News

  • A powerful performance

    Monday, November 09, 2026 | By

    Two student actors face each on stage during the opening performance of People, Places & Things.

    Brock University Dramatic Arts’ (DART) mainstage production of People, Places and Things opened to a full house on Friday, Nov. 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. Written by British playwright Duncan Macmillan and directed by DART Associate Professor Danielle Wilson, the play explores the complex world of addiction and mental health. Second-year student Deb Howey (left) and fourth-year DART student Jenna Fortier (right) are among the student cast bringing the story to the stage. The production runs this weekend with performances on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through Brock University Tickets.

    Categories: Events, News, Performance Season, Plays

  • Mainstage production to take audiences on complex journey through addiction

    Friday, October 23, 2026 | By

    A student draws letters on coloured folders in the MWS Scene Shop in preparation for a mainstage production

    Image caption: Fourth-year Dramatic Arts student Em Schilling, Assistant Designer on the fall mainstage production People Places and Things by Duncan Macmillan and directed by DART Associate Professor Danielle Wilson, is bringing the story to life through set design in DART’s scene shop. The mainstage production opens Friday, Nov. 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.

    Friday, October 23, 2026 | by

    Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is exploring the world of addiction and mental health to bring a compelling story of struggle and hope to the stage.

    People, Places and Things, written by British playwright Duncan Macmillan and directed by DART Associate Professor Danielle Wilson, opens Friday, Nov. 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.

    Students work in the wardrobe shop in preparation for a mainstage production.

    Second-year Dramatic Arts students Blake Robertson (left) and Ruthie Armstrong have honed their technical and creative skills working in Wardrobe, building costumes and soft props for the fall mainstage production opening Nov. 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

    When Wilson first read the play a decade ago, she was struck by its brilliance and immediately knew she wanted to bring the story to life. First performed in 2015 at the National Theatre in London, United Kingdom, the play is acclaimed for its portrayal of substance abuse and mental health.

    “People, Places and Things is just as relevant now as it was 10 years ago. All we have to do is look around our own communities, and across Canada, to see the reach of addiction. This play provides an opportunity to open discussion on a difficult topic,” she says.

    Both dark and humorous, Brock’s production takes audiences on a physical and theatrical journey through the main character Emma’s detox, denial and relapse as well as the struggle to recover her mental and physical health.

    Embodied storytelling is central to the production, with movement choreographed by theatre artist Trevor Copp used to highlight Emma’s mental, emotional and physical state.

    For Wilson, that approach makes the piece true theatre — a story that can only ever be fully told on stage.

    “The playwright understands movement and how it adds complexity to a scene. Rather than telling us how the characters are feeling, we experience their inner state through their movements and physicality,” she says.

    The creative process of mounting the production — from script analysis, staging, lighting, wardrobe and building the set — has created a safe space for students to explore the impact of addiction on individuals and communities.

    4 students rehearse a scene from People, Places & Things.

    Dramatic Arts students performing in People, Places and Things rehearse in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre with theatre artist Trevor Copp, Choreographer for the fall mainstage production. Movement is essential to the story itself, used to highlight character’s mental, emotional and physical states through embodied storytelling.

    “There can be a lot of judgment, but now we might have a second thought about what may be going on in a person’s life that has led them to that place when we encounter someone experiencing addiction,” says Wilson, who invited community members with lived experience of addiction to share their stories with students.

    For fourth-year DART student Jenna Fortier who plays the lead role of Emma, understanding the lives of the characters is a reminder that everyone has their own story.

    “Addiction isn’t rare and isn’t indicative of some moral failure. These are people who are trying to survive a complicated world; I wonder when society decided to replace support with shame,” Fortier says.

    “I am so grateful for the courageous people who’ve shared their most painful, vulnerable and triumphant moments with our cast. This has supported us in telling their stories with the care and respect that it deserves,” says second-year DART student and mainstage actor Deborah Howey.

    Implementing wellness practices and ensuring students are supported while engaging with difficult subject matter have been a top priority for Wilson.

    “This process has helped us all build kindness and empathy,” she says. “What makes this play so brilliant is that it also has humour and lightness in it — we cannot always sit in the dark.”

