Faculty & Instructors

• Professor Joe Norris receives the 2015 Tom Barone Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts Based Educational Research

  Tuesday, January 27, 2015 | By Brock University

  

  Professor Joe Norris

  Professor Joe Norris of the Department of Dramatic Arts is recipient of the 2015 Tom Barone Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts Based Educational Research. Offered by the Arts Based Educational Research (ABER) Special Interest Group for the American Educational Research Association (AERA), this triennial award recognizes artist/scholars for distinguished research, professional practice, and service that advances the public understanding of arts based educational research. The award is presented to an individual whose professional career has significantly advanced the field of arts-based educational research through extraordinary and significant leadership, research, teaching, professional practice, and/or service. The award established in 2012, is named in honor of Tom Barone, the first Chair of the ABER SIG whose dedication to the development of the field and community of arts based educational researchers is exemplary. Tom Barone was also the first recipient of this award in 2012.

  The criteria upon which the award was based are:

  • Outstanding accomplishments in the area of arts-based educational research.
  • Existence of a body of work over 10 years or more or evidence that the research has significantly influenced the field.
  • Service to the ABER research community (reviewer, editorial boards, conference organizing)
  • Evidence of contributions to the growth of new ABER researchers (teaching, mentoring, co-authorship) and contributions to the growth of new ABER researchers (teaching, mentoring, co-authorship).

  Professor Norris teaches DART 1F95 Drama in Education and Applied Theatre I, DART 3F93 Social Issues Theatre for Community Engagement and other foundational courses for students interested in pursuing studies in Drama in Educationn and Applied Theatre.  His company ‘Mirror Theatre’ regularly presents in the Brock and regional communities.  Professor Norris publishes his material at his website joenorrisplaybuilding.ca

  When announcing the award, Rita Irwin, Chair of 2015 Tom Barone Award Committee, wrote “It goes without saying that you have provided many distinguished contributions over 25 years and are abundantly meritorious for this award. We all look forward to celebrating this achievement with you at AERA.” Professor Norris will receive the award at the April 2015 AGM of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago.  The Department congratulates Professor Norris!

  Tags: ABER, AERA, American Educational Research Association, Arts Based Educational Research, Joe Norris, Rita Irwin, Tom Barone Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts Based Educational Research
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

• The passing of the late Poet, Terrance Cox

  Monday, January 19, 2015 | By Brock University

  We are very saddened to learn of the passing of our dear colleague and friend, the late poet Terrance Cox. Terrance taught for almost thirty years in Music and Dramatic Arts and helmed the first year course DART 1F93 for many, many years. Though he had not been well for a few years and was no longer teaching for the Department and the University we have always kept a very big place in our hearts for him.

  Our colleague Gyllian Raby remembers that “Terrance was special and his larger than life persona was a gift. I feel a big Terrance shaped hole in the air of St. Catharines.”

  There will be a memorial event at the NAC on Sunday Feb. 8th at 2pm.

  Niagara Artists Centre
  354 St.Paul Street
  St. Catharines, ON L2R 3N2

  Phone: 905 641 0331 | Fax: 905 641 4970 | Email: artists@nac.org

  There is an event page on Facebook for this wake.

  Please see the obituary in the Globe and Mail here.

  We are sharing our memories below. If you have any memories you’d like to contribute, please share with us.

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  Terrance performed on the stage of the then-named Thistle Theatre in Troilus and Cressida in 1975 and Henry IV in 1976, both directed by Professor Emerita Dr. Mary-Jane Miller. He also played the policeman in Peter Feldman’s production of The Good Woman of Setzuan by Brecht and produced in the mid-70s. He played the lawyer in Peter’s production of Blood Relations by Sharon Pollock and he recorded a voice-over for Peter’s production of The Trial adapted from Kafka. Most recently at DART he played Adam in the play Adam and Eve produced in the Studio Theatre and directed by Danielle Wilson.

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  from Terrance’s page at Poets.ca:

  “Terrance Cox writes poems and non-fiction in St Catharines, Ontario, where he also teaches at Brock University as a “general practitioner” in the arts and humanities. His teaching career features stints in secondary, college and university classrooms, in Canada and overseas. Among Cox’s research interests are popular music and locality. Published since 1973 as a journalist, he contributes erudite and amusing columns and articles to regional newspapers and magazines, where appears as well his work as an editor.

  Cox has published over 200 poems in Canadian literary journals and anthologies, running the gamut from Antigonish Review to Zygote, stopping en route at most of our lit mags of name and repute. The latest of his published collections is a second “spoken word with music” CD, Simultaneous Translation (2005). It joins in the canon his prize-winning book Radio & Other Miracles (Signature Editions, 2001) and an acclaimed earlier CD, Local Scores (Cyclops Press, 2000). Works-in-progress include the manuscripts West Bank Poems and Civics, Botany & Such.

  He is an experienced reader, performing at many and various art gallery, bookstore, cabaret, café, concert, festival, nightclub, pub, radio, shopping mall, television, theatre, university and winery venues in Calgary, Hamilton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Montreal, Ottawa, Peterborough, Saskatoon, St Catharines/Niagara, Toronto, and Winnipeg, 1978-2005. Through Ontario Arts Council programmes, and independently, he has presented a diverse series of poetry workshops in elementary and secondary schools in St Catharines/Niagara, 1982-2005.

