts-Smith said. “DART students brought fresh and wise perspectives essential to the success of each project.”

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised

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