News

  • Technical Theatre Job Opportunity in the Department of Dramatic Arts

    miwsfpa-icon-220IATSE 01/2013 Theatre Technical Production Assistant, Department of Dramatic Arts (DART), Faculty of Humanities 

    (closes Friday, July 19, 2013)

    Reporting to the Production Manager and/or Technical Director, the Theatre Technical Production Assistant is responsible for providing the technical elements for departmental production and teaching, supporting teaching of technical production by instruction or lab demonstration, supervising and maintaining DART spaces, technical inventory and equipment, and coordinating and supervising students and hired technicians.

    for more information and to apply please please see this page for the posting

    download the posting in a PDF file

    Inquiries about the job opportunity may be sent to the Production Manager, Brian Cumberland bcumberland@brocku.ca

    Inquiries about the Department and its programs may be sent to the Chair, Professor David Vivian dvivian@brocku.ca

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    Categories: Announcements, News

  • Dramatic Arts student adventuring at the Banff Centre

    gina_tmblr_th_300 The Banff Center, located in the scenic Rocky Mountains of Alberta, is the largest arts and creativity incubator on the planet. Every year over 8000 artists, leaders, and researchers come from all over Canada and worldwide to participate in a large variety of arts programs. This year, a Dramatic Arts student, Gina Greco, is participating in a work study program as a wardrobe technician.

    Gina, a Dramatic Arts Student concentrating in Production and Design, has worked on a number of projects within the department. Focusing on aspects of costuming, she has worked on the One Acts Festival, the Fall 2012 Mainstage The Suicide – A Russian Comedy by Nikolai Erdman, directed by Gyllian Raby, Empty Box Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, and the independent production Runner, written and directed by colleague and student in the Dramatic Arts program, Nicole Titus.

    Gina Greco

    Gina Greco at the Banff Centre

    Banff’s Theatre Arts Production, Design, and technology training programs have been running for more than 60 years. Participants are guided by many creative and design teams working simultaneously in opera, dance, theatre and interdisciplinary performance. With a combination of hands-on experiences and skill based training, the program seeks to inform and inspire the next generation of theatre makers and artists.

    Some projects Gina will be working on are preparing a costume set for the opera Marriage of Figaro, making alterations on the costumes of an opera arriving from England, as well as a professional dance show. She will be working along side three other work-study technicians as a cutter and a First Hand under the guidance of the Head of Wardrobe Patsy Thomas.

    “The most exciting thing is getting an opportunity to practise my craft in one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s my first time out west and I couldn’t ask for a better reason to be here,” Gina exclaimed.

    “I think the biggest challenge will be adapting to working in a professional theatre environment, since I’ve never done something on this scale. But I’m totally up to that challenge!” she added.

    To follow Gina’s experiences as cutter and first hand at the Banff festival, check out her blog on Tumblr.

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    Categories: Current Students, News

  • Congratulations to 2013 SSHRC award recipient and Dramatic Arts graduate, Erica Charles

    Erica Charles seen with her father at the recent Faculty of Humanities Convocation on June 11, 2013.

    Erica Charles seen with her father at the recent Faculty of Humanities Convocation on June 11, 2013.

    Published on June 22 2013

    The Department extends its hearty congratulations to 2013 SSHRC award recipient and Dramatic Arts graduate, Erica Charles.  Erica was awarded the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Award: Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship — Master’s for her work “The voice in phenomenology and semiotic theory.”

    Erica is one of 31 Brock graduate students who received a share of $975,000 of funding under SSHRC’s Talent Program, designed to give master’s and doctoral students a boost.

    Most of these students, including Erica, received funding under SSHRC’s Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s category. The remainder had grants under two doctoral categories.

    “Graduate students are involved in outstanding research that matters in so many ways to people of all ages living in our closest neighbourhoods, in communities around Canada, and in the far reaches of the world,” says Mike Plyley, Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies.

    “We are very proud of the success of our students in these highly competitive awards. This is a measure of excellence and recognition of the scope and calibre of work that our students pursue as they create their distinct identities as the researchers, scholars, and leaders of tomorrow.”