  Cox’s poems express his experiences. They come from his time of work and travel in Africa and the Middle East; from childhood and family’s past; from over the airwaves and out of recorded grooves. They are of the present in their local particulars; they grow in his own backyard. (author photo by Stephen Dominick)

  Awards:
  2002 Niagara Book Prize sponsored by three Niagara daily newspapers & Chapters/Indigo.
  2nd Prize, This Magazine’s “Great Canadian Literary Hunt,” 2000.
  2nd Prize, Canadian Author’s Association (Niagara Branch) Annual Poetry Contest, 2000.
  Co-recipient of Floyd S. Chalmers Creative Award,1982.
  (Others as journalist and as academic)

  Selected Publications:
  Simultaneous Translation (TMC, distributed by Signature Editions, 2005) ISBN: 0-9738216-0-4, CD recording.
  Radio & Other Miracles (Signature Editions, 2001) ISBN: 0-921833-82-2.
  Local Scores (Cyclops Press, 2000) ISBN: 1-89417708-8, CD recording.

  Books in Print:
  Simultaneous Translation Poetry/Spoken Word & Music (TMC, 2005, distributed by Signature Editions) ISBN: 0-9738216-0-4, CD recording, $14.95.
  Radio & Other Miracles Poetry (Signature Editions, 2001) ISBN: 0-921833-82-2, $12.95.
  Local Scores Poetry/Spoken Word & Music (Cyclops Press, 2000) ISBN: 1-89417708-8, CD recording, $16.95.

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  Selected Comments From our Community

  name: Gail B
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Brock literature course
  your comments: I was one of two ‘mature students’ who took Terrance’s Shakespeare course many years ago. He was charismatic, demanding, soinformed. Everything I have ever learned about theatre stagecraft I learned from him, and it has stayed with me all these years. Every time I see a theatre production in Canada, the U.S., the U. K. I remember Terrance and what he taught us about blocking, design, focus. I think of him every time I attend the theatre, which is a lot. What a legacy he has left so many of us, his students.

  name: Peter Smith
  location: TO
  when and how did you know Terrance?: taught me in 1978
  your comments: I spent one glorious year at Brock in 1978. Terry taught a theatre history class back then that was informative, ranging, political, and a lot of fun.
  He smoked Player’s Lights in class – it was allowed – and periodically over the year he switched to a pipe in an attempt to quit smoking. It was ludicrous really but somehow made T Cox sense. He reefed on that pipe with the same intensity he smoked the Players Lights. Over the course of the year Terry and I fell in with one another. Things would start innocently enough at the Mansion and devolve from there. More often than not a bunch of us would wind up at Terry’s pad – an apt. a two minute stagger from the Mansion. We’d listen to Firesign Theatre records, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and we’d laugh a lot, tell stories about the experience of being here. Always engaging, filled with spirit and an enormous side of get up and go. The night before the final exam for Terry’s course I was at his place with a small group of others – we carried on – stayed up til dawn – smoking and talking and howling into the light. After bacon and eggs at the Lancer we made our way up the mountain to the Brock gym where the exam was going down. Along with a whole bunch of other students in geology and god knows what we cracked our papers. Terry was one of the watchers that morning. He passed my desk soon after things got started. I looked up and said, I’m not going to write your exam Terry, I’m going to write a play in these three hours. He said after a moments pause – it better be good. It wasn’t. It was terrible – a scrawl of god knows what. I passed the course and hope this note doesn’t get Terry into trouble posthumously or have the credit removed from my transcript. He was a hale fellow well met – a true aim with a good heart. He brought his entire self to this world. I close with a poem Terry wrote late one howling night… Saskatchewan: skunks, poplar trees, and drive in movies, high point of the universe. RIP Terry Cox and thanks for the joy. You were a mould breaker.

  name: Jess Falcioni
  location: Thunder Bay
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Professor of 1F93
  your comments: The DART Department has lost a legend. A man whose lectures will be spoken of forever by his students. Thank you for teaching us about the heart of the play and page to stage. For challenging us to think bigger, while encouraging us. For making us laugh (I’ll never forget the day you jumped on the desk while dramatically reading a monologue, or the day you tripped over the seam in the floor and played it off so well!) And for sharing with us your passion for theatre. You’ve inspired legions of students. Ive kept all the notes from your lectures and use them when I teach workshops. I’ll also never forget your compassion when my Nonno passed away right before exams. You were so kind, caring and understanding. So, thank you. For everything. You are missed.
  RIP TCox.

  name: Matthew Craggs
  location: Welland
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2002-2003 MUSI1F00
  your comments: I hadn’t listened to much more than the radio by the time I attended Brock and took Music and Pop Culture with Terrance Cox. He opened my eyes to a whole world of music with the kind of passion that… well if you’re reading this page, you know the kind of passion he brought to the class. It’s been over 10 years but I often think back fondly of that experience and how it shaped the way I approach not only music, but all culture.

  name: Hayley Malouin
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Student at Brock University
  your comments: Still my absolute favourite day of university ever is from first year, when someone asked TCox if he would be coming to the BMT musical. He just smiled and said “I don’t much care for musicals… Anyway.” Ouch! So sassy! What a wonderful, lively and intelligent person.

  name: Nick Carney
  location: Toronto
  when and how did you know Terrance?: DART grad, 2011
  your comments: My deepest condolences go out to his family and friends, and of course including his Brock family. He was for many, a portal into the DART community teaching within our first years – with his unforgettable tone, respected presence, and passion for the arts. He will be missed and never forgotten.
  Terrance Cox, may your spirit soar.

  name: Murray Kropf
  location: Brock University
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Niagara Artists Company and Brock University
  your comments: Terrence was one of the first people I met upon moving to St Catharines. He was the President of NAC and I a board member and later VP. Working closely with him I was impressed with his ability to cut through obstructions to deal with issues in a polite yet forceful way. He was a mentor in his ability to deal with serious concerns and have a heartfelt belly laugh in the next moment. A wonderful poet, performer .. and of course that voice!

