Department of Dramatic Arts Performances in 2025-26
Join us for events in June!

Join us for department productions that present

• students, faculty, professional technical staff and guest artists in live performance creation;
• advanced theatre making and creation exploration by our senior students;
• in-program course-based public outcomes; and
• special guest artist presentations and exhibitions by emerging and professional artists, including our alumni.

In-program course-based presentations

One Acts Festival 2026: We’re Still Talking About This

Presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts

Six One Act plays directed by senior students and performed by members of the DART community.

Follow the company and learn about the plays at https://www.instagram.com/brockuoneacts/

He Said She Said by Alice Gerstenberg, directed by Kyriaki Pambis

Oil by Eugene O’Neill, directed by Sophia Munoz
Aboard a 19th century whaling ship hunting oil in the north seas, the obsessive Captain Keeney drives his crew with a cruel hand. After 2 years and no whales in sight the sailors have reached the end of their rope. The captain’s denial of the end of the crew’s contract is the fire that lights the spark: there’s bound to be a mutiny.

Passion, Poison, and Petrifaction by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Elliot Barron
A radical queer retelling of the story of the Fitztollemaches, a married couple who each harbor dark secrets. Magnesia, a secret true love. George, a jealous rage and the urge to win back Magnesia’s heart no matter what (or who) stands in his way. With powerful forces aiding George from the outside, Magnesia must do whatever it takes to save the one thing that’s truly hers: her love.

The Boor by Anton Chekhov, directed by Emily Schilling
A young widow navigates the death of her husband as a desperate creditor tries to collect a debt. Their argument ends up getting a little out of hand.

Trifles by Susan Glaspell, directed by Jenna Moulton

Voices by Hortense Flexner, directed by Maya Kershaw

Performance dates: 
Friday, June 12, 2026 – 7:30 pm
Saturday, June 13 – 2 p.m
Saturday, June 13 – 7:30 p.m.

Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, MIWSFPA
15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

Tickets are available at Brock University Tickets.

To plan your journey to the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, for parking, directions, or accessibility, click here to view our Visiting the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre webpage.

Guest artists presentations

Ann-Marie MacDonald

Presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts,
Ann-Marie MacDonald is our Walker Cultural Leader for 2026.

Ann-Marie MacDonald Residency & Symposium
January – June 2026
Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, MIWSFPA

Join us on June 20, 2026 for the the final Walker Cultural Leader Event of 2025-26!

Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald (MAMM) Symposium
Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
Saturday, June 20^th, 2026, 8:30am – 4:30 pm.

The program includes:

• “Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald” Showcase, 9am-11am in multiple locations adjacent to the MIW theatre, including posters, online exhibits, objects and ephemera of interest, as well as live-showcase sessions run by the MAMM team, and a scavenger hunt.  In the Val Fleming Lecture Hall (MWS 156) two MAMM digital exhibits will be presented, Live Coding and the Factory project.  On display in the downstairs lobby will be a unique 3D Map and supporting posters.
• In the MIW Theatre beginning at 11am (ticket required):
  • 11am-noon: a MAMM presentation and Q+A, , featuring faculty and student members of the MAMM team.
  • 1:30-3:30pm: a reading excerpt from Best Soldier, performed by Ann-Marie MacDonald. The reading with be followed by a Q+A with Ann-Marie and Alisa Palmer, and Rebecca Harper, facilitated by Dr. Jennifer Roberts-Smith, Chair, Department of Dramatic Arts, Brock University

Registration table opens at 8:30am and the day concludes at 4:30pm.
An information table will be located at the lower main entrance lobby and on the second floor near the entrance to the MIWSFPA opposite the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

Seats must be reserved for the events programmed in the theatre.
Tickets (no cost) are required and available at Brock University Ticketing.

Ann-Marie MacDonald is a leading interdisciplinary, queer feminist Canadian artist whose career as a stage actor, collaborative theatre maker, playwright and novelist spans four influential decades. MacDonald’s work includes the novels Fayne (2022), Fall on Your Knees (1997), and the plays Belle Moral: A Natural History (2008) and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (1988), among many others.

MacDonald’s residency began in January 2026 with a reading from her work-in-progress, Best Soldier, and an interview introducing questions about play development and the relationships among creativity, scholarship and pedagogy that MacDonald will explore during her residency. In February, she led a workshop to advance students’ emerging play development skills, followed by a Theatre Pedagogy Salon for Department of Dramatic Arts faculty.

The Walker Cultural Leader residency concludes in June 2026 with the Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald (MAMM) Symposium. The symposium will include a public presentation of Best Soldier and feature panel discussions exploring the development of new works and dramaturgy. MAMM is a collaboration of the Department of Digital Humanities and the principal investigator, Dr. Neta Gordon of the Department of English Language and Literature. The SSHRC-funded “Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald” (MAMM) project will be featured in a digital exhibition at MIWSFPA.