    Erica was recently seen performing in An Acre of Time by Jason Sherman, Studio Theatre, and The Blue Room by David Hare, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, both productions of the Department of Dramatic Arts of the Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. She will be seen on the stages of the Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals in Fulcrum Theatre’s production of HERE.  A multimedia dance-theatre piece from the company that won Best of Hamilton Fringe in 2012, HERE examines the notions of being stuck and learning when to say goodbye to something you love.

    View the complete list of grant recipients and their research.

    (With notes from: 31 Brock grad students receive SSHRC scholarships, posted by tmayer on Jun 18th, 2013.)

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    Categories: Alumni, News

  • Dramatic Arts students engaging in new challenges at the Shaw Festival

    Kevin Chew and a bust of George Bernard Shaw

    Kevin Chew and a bust of George Bernard Shaw

    Every year Brock’s emerging theatre artists have an opportunity to intern for a six-week intensive learning experience at one of Canada’s most renowned theatre organizations, the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

    Kevin Chew, a Concurrent Education student studying Dramatic Arts at Brock University, is the successful Intern candidate for 2013. Kevin was recently seen performing on the stage of the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre of the Centre for the Arts at Brock University in the Department’s February Mainstage The Blue Room by David Hare, directed by Virginia Reh. For his upper year thesis project Kevin conceived and directed the innovative investigation of restaurant service industry in the immersive dinner theatre event entitled Table 99, self-produced at Isaac’s Bar and Grill at Brock University.

    Students of the Department of Dramatic Arts are eligible to apply for this intensive residency following the successful completion of DART 4P92 Voice and Text of Bernard Shaw. Their academic studies in the Department come alive in the festival milieu of Shaw company professionals producing at the top of their game.

    During his six weeks in Niagara-on-the-Lake Kevin will be working with Shaw’s Director of Audience and Community Engagement, Norm Bradshaw (former Senior Major Gifts Officer for Brock’s Faculty of Humanities), Shaw Intern directors Paul Van Dyke and Rose Plotek, Festival Co-Artistic Director Eda Holmes (directing Arcadia by Tom Stoppard), and Festival Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell (directing Enchanted April by Matthew Barber).

    Following the development of world-class theatre productions from rehearsal studio through to opening night Kevin is also involved with projects such as cataloguing, appraising and photographing pieces in the art collection of the Shaw Festival, developing templates for potential community outreach/ engagement programs, education and engagement research, and assisting in the Festival’s Stage Properties shop in Virgil, Ontario.

    Through participation in singing and Alexander technique workshops, scheduled lunches and casual conversations with his new peers and mentors, Kevin is discovering what it means to contribute to the wealth of creative talent in the Festival company of theatre artists, production staff and administrators.

    For original insight into theatre production at Canada’s second largest repertory theatre company, follow Kevin’s Facebook group Brock-Shaw Internship.

    The DART Shaw Festival Internship program is generously supported for three years by proceeds from the annual General Brock’s October Soiree. DART graduates who have completed the internship include Robyn Cunningham (2012) and Jacqueline Costa (2011).

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    Categories: Current Students, News

  • Dramatic Arts graduate speaks to future theatre makers

    spencer-spoonAt the second Dramatic Arts Invitational for 2013 graduate Spencer Charles Smith inspired the 60 applicants with a short presentation about his professional development since he first enrolled at Brock in 2007. After graduating from Brock University’s Dramatic Arts program in 2011, he went on to complete a MA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies (specializing in queer performance) at the Center for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. Spencer is now a playwright, performer, dramaturge and Artistic Director of the queer theatre company, Straight Camp. Theatre credits include: Breath in Between (Crow’s Theatre/SummerWorks 2012), Spoon: A Queer Play (Straight Camp), Still Life (lemonTree creations/SummerWorks 2011), among others. Spencer is also co-owner of the famous Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto.

    Spencer concluded his presentation with inspiring advice for the new Brock students:

    1. Always say ‘Yes.’
    You never know what will come from a job. You never know who’s watching and who’s looking for someone new to collaborate with on future projects. One job almost always leads to the next. Keep busy.

    2. Take advantage of your resources and fail.
    Theatre school offers you free rehearsal space, a free theatre and a team of people who all want you to learn and grow. Take risks, play and don’t be afraid to fail. This is where you will discover your strengths, your weaknesses and your obsessions.