  A truly good man! I’ll miss him.

  mk

  name: Gregory Armacinski
  location: Brock University (Concurrent Education- Biology/Math) int/senior
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2011 Fall-Winter Drama (first year)
  your comments: Professor Cox will always be remembered for his vibrant lectures….his lectures demonstrated a true passion for what he felt/believed in. He was one of the most knowledgeable Professors, and his knowledge of every subject was truly shown when he lectured! Thank you for inspiring us all with your knowledge, passion and spirt Professor Cox. Rest in Peace

  name: Matthew Royal
  location: St Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: He was a colleague in the music dept
  your comments: I miss Terrance’s sense of humour (sometimes somewhat gruff) and his eloquent, precise and concise use of the English language. The following quotation from the “Assessment of Grade” section of his notes for MUSI 1F00 illustrates these traits:
  “An “F” paper wastes the opportunity presented by the task; through lack of effort, understanding of basic principles and/or skills in their application; it wastes the time of writer, reader and the life of trees felled for it.”

  Of course, these same notes, all 217 pages of them, also exemplify something else about Terrance: the work he put in to provide his students with the best possible materials for success; in short, they show how much he cared.

  name: Michael Onley
  location: Canada
  when and how did you know Terrance?: First Year Drama
  your comments: I’ll never forget in my first year, first term – I had Professor Cox. He had an incredible ability to captivate the audience by always beginning with his classic one liner, “I’ve got a notion…” It was that one line that would “set the stage” so to speak, toward his reciting and explanations of dramatic theory. I’m thankful for his teaching(s) but more importantly his passion and attitude for life – He will be missed.

  name: Kimberley Reich
  location: Burlington Ontario
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2004 student of music and pop culture
  your comments: Professor Cox was by far the most passionate teacher I’ve ever had. As a huge music lover, I was so excited to see such a class (music and popular culture) was an option. His lectures were a performance every time. The way in which he would stomp across the stage, wave hours arms, drum his fingers, stomp his feet or close his eyes telling us to do the same to truly get lost in a song was impactful. He opened my mind and soul to different genres of music and culture. I never missed a class! I’ve gone on to speak of him since and the impact that he truly had on me and my love for music. He will be remembered fondly, and when I hear certain songs (especially Muddy Waters Mannish Boy-one lecture I will never forget) I will always think of him.

  name: Collin Glavac
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: First Year University, Professor
  your comments: Professor Terrance Cox fulfilled that image I always had of big university lectures taught by wise sage-like professors. He taught dramatic arts fundamentals to myself and many of my colleagues, initiating our foundations of the subject in first-year. Because of this, his teachings help form the building blocks for our work in the field today. He will be sorely missed.

  name: Jonathan van Ekelenburg
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: First Year DART Class, 2003
  your comments: Terrance’s first-year class still holds a dear spot in my memories.

  Terrance’s bombast and charisma made me excited to attend his class every week, and I learned so much about understanding the workings of a play that still are with me, 12 years later. I remember once he built a small fort out of chairs at the front of the lecture hall… can’t for the life of me remember what the POINT was, but I certainly paid attention. Terrance helped forge the way that I thought about drama, and I will forever be indebted to his memory. Thank you, Terrance. You’ll be missed.

  name: Lauren Kennedy
  location: Toronto
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2002
  your comments: I was a TA for his DART1F93 class. He empowered me. He took the ego out of academia. He taught students how to appreciate plays, words, and ideas. He was soft as mouse and resonated like a lion. I am grateful to have learned from him and his lessons.

  name: Nerese Richter
  location: Toronto
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2004-2007, Professor
  your comments: I’m deeply saddened to hear of this loss. I remember sitting in my first music course with Prof Cox and thinking “wow, now THAT’S passion.” Every week, I would wait anxiously until I could go to his class again to hear original recordings, learn about music history, and stare in awe at his incredible presentation techniques. He was so engaging, so inspiring that he truly motivated me to pursue music journalism as a career. Thank you, Prof Cox, for being that teacher that all students desire but so few have the honor of encountering. Thank you for your passion.