See the Walker Cultural Leader page of the MIWSFPA.

See the article Public showcase to celebrate acclaimed artist Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Brock residency.

ESCAPE TO ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters

Written and Directed by Mike Griffin
Set and Costume Design by Kelly Wolf
Lighting Design by Chris Malkowski
Sound Design by Gavin Fearon
Puppet/Mask Design by Mike Griffin

Need an escape? From your job? Your relationships? The challenges that society throws at you? Come escape with us to ILKANOR, a whimsical fantasy land that provides seven special earthlings an escape from the challenges of their daily lives and an opportunity to explore different sides of their identities.

Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters explores escapism and investigates some of fantasy’s common tropes through whimsical stories, diverse characters, and unique fantastical creatures. Through an episodic structure and a poetic style, the play dives into themes that explore representation in fantasy, neurodiversity, disability, the importance of community and mentorship, and wrestling with identity and self-care. With a bold theatrical style that incorporates puppets, masks, and physical theatre, this is a show for anyone who enjoys transporting into their imagination.

Please note: This production will invite audience members use smart phones and headphones/earbuds to access material through a QR code for a PRE-SHOW performance, starting 15 minutes before show time.
Please arrive early and bring smart phones and headphones/earbuds to the show.

Content Advisory: There will be atmospheric haze, moving and flashing lights within this production.

Read how Dramatic Arts mainstage brings fantasy world to life in celebration of unique identities in The Brock News. (26.03.04)

Read the article Brock University dramatic arts students bring real world identities to fantasy play – Examining escapism and the reason for it is explored in “Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters,” running March 6 to 14 in downtown St. Catharines (26.05.05) in the Niagara Falls Review: 

Performance dates:
March 6, 7 & 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m.
March 8 at 2:00 p.m.

March 12 at 11:00 a.m (School matinee)
SPECIAL TICKET OFFER
one time only $5.00 ticket offer
use code: ETIthursday
for up to 5 of any type of ticket
https://bit.ly/4cBFj9C

Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, MIWSFPA
15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

Tickets will be available through Brock University Tickets.
$10 for DART students, $20 for other Brock students, $25 for the general public.

See this poster (pdf format) for information about the middle- and high-school matinees!

This show will be performed in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines. Limited parking onsite.

To plan your journey to the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, for parking, directions, or accessibility, click here to view our Visiting the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre webpage.

Image Gallery for Escape to ILKANOR

Métis Nutcracker

Written by Matthew MacKenzie
Directed and Choreographed by Monica Dottor

Set and Costume Design by Monica Dottor
Sound Design by Richard Feren
Lighting Design by Chris Malkowski
Composed by Noor Dean Musani

Performing the role of The Métis Nutcracker, Nicole Joy-Fraser, DART’s Walker Cultural Leader

When Tatiana and Vanya, refugees from the Red Pine Forest who are struggling to acclimatize to their new surroundings, meet a magical Métis Nutcracker, they are taken on a magical journey, exploring the wonders of Turtle Island.

In consultation with Indigenous artists from the Pemmican Collective, the largest indigenous creator’s cohort in the country, DART will produce an adaptation of a classic holiday tale. Métis Nutcracker, by Métis playwright and DART faculty member Matthew MacKenzie, will incorporate elements of theatre, dance, and vintage circus. Audiences will be taken on an adventure that will both entertain and invite them to see the holiday season through the lens of Indigenous history and traditions.

Third-year Dramatic Arts student Molly Solomon in the role of the Maple Sugar Fairy dancing among the berries in the mainstage production of the Métis Nutcracker.

Roles will be performed by both professionals and 18 students from Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts.

Nicole Joy-Fraser will play the Nutcracker.

Carousel Players is excited to partner with Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) to provide Educational Workshops and Study Guide Materials for this production.

Grades 4+

see below for more information about:
Making Métis Nutracker: A conversation with Nicole Joy-Fraser and Matthew MacKenzie
A Walker Cultural Leader’s Artists’ Talk about The Métis Nutcracker.
Friday, December 5 @ 3:00 – 5:00 pm.
Location: MIW Theatre

Thanks to CBC for their article Niagara play Métis Nutcracker tells parallel stories of colonization and war in Ukraine.
Read about the multiple threads woven into the script, the novel interpretation of contemporary and historical events, the personal experiences centred in the story and learn about a nutcracker that is really a crow. ‘kraak kraak’