    3. See theatre.
    The only way you will ever realize theatre’s emotional, intellectual and creative potential is if you experience it first hand. Let it expand your imagination and inspire you to recreate it, deconstruct it, or refine it.

    4. Don’t burn bridges.
    The theatre community is very small and we need to support each other. We need to keep the dialogue going because art is meant to spark conversation. Find at least one positive in everything you see. Plus, you never know who will be on the other side of that audition table.

    5. Make your own opportunities.
    Don’t wait around for someone to offer you a job. Keep writing. Keep creating. Maintain your momentum. People respect passion, ambition and drive. I repeat: Keep busy.

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

    bernie-new-photo-2_10

    Dr. Bernie Warren

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

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

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

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

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

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

    for more information contact dramatic.arts@brocku.ca
    and see the story: “Clown doctor in the house this summer at Brock” in the Brock News.

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, News

  • Our Grad, Julia Course – break-a-leg!

    shaw_ourbetters_webgallery_8DART Alumna Julia Course was recently given a nod by J. Kelly Nestruck in the The Globe and Mail for her role in one of “6 can’t-miss stage productions for spring”.

    from the Globe and Mail, Wednesday, Apr. 17 2013:

    Our Betters, Shaw Festival

    The Shaw Festival is hoping some of the smell of Downton Abbey rubs off on its production of W. Somerset Maugham’s Our Betters, a 1923 comedy about rich American women trying to snag a British noble. Julia Course, a young company member who has turned heads in smaller parts in recent seasons, gets her first starring role in this production from acclaimed director/designer team Morris Panych and Ken MacDonald.

    Royal George Theatre, April 3-Oct. 27, www.shawfest.com

    You can see Julia interviewed and on stage in this short video available from PBS.

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    Categories: Alumni, News

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

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    Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News

  • Dramatic Arts sponsors the Arts in Education Award for 2013

    arts-awards-web

    The Department of Dramatic Arts is pleased to sponsor the Arts in Education Award for 2013. Nominate a deserving artist now!

    The St. Catharines Arts Awards recognize and celebrate excellence in all areas of artistic creation. The Arts Awards seek to increase the visibility of St. Catharines’ artists and cultural industries, honour cultural leaders and their achievements, and cultivate financial and volunteer support for the arts sector. Each award winner will be presented with a civic certificate of appreciation and a cash prize of $300.

    Nominations are now being accepted!

    Six Arts Awards categories are open for nominations this year. Nominations can be submitted using the forms below.

    Nomination Deadline April 15, 2013 at 4:30 p.m.

    The recipients of the City of St. Catharines Arts Awards will be announced on Saturday June 8, 2013 at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre. All nominees will be provided with advance tickets to the event.

    Save the Date! Tickets for the Arts Awards are $10 and will go on sale in March.

    Connect with St. Catharines Cultural Services on Facebook

    Looking for inspiration? View a list of past winners

    Arts in Education Award

    The Arts in Education Award celebrates an individual, collective or organization that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to engaging St. Catharines residents through arts education activities.

    View the Arts in Education Award Nomination Form

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  • DART graduate to receive the President’s Surgite Award

    DART alumna Roxolana (Rox) Chwaluk was recently selected to receive the President’s Surgite Award at her Masters degree convocation in the autumn of 2013.

    The President’s Surgite Award recognizes those students who have been outstanding in one or more of the following areas:

    • Demonstrated exemplary leadership in a student club, organization, association or team.
    • Did something exceptional that helped to advance Brock’s academic reputation.
    • Made a significant contribution to student life at Brock.
    • Provided a valuable service to Brock or the broader community.

    Rox remarked that “the foundation that I had as a DART (Dramatic Arts) student was essential to my success. I have always been grateful for the opportunities I was provided to engage with my peers and the community. The professors who inspired me also grounded my work.”

    Rox graduated with a BA Honours in Dramatic Arts First-Class Standing in 2009, her Bachelor of Education Preservice Education – Intermediate Senior in 2010, and will graduate with her Master of Education (Social and Cultural Contexts of Education) in the autumn of 2013.

    congratulations to you, Rox!

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    Categories: Alumni, News