  name: Duncan Hopkins
  location: Mons, Belgium
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Brock, circa 1987 – B.B.E. 1989
  your comments: I had the privilege of being in Terry’s music appreciation class c. 1987. We continued our meetings on a regular basis as he would continually come out to hear my progress as a musician. He then interviewed me for a book about Kenny Wheeler to which he was contributing. We went to a pub in Toronto and had a drink or two and enjoyed our time very much. I was surprised to read his essay later as it included a paragraph about me. He was always very supportive.
  Terrance also wrote lyrics to some music I wrote in honour of our mutual friend Terry O’Reilly. I still have his angry and yet poignant words to my otherwise sad song. I have never recorded the two together but in my mind, they go hand in hand.
  So sorry to hear of his passing. My deepest sympathy to his family and all those who mourn him.
  ‘dh

  name: Vicki
  location: Toronto
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Professor & Seminar lead.
  your comments: When I attended Brock University, I was lucky enough to have TCox as my TA/seminar lead, as well as my professor. He gave me a learning experience I will never forget. I still remember how intimidated I was to see my professor at my first seminar, I was basically shaking in my seat. Yet somehow by the end of that first seminar, I saw him as a completely different character. TCox had become a person I was excited to see every week from that day on. He was one of the most memorable professors I’ve ever had, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so.

  name: Mallory Muehmer
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Professor
  your comments: I had the absolute honour of being taught by the memorable, Terrance Cox.
  I truly believe that it is one thing to teach, but it is entirely different to engage and inspire students. Terrance, thank you for showing us what it means to dedicate your life to making your community a happier and brighter place. Your motivation, engagement and larger than life stories will be a pillar in the Dramatic Arts department at Brock forever.
  My condolences to your loved ones.
  Thank you for all of your life lessons, both in and outside of the classroom.

  name: Danielle Wilson
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: We both taught in the Dramatic Arts Department at Brock. 2006 to present.
  your comments: I first met Terrance when I moved to St. Catharines to teach in the Dramatic Arts Department in 2006. I would see him in the hallway when we were on our way to or from teaching a class and he would always take a few moments to ask me how I was doing. I didn’t know him very well, but in 2009, some of his former students and I decided to stage The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain and we asked Terrance if he would play the older version of Adam, with Virginia Reh as Eve. We figured he would probably say no, but to our delight, he accepted and seemed quite excited to get up on the boards. We were a little intimidated at first to give him any acting notes, but it soon became apparent that our fears were unwarranted as he took every note with great care, grace and humility. After the show had finished, we had our cast party around a fire in the back yard and we were discussing the show and acting in general. At one point he said, in his deep, booming voice, something like, “I didn’t do this show because I think I’m any good, or that I should be held up as any sort of example of how to act, I simply did it to challenge myself and put my money where my mouth is.” He had this larger than life presence and energy, and his humility always caught me off guard.

  name: Kristopher Kitson
  location: Hamilton, Ontario
  when and how did you know Terrance?: He was my First year literature Professor.
  your comments: I’m at a loss for words to hear of the passing of a great Professor at Brock university, and part of the DART family. Terrance Cox was an amazing Professor, lecturer and person. His passion for theatre, the arts and his students as a whole inspired and will continue to inspire feature drama students of Brock University. My heart goes out to his loved ones! May he rest in peace.

  name: Anna MacAlpine
  location: Calgary, Alberta
  when and how did you know Terrance?: DART/MUSI graduate, class of 2012
  your comments: Very saddened to hear of the loss of Terrance Cox. He gave so much to the Brock community and will be greatly missed. I will always remember my first term at Brock, where in the midst of a lecture on medieval theatre, Professor Cox said: “I love speaking Chaucer. It’s like Scottish with a few beers.”

  name: Will Webster
  location: Victoria BC
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Mid 90s, The Club, St. Catharines Ontario
  your comments: Terrance was instrumental in helping many young writers in the Niagara Region find their voice. Back in the mid 90s he a major force in helping us blend live poetry with the burgeoning live music scene in the Niagara Region.
  I still remember his rumble, his precise love of words, and his nonchalant delivery.
  He would just sit there in front of the room and without speaking a word command the respect of everyone listening. We were always happy when his large frame filled the entry way. It meant we were going to have an exceptional night.
  Thanks for sharing Terrance.

  name: Ashley Giorno
  location: Brampton
  when and how did you know Terrance?: first year music professor 2009-2010
  your comments: I had the honour of having this gentleman as my professor for music back in my first year of university at Brock and he made me look at music in a totally different way than I already did and for that I am grateful. I may not have known him personally but he was very good at what he did and very passionate about what he taught to the next generations. One thing I’ll never forget was him explaining the song “Every Breath You Take” by The Police/Sting was actually a stalker song and how much he cringed every time he would go to weddings and hear it being played. His dance moves are another thing I’ll never forget. Cheers Professor Cox and thank you.

  name: Salena
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Brock University, 2003-2007/and he lived on my street
  your comments: I can remember in my first year theatre course being so blown away by his passion for teaching. His intensity was unmatched! I can remember one time, to make a dramatic point, he leapt from the floor up onto a chair very suddenly with total confidence he’d land it! He inspired everyone with his tenacity!

  name: Brandon Cox
  location: Toronto
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2005-06
  your comments: Terrance Cox remains one of my most favourite teachers of my life so far. His kindness, intelligence, and passion for his work was infectious and full of an honest energy that is rarely found in todays modern classrooms. I often found myself caring less about what mark I would receive on a paper, and more about whether or not Terrance would be happy with my work, or if my work would hold any meaning to him. His opinion mattered to me, which often happens when you truly respect the intelligence and opinions of anyone in your life. Above all, Terrance had an amazing sense of humour, and was a rare fireball of energy and emotion that one can only be pleased they were lucky enough to be around at the time.