Read about performer Abbey Keays journey to create the Métis Nutcracker:
“I get the opportunity to speak my native Mohawk language and tell the creation story in the show, so connecting my culture to my artistic practice has already fuelled my passion for performing even more.”
Students build community, deepen cultural connections in Indigenous Plus

Read about the development and collaboration to create the Métis Nutcracker, featuring interviews with Dramatic Arts student Molly Solomon, playwright and faculty member Matt MacKenzie, and our Walker Cultural Leader and lead performer in the play, Nicole Joy-Fraser:
Métis Nutcracker: Classic winter tale reimagined in celebration of Indigenous identity

Read about DART’s Walker Cultural Leader Nicole Joy-Fraser, playing the role of the Métis Nutcracker in DART’s mainstage production:
How the arts shaped Walker Cultural Leader’s path to Indigenous roots

Niagara play Métis Nutcracker tells parallel stories of colonization and war in Ukraine: Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts Matthew MacKenzie and third-year Dramatic Arts student Molly Solomon spoke to CBC News, The St. Catharines Standard, Pelham Today, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Local and Nation Talk about their upcoming mainstage production of the Métis Nutcracker.

Performance dates:

Dec. 3rd and 4th at 11:00 a.m. (school matinees)
Dec. 5th and 6th at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 6th and 7th at 2:00 p.m.

Estimated performance time is 1 hour.

Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, MIWSFPA
15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

Tickets are available through Brock University Tickets.
$10 for DART students, $20 for other Brock students, $25 for the general public.

See this poster (pdf format) for information about the middle- and high-school matinees!

This show will be performed in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines. Limited parking onsite.

To plan your journey to the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, for parking, directions, or accessibility, click here to view our Visiting the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre webpage.

Nicole Joy Fraser (photo: Amber Lee Williams)

Making Métis Nutracker: A conversation with Nicole Joy-Fraser and Matthew MacKenzie
A Walker Cultural Leader’s Artists’ Talk about The Métis Nutcracker.
Friday, December 5 @ 3:00 – 5:00 pm.
Location: MIW Theatre

A public discussion lead by DART Walker Cultural Leader and principal actor for the Métis Nutcracker, Nicole Joy-Fraser, with DART faculty and playwright, Matt MacKenzie
The artists’ talk will invite public participation and will be free to attend.
Reserve your no-cost seat at Brock University Tickets.

Nicole Joy-Fraser is a proud bear clan matriarch who grew up in Mississauga with Euro-Settler, Tsa’tinée, Nehiyaw and Métis bloodlines from Horse Lake First Nation, AB. For over 25 years they have been storytelling for stage and screen, across Turtle Island and beyond, and have worked with many celebrated companies such as The Stratford Festival, The Shaw, Mirvish, Theatre Aquarius, CBC, CBS, BBC and Telefilm.

As a multi-disciplinary artist, community theatre practitioner and cultural facilitator now based in the Onguiaahra region, Nicole continues to advocate for Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, which have greatly impacted their journey as a 60’s scoop witness and 2Spirit Helper.

Nicole recently assisted the DART faculty at Marilyn I. Walker in their Indigenous Theatre, Foundations of Theatre and Dramaturgy courses, facilitated workshops in the Department of Continuing Education and has been providing traditional blessings for multiple events across the Brock campus for students, faculty and the Niagara community over the last few years.

Nicole looks forward to investigating and sharing the ways that Indigenous practices can be engaged in process, creation and collaboration with students, faculty and production partners with the premiere of the MainStage production Métis Nutcracker this fall term.

Creation exploration and advanced theatre-making by our senior students

Enjoy Your Stay

The third and final presentation of DART 4D56 Collaborative Play Development, presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Company of DART 4D56, Kaleidoscope Collective.

Have you been craving a chance to get away from the monotony of your day-to-day? Well, you have been cordially invited to a hotel so grand, you’ll never leave! With comfortable facilities, lavish mixer-style events for guests, Fine dining, and staff who pride themselves on taking care of your every need, no matter what, you will enjoy your time with us, guaranteed! Reserve your room now, and we will be awaiting your arrival.

These are the final public performances of an original theatrical creation developed across the academic year by the fourth year cohort of students with the professional mentorship of Alison Wong, course instructor.

Content Advisory: Horror themes, loud sounds, flashing lights, references to suicide, mentions of death, mental health.

Follow the company on instagram @kaleidoscope_collective2025

Read how DART students debut new play exploring obsession in The Brock News. (26.04.02)

Show Dates:
April 10th and 11th – 7:30 pm
April 11th and 12th – 2:00 pm

Tickets will be available at https://brocku.universitytickets.com/?cid=185

This show will run at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines. Limited parking onsite.

To plan your journey to the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, for parking, directions, or accessibility, click here to view our Visiting the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre webpage.