  I will truly miss you Mr. Terrance Cox.

  name: Richard Varty
  location: Barrie
  when and how did you know Terrance?: He was my professor in first year (1F93).
  your comments: I found myself writing less and less in my notebook about plot points and history but more of his personal views. His passion for the written word and the power it held was and remains to be an inspiration. One of the quotes that keeps coming back into my life from his class: “Comic thought is radical thought, laughter is infectious, we eventually become subversives and have the power to bring down society.”

  name: Karen Elizabeth McMichael
  location: Toronto, Ontario
  when and how did you know Terrance?: First year dramatic literature
  your comments: I still have the first essay I ever wrote for Terrence’s class: a defense of the argument that Hamlet was not, in fact, a tragedy, as it is traditionally taught (and as he was teaching it). It was one of the only times in my academic career that directly disagreeing with the instructor was treated as serious academic discourse rather than petulant contrariness (which I am, admittedly, prone to; I do love playing devil’s advocate). I kept the final copy of that essay because Terrence had written his commentary across every page, and the backs of most of the pages — it must have taken him hours to grade that single paper. What impressed me most was that even though he disagreed with me, he took my writing seriously, and spoke as though I was a peer, not just a somewhat pretentious first year student with delusions of academic grandeur. Over the years since, I have found out just how rare that ability — to teach without preaching or condescension — is, and Terrence Cox was the master of it. His big heart was capable of forging a connection with every one of the hundreds of students who passed through his classes every year, and I know that even people who didn’t stay with the dramatic arts program held on to and told their “Terrence Cox stories” for years afterwards.

  name: JF Amprimoz
  location: St Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: My seminar lead for ENGL 1F00
  your comments: I unfortunately only had one course where I interacted with Terry, when he ran my seminar for a Great Books course required by the accounting department, I’d presume for weeding purposes. Through his kind and brilliantly insightful discussion and comments, I learned much of the language analysis and use skills I apply today.

  name: Stephanie Jones
  location: Niagara/New York
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Brock/early 90’s to present
  your comments: While studying at Brock in the early 90’s the perfromance theatre students mouted a production of Peer Gynt. As it was directed by Glenys, and her wonderful imagination, I played helf of the Troll Queen (The Queen had two heads), Terrance played the voice of the Great Boyg (the shapeless, unconquerable troll, representing the riddle of existence). He was the Boyg, and showed us all how to command a role with simplicity and truth. For
  Terrance had a mellifuous voice, a generous spirit, a commanding presence, a sharp mind and he was, really, a over-all great man. I will miss him, the artistic community will miss him.

  name: Caitlin Popek
  location: Hamilton
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2006-2011
  your comments: Terrance not only helped me dig into scripts and really discover them, he helped me teach others to do so too. He truly wanted his students to succeed and he was so much fun to listen to in lectures, he brought the plays to life! I had a wonderful time learning from him as a student and a TA. He will be missed!

  name: Christine Dief
  location: Niagara
  when and how did you know Terrance?: 2002-2006, 2009-2010
  your comments: Like many, I’ve also had the pleasure to be taught by this wonderful man. He was so passionate in his lectures and his love for literature was contagious.

  I have also had the pleasure to work along side him in a Teaching Assistant role, and I am truly grateful for such a wonderful experience. His brilliance and his passion will truly be missed.

  RIP Terrance Cox, and my condolences to your loved ones. Thank you for all you have done.

  name: Amanda McDonnell
  location: St. Catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Professor DART 1F93
  your comments: T.Cox was one of the coolest Profs in DART. He can in that lecture/seminar and would always have great stories and incites about the plays we studied.
  He helped me, and probably many more DART students, make that transition from a high schooler to a University Student a smooth and exciting one. I will always think of him fondly. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

  name: Jordan Pereira
  location: st. catharines
  when and how did you know Terrance?: First Year professor
  your comments: He set the stage for Drama and poetic articulation. I had been meaning to visit him at some point, I guess now I’ll never get the chance. What an impact he has had. May he rest in peace, discussing verbosities with Aristophanes and the like. Condolences and warm sentiments to his family and close friends.

  name: Michelle
  location: Fergus, Ontario
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Professor at Brock
  your comments: TCox, as he was fondly called by many, was one of my first professors at Brock University. It was in his class that I met my first “uni friend”! We remain friends to this day after spending a legendary semester in Professor Cox’s first-year drama course. After this, I also took his music and popular culture course, which led me to have a much deeper appreciation for early jazz and Elvis music in particular. My fondest memory of TCox was knowing that he cared about his students; he remembered my name in a lecture hall of hundreds and always took time to say hello and ask me how I was doing.
  Terrence went the extra mile for his students and was influential in the lives of so many. He will be greatly missed.

  name: Marcel Stewart, class of 2007
  location: Toronto
  when and how did you know Terrance?: Brock University – 2003-2007
  your comments: The first time I met Terrence I was wearing a Liverpool soccer jersey.
  Unbeknownst to me, Terrence was a huge Manchester United fan. When he saw me, he stopped what he was doing and said, “Is that a fashion statement or do you actually support them?” To which I responded, “Oh, I am a big L’Pool fan” and he followed up with, “I’m truly sorry for you…”
  I’ll never forget that.

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  If you have memories you would like to share about Terrance, please get in touch with us.

  Tags: in memoriam, Terrance Cox
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, News

• Dramatic Arts Professor directs Canadian premiere of a Benjamin Britten opera

  Tuesday, November 19, 2013 | By Brock University

  The 2013-2014 season of Toronto’s Voicebox/Opera in Concert showcases some ‘rarities of performance’ and features Gloriana by Benjamin Britten.

  The one-time concert performance at the Jane Mallet Theatre in Toronto is directed by Brock University Dramatic Arts Professor Virginia Reh.

  Gloriana was composed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953 and VOICEBOX’s performance marks the 100Th Anniversary of the Composer’s birth.

  Queen Elizabeth I is approaching the end of her reign. Her affection for the impressive Earl of Essex is tested when he grows increasingly ambitious. Should she listen to the guidance of her advisors or be swayed by emotion? Moving from the pomp of state ceremony to the intimacy of the Queen’s private rooms, Gloriana depicts the public and private faces of the Virgin Queen, and the deterioration of her relationship with the impulsive Earl of Essex.

  The opera features 15 soloists. In this concert production 10 of the soloists will be coming out of the chorus. The production is in memory of Reh’s friend Stephen Ireland who passed away last October from complications arising from prostate cancer.  The production is sponsored by his foundation.

  Professor Reh will be directing the next Mainstage production of the Department of Dramatic Arts, Jehanne of the Witches, opening February 13, 2014.

  BENJAMIN BRITTEN
  GLORIANA

  Sunday, November 24, 2013 — 2:30pm
  IN english
  Jane Mallett Theatre (at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts) Sunday, November 24 @2:30 p.m.

  purchase tickets here

  Featuring
  Peter Tiefenbach, Music Director and Pianist
  Virginia Reh, Dramatic Advisor
  Robert Cooper, Chorus Director

  Betty Waynne Allison as Queen Elizabeth I
  Jennifer Sullivan as Penelope (Lady Rich)
  Adam Luther as Lord of Essex
  Dion Mazerrole as Cecil
  Jesse Clark as Lord Mountjoy
  Christina Campsall as Countess of Essex
  Marco Petracchi as Sir Walter Raleigh
  Domenico Sanfilippo as Henry Cuffe
  Fabian Arciniegas as The Recorder of Norwich
  Joshua Wales as The Spirit of the Masque
  Keenan Viau as The Master of Ceremonies
  Gregory Finney as Old Man
  Lise Maher as Page
  Jessika Monea as Lady in Waiting

  Tags: Benjamin Britten, Gloriana, Virginia Reh
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

• Dramatic Arts Professor gives plenary address “Performance and Its Genealogies of War” in Gothenburg, Sweden

  Wednesday, November 13, 2013 | By Brock University

  

  (Source: Skogen)

  Department of Dramatic Arts Professor Natalie Alvarez will be presenting her plenary address lecture “Performance and Its Genealogies of War” in the Seminar: CREATIVITY AND AUTHORSHIP IN WARFARE to be held November 27, 2013 at the Skogen performance space in Gothenburg, Sweden (Göteborgs Konsthall).

  Professor Alvarez moves through several sites of her field research at military bases in the US, Canada, and the UK to observe the ways in which the performance paradigm has been taken up by the military-industrial-academic complex as it attempts to advance training methodologies nimble enough to take on a new frontier of irregular and asymmetrical warfare. Each site raises a particular set of concerns that, when taken together, trace the genealogies of performance and war. In her studies of scenarios at an insurgent training camp for US Special Forces in Utah, USA, and mock Afghan villages at CFB Wainright, Canada, and the Stanford Training Area in England, Alvarez raises questions concerning how the affective entrainment of soldiers through large-scale immersive improvisations converges in unsettling ways with histories of performance theory. She examines the instrumental use of empathy in military strategy and queries how the immersion of soldiers in the mise en scène of an Afghan village designed to foster Cultural Intelligence (CQ)—positioned by military strategists as a “force multiplier”—prepares soldiers to engage in an irreconcilable paradox of punitive, yet culturally “sensitive,” militarism.

  Professor Alvarez is an associate professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University, Ontario, Canada, where she teaches in the Theatre Praxis concentration. She holds a PhD in Theatre Studies from the University of Toronto. In 2010, she received a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for her current book project on immersive simulations and intercultural performance in military training and dark tourism, which allowed her to conduct field research at military bases and tourist sites in Mexico, the US, Canada, and the UK. Her research on performance and simulation, performance theory, and contemporary experimental performance in the Americas has been published in a variety of periodicals, as well as national and international book collections. She is the editor of the first two collections on Latina/o-Canadian performance, which establish the field of Latina/o performance studies in Canada. She is the recipient of the 2013 Richard Plant Essay Prize and the Robert G. Lawrence emerging scholar prize, both by the Canadian Association of Theatre Research.

  The seminar is curated by Cecilie Ullerup Schmidt and Skogen. It is presented in collaboration with Göteborgs Konsthall and Glänta with support from Västra Götalandsregionen and Goethe-Institut Schweden.

  Tags: Creativity and Authorship in Warfare, Göteborgs Konsthall, Natalie Alvarez, Performance and Its Genealogies of War, Skogen, Sweden
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

• Dramatic Arts Professor receives prestigious Richard Plant Award

  Friday, September 27, 2013 | By Brock University

  The Canadian Association for Theatre Research has, since its inception, been the principal catalyst for expansion of theatre research in Canada. The Association works to promote research and publication of the results of this research into Canadian theatre and drama. Every year, CATR announces the results of awards for innovative and forward thinking research into theatre and drama in Canada.