Enjoy Your Stay

A second work-in-process sharing of this creative laboratory presentation by DART 4D56 (Collaborative Play Development) of the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Kaleidoscope Collective.

Follow the company on Instagram
@kaleidoscope_collective2025

professional mentor: Alison Wong, course instructor
Content Advisory: Death, Smoking, Abuse, Violence, Sudden loud noises, Blood

Show Dates:
Jan 9th – 7:30 pm

Tickets by Invitation. Follow us on IG and TikTok for updates.

This show will be performed in Studio C (MWS 251)  at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines. Limited parking onsite.

To plan your journey to the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, for parking, directions, or accessibility, click here to view our Visiting the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre webpage.

Enjoy Your Stay

Welcome to the Blewett Hotel! If you choose us, you can experience our luxury suites, gourmet dinners, and lavish decorations. Our staff are always attentive and ready to help you at any time, night or day. With us, you are guaranteed a stay that you will remember for the rest of your life… however long that may be. When you enter our hotel, you’re never going to want to leave.

The first lab presentation of DART 4D56 Collaborative Play Development, presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Company of DART 4D56, Kaleidoscope Collective.  A workshop performance for the public of an original theatrical creation in development by the fourth year cohort of students.

Follow the company on instagram @kaleidoscope_collective2025

professional mentor: Alison Wong, course instructor
Content Advisory: Death, Smoking, Abuse, Violence, Sudden loud noises, Blood

Show Dates:
Nov 14th – 7:30 pm

*** THIS EVENT IS SOLD-OUT***
to place your name on a waitlist please email Emma Burnagiel eb22qv @ brocku.ca

Tickets are free and will be available at brocku.universitytickets.com/?cid=185

This show will be performed in Studio C (MWS 251)  at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines. Limited parking onsite.

To plan your journey to the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, for parking, directions, or accessibility, click here to view our Visiting the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre webpage.

Guest artists presentations

Why Don’t We Together: an immersive experience

Presented by the Department of Dramatic Arts in collaboration with Dear Bear Multi-Arts collective.

Part 2 – Winter exhibition: from Jan. 9 – Feb. 13, 2026
Museum in the Hallway/Boîte-en-valise
(2nd floor by the Theatre entrance), MIWSFPA
Reception: Thursday, Feb. 5 from 5-7 p.m.

This collaboration by Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise and the Performance Research Institute of the Department of Dramatic Arts presents an exhibit about the immersive audio-visual storytelling experience by the Niagara-based Dear Bear Multi-Arts collective. Why Don’t We Together is a collection of original stories presented in an immersive sound and light experience. This developing project by alumni of the MIWSFPA has toured Ontario since 2023 and was recently presented at the MIWSFPA in September 2025.

The exhibit includes a section of The Hut revealing the design and build, a video showing the build and immersive experience, and QR codes that link to 360 degree views of the immersive experience and a selection of the stories commissioned from local artists. Bring your smartphones, your headphones and come play with the lights!

links to: https://www.dearbearmultiarts.ca/video
and https://www.dearbearmultiarts.ca/story-audio

Part 1 – Autumn exhibition: An immersive audio-visual storytelling experience by the Niagara-based Dear Bear Multi-Arts Collective.

Why Don’t We Together tells stories in a custom-built octagonal structure called “The Hut.” Each 3-7 minute story can be experienced by up to 8 audience members at a time. When the audience enters they will jointly choose from among 12 pre-programmed stories written and recorded by a selection of artists. These stories are accompanied by rich sound design and immersive lighting – the walls, seats, ceilings, and airwaves come alive as audiences get transported into the world of each story.

Audience Advisory
Flashing lights, mildly mature language.

The Collective includes alumni of the Dramatic Arts program at the MIWSFPA: Taylor Bogaert (BA Honours Dramatic Arts, 2020), Josh Loewen (BA Honours Dramatic Arts, 2020) and Alex Sykes (BA Honours Dramatic Arts, Concentration in Production and Design, 2022).

The project has been recently programmed at Kingston’s The Kick and Push Festival and the In The Soil Festival (St. Catharines).
Dear Bear Collective are artists in residence at the Xchange in Niagara Falls.

This is a Culture Days event. For more information see: culturedays.ca/en and onculturedays.ca

Exhibition dates:
Sept 21st – Oct 1st, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday
*On Sept. 21 the exhibition will be available beginning 1:30 pm.

Tickets are not required, admission is free.

This exhibition will be available to the public during business hours on the terrace adjacent to the main entrance of Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines. Limited parking onsite.

Why Don’t We Together and the Dear Bear Multi-Arts Collective is generously supported by the St Catharines Cultural Investment Program.