  Dr. Natalie Alvarez, associate professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University was recently awarded the Richard Plant Award by the Canadian Association for Theatre Research for her essay “Realisms of Redress: Alameda Theatre and the Formation of a Latina/o Canadian Theatre and Politics”. This essay, published in New Canadian Realisms: New Essays on Canadian Theatre edited by Roberta Baker and Kim Solga, digs deeply into the pressing practical and scholarly debates concerning racial embodiment on Canadian stages. It is grounded in a rich historical survey of policies, practices and theoretic debates on identity and casting that have shaped Canadian theatre practice. Her arguments draw from the perspective of a Latina/o Canadian theatre culture in formation, particularly as demonstrated by the distinctive casting practices of Toronto’s Alameda Theatre that seek a repressive realism. Professor Alvarez provocatively argues for the potential of an indexical realism to build the foundation for a more viable realism of redress.

  At the 2013 Congress, Alvarez’s two edited books on Latina/o Canadian theatre and performance Fronteras Viventes: Eight Latina/o Canadian Plays and Latina/o Canadian Theatre and Performance were launched at the annual Playwrights Canada Press luncheon. These books are the first collections on Latina/o Canadian theatre and performance and engage in a cross-border dialogue with prominent and emerging US and Canadian scholars who take a hemispheric perspective in their examinations of Canadian “Latinidad.”

  Professor Alvarez has been busy the last few years traveling for her Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded research project in performance studies which investigates live, immersive simulations in a variety of contexts. In her investigation into the emergence of “dark-tourism”, Alvarez has observed interactions between soldiers and Afgan actors in mock Afgan villages constructed for the final phase of intensive training. She also spent a week in the Utah mountains at an immersive “insurgent training camp” for US military and law enforcement personnel. She presented her research findings at the 2011 American Society of Theatre Research in Montreal in a working session on war and war-time performance. Prior to 2011, Alvarez’s proposal on the illegal border crossing reenactments for tourists in El Alberto, Mexico was selected for the American Society of Theatre Research’s opening plenary panel at the 2009 conference in Puerto Rico.

  The Department of Dramatic Arts congratulates Professor Alvarez for her award and looks forward to the new knowledge and experiences she will share with the students when she rejoins the department in July 2014.

  Tags: Canadian Theatre, Natalie Alvarez, The Canadian Association for Theatre Research
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

• Dramatic Arts Professor launches a new look at the Eurovision Song Contest

  Wednesday, September 25, 2013 | By Brock University

  

  Performing the ‘New’ Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics at the Eurovision Song Contest

  Professor Karen Fricker of Brock University’s Dramatic Arts Department has spent the last decade attending “Europe’s favourite TV show”, the Eurovision Song Contest.

  Professor Fricker, who lectures in the praxis concentration, spent a week last May in Malmö, Sweden where she launched her new co-edited book Performing the ‘New’ Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics at the Eurovision Song Contest at the centre of the annual pop song festival watched by over 170 million people all over the world.

  Performing the ‘New’ Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics at the Eurovision Song Contest argues that this popular music competition is a symbolic contact zone between European cultures: an arena for European identification in which both national solidarity and participation in a European identity are confirmed, and a site where cultural struggles over the meanings, frontiers and limits of Europe are enacted.

  With her new book, Karen has received much attention as a Eurovision media expert. She covered the contest as a journalist for the Irish Times and wrote a blog post this year for the Guardian about the U.K. and Eurovision.

  The Department of Dramatic Arts is celebrating the launch of Professor Fricker’s book on September 26th in TH 235 from 5:00pm – 6:00pm. Refreshments and musical entertainment will be provided, as well as a brief and entertaining introduction to all things Eurovision.

  Tags: Book launch, Eurovision, Karen Fricker
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

• Dramatic Arts Professor Karen Fricker receives Excellence in Teaching Award at McGill University

  Friday, April 05, 2013 | By Brock University

  The Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University congratulates Professor Karen Fricker for her recent Award for Excellence in Teaching at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.  Professor Fricker is the first recipient of The Charles Bronfman and Rita Mayo Award for Excellence in Teaching at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. This is based on evaluations of her Fall, 2013 course, Performing Québec in the Global Age. The award was granted by a jury consisting of Professors Robert Leckey and Nathalie Cooke, and MISC Director Will Straw.

  The Award was established in 2012 with a gift from Heather Munro-Blum and Leonard Solomon-Blum. The Award recognizes outstanding teaching at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada in the Faculty of Arts, with special emphasis on advancing the interest of students in the study of Canada. All faculty in the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada are eligible for the Award, which has a total value of $1,000.

  The MISC congratulates Professor Fricker on this Award and thanks her for her excellent contributions to their teaching program.

  See the original news posting on the website of the MISC at McGill University.

  Tags: Excellence in Teaching Award, Karen Fricker, McGill University
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

• Khalida: a play for the Arab Spring, opens in St. Catharines at the Sullivan-Mahoney Theatre

  Thursday, February 28, 2013 | By Brock University

  By Dr. Karen Fricker and staff

  The story told in Khalida, a new theatre production playing this week in St Catharines, might at first glance seem somewhat removed from the experience of many Canadians. Subtitled ‘a play for the Arab Spring’, it takes the form of the confession and testimony of Said, a man on the run from his native Middle Eastern country, which has become a battle zone.

  But the play’s origins couldn’t be more local: it springs from the friendship between author/director David Fancy, Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts at Brock, and the Iraqi actor Addil Hussain, who received a BA in Dramatic Arts degree from Brock in 2006.

  ‘Addil was Saddam Hussein’s favourite actor,’ Fancy explains. ‘He fled Iraq during the first Gulf War and, after living as a refugee in Jordan for six or seven years, finally ended up in Canada. He did a degree in the Drama in Education and Society stream at Brock and became a Canadian citizen’. Audiences might remember Hussain’s performances in two of the three plays performed in An Arabian Trilogy, a departmental Mainstage production in 2006. In the third play he performed the role of the father in Leila Tatadaffah Bil Rasass. Mun Youaniquha? (By the Warmth of the Bullet that Kills) set in modern-day Baghdad and written by another Brock graduate Abbas Aldilami.

  Fancy says he wrote the play ‘for the express purpose of continuing a conversation with Addil, having witnessed the challenges that he experienced as an individual and as an artist finding a voice as a new Canadian.’ The play is being produced by neXt Company Theatre, of which Fancy is co-artistic director.

  While his friendship with Hussain offers fascinating insight into Khalida’s origins, Fancy believes an appreciation of the production does not rely on this backstory. ‘This is about a person somewhere in the world who has experienced difficulty and is using creativity to frame that and move beyond it,’ he explains.

  The role of Said is being played by Toronto-based actor Jason Jazrawy, whose father is from Iraq. Jazrawy calls Said ‘an Arabic Everyman who whom all ethnicities can relate’ and says he welcomes the opportunity to ‘portray an Arab as a positive role model for a change,’ having found himself often cast as a terrorist jihadi because of his heritage.

  Alongside Khalida, neXt Company Theatre has facilitated a community engagement project, The Arab Spring Monologues, which features 9-10 Niagarans, including four Brock students and recent graduates, writing about how the Arab Spring connects with their own experience or with the region.

  Students from across the DART concentrations – Applied Theatre and Drama in Education, Theatre Praxis, Performance, and Production and Design – will be attending the production. The production presents an excellent model for the Brock students’ creative investigations in writing and dramaturgy, performance, and production, as well as personal and social identities and citizenship, remarks the Chair or the Department, David Vivian.

  As for Addil Hussain, he returned to the Middle East in 2010, and is now working as an actor in Baghdad. Despite being half a world away, this production of Khalida is very much on his radar. Via Facebook, he sent this message to Fancy and his collaborators: ‘Khalida was just a wish, and an idea, then became reality… I’m fully confident that Khalida is in great hands, hands with a great level of professionalism. Break a leg!’
  ———-
  Khalida plays at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre from 26 February-2 March. Tickets are available here. The Arab Spring Monologues play 5-7 pm on Saturday, March 2 at Robertson Hall, 85 Church Street, St. Catharines. Admission free; groups are requested to contact the company in advance here.

  Tags: Addil Hussain, David Fancy, Karen Fricker, Khalida, The Arab Spring
  Categories: Alumni, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Plays

• DART Professor at 2013 Congress in Victoria, British Columbia

  Friday, February 15, 2013 | By Brock University

  Associate Professor Natalie Alvarez will be serving on the Program Committee for the Canadian Association for Theatre Research’s (CATR) 2013 meeting at Congress 2013 of the Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2014 DART will be hosting the annual meeting of the CATR as part of the complete Congress event to be held at the St. Catharines campus.

  In addition to participating in a seminar on performance studies and sport, her two edited books on Latina/o Canadian theatre and performance will be launched during a conference lunch in Victoria.

  Tags: Canadian Association for Theatre Research, CATR, Natalie Alvarez
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

• Dramatic arts prof interviewed on national radio

  Monday, January 21, 2013 | By Brock University

  

  Karen Fricker, assistant professor of Dramatic Arts, was inteviewed on CBC Radio’s Q Monday morning.

  (Source: The Brock News, Monday, January 21, 2013 | by Tiffany Mayer)

  A Brock University dramatic arts professor was interviewed on national radio about the current state of affairs of entertainment giant Cirque du Soleil.

  Karen Fricker was a guest Monday on CBC Radio’s Q, a daily arts and culture magazine. The assistant professor talked about the implications of Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil’s recent announcement that it was laying off 400 people.

  “This is significant because Cirque du Soleil is a very strong brand and usually the coverage around it is positive,” Fricker said.

  The segment of the show, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, looked at whether the company was in crisis and if the layoffs meant the end of a Canadian success story made world famous for its performances that incorporate gravity-defying acrobatics and stunning choreography.

  From Fricker’s perspective, Cirque du Soleil isn’t going anywhere but it has grown at an unsustainable rate.

  The company has even admitted to not having appropriate control over its spending.

  “That’s an important admission,” Fricker said. “They’re making money but they’re spending too much and (cutting jobs) is a line in the sand, a signal their practices need to change .”

  Fricker was joined by J. Kelly Nestruck, a theatre critic for the Globe and Mail, on the show.

  The segment will air again Monday night on CBC Radio One at 10 p.m. and can be heard online or as a podcast.

  Tags: CBC Radio, CBC Radio Q, Cirque du Soleil, J. Kelly Nestruck, Karen Fricker, The Brock News
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News