    People, Places and Things opens Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines. Performances will also take place Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

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

    3 students on the catwalk in the MIW Theatre

    Third-year Dramatic Arts (DART) student Katie Engel (foreground), second-year DART student Ayoola Odusaya (right) and fourth-year DART student Dylan Smith set up the lighting grid in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre for the upcoming production of People, Places and Things.

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    Categories: Events, News, Performance Season, Plays

  • Drama grad honoured for decades of impact

    Monday, October 05, 2026 | By

    Photo of David Mackenzie accepting the David Betzner Award during the 2026 Alumni Awards Celebration

    Image caption: Brock University Alumni Association President Christopher Yendt (BA’15, BEd’ 15, BEd ’20, MEd ’21), right, presented David MacKenzie (BA ’74), left, with the 2026 David Betzner Award during the 2026 Alumni Awards Celebration on Sept. 20.

    Monday, October 05, 2026 | by

    Nearly 60 years ago, David MacKenzie (BA ’74) made his Brock debut as the sole member of the University’s computer department.

    MacKenzie originally attended the University of Waterloo to study computer sciences but moved back to Niagara before completing his program. He began working full time as Brock’s Data Processing Manager in 1968, just four years after the University launched.

    Photo of David MacKenzie applying theatre makeup for a production of Hamlet in 1970

    David MacKenzie (BA ’74) played Polonius in a 1970 production of Hamlet while studying Drama at Brock.

    Eventually, he returned to full-time studies at Brock with the goal of earning a degree and advancing his career. Short a humanities credit, MacKenzie enrolled in Dramatic Media 195: Practical Drama, taught by Mary Jane Miller.

    “Taking that course, it just changed my life,” he said.

    After graduating from Brock with a degree in Drama, MacKenzie built a career as an actor, playwright and arts professional. He wrote more 20 plays for Carousel Players and spent decades portraying William Hamilton Merritt, the driving force behind the Welland Canal, bringing local history to life for audiences across Niagara.

    Decades later, MacKenzie has been honoured with the 2026 Brock University Alumni Association David Betzner Award for his significant volunteer contributions to Brock and its alumni community.

    Reflecting on his unconventional career path, MacKenzie advises students to “look for the work, not for the job.”

    His own work led him deep into historical research. As well as writing plays about the Welland Canal, transportation, railways and figures from the War of 1812, MacKenzie became a lead writer for the Canadian board game Trivial Pursuit.

    Throughout his career, MacKenzie stayed connected to Brock. He supported bursaries, fine arts initiatives and fundraising efforts at the University and helped to build Brock’s Sean O’Sullivan Theatre. An active member of the graduate community, he designed the Brock University Alumni Association’s (BUAA) official 50th Anniversary tartan.

    In 2009, MacKenzie received the BUAA’s Faculty of Humanities Distinguished Graduate Award.

    A lifelong Niagara resident, MacKenzie has been a stalwart supporter of the local arts scene and volunteered with the Community Support Services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he stepped up to drive fellow residents to medical appointments.

    Whether through theatre, history or volunteer service, MacKenzie says much his life, and happiness, can be traced back to that unexpected course he took at Brock more than 50 years ago. Receiving the David Betzner Award is another chapter in a relationship with the University that has continued long after graduation.

    “If it weren’t for Brock, it wouldn’t have been this life,” Mackenzie said, “and I love this life.”

     

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    Categories: Alumni, News

  • Stage set for Canada’s first international double degree program in Musical Theatre and Education

    Thursday, September 24, 2026 | By

    A group of students perform on stage sitting around a table singing.

    Image caption: Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is launching Canada’s first International Double Degree in Musical Theatre and Education in partnership with University of Portsmouth, U.K. Students will study at Brock’s state-of-the-art Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, including the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, pictured during a March performance of DART’s Mainstage production, Escape to Ilkanor: A Fantasy Play in 9 Chapters.

    Thursday, September 24, 2026 | by

    The curtain is rising on a compelling new act for musical theatre education in Canada.

    Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is launching the country’s first International Double Degree in Musical Theatre and Education.

    “We are thrilled to be building the future of musical theatre education alongside our partners at the University of Portsmouth, offering the opportunity for students to engage in cutting-edge musical theatre training,” says DART Chair and Professor Jennifer Roberts-Smith.

    The innovative degree pathway allows Brock students to study in the U.K. at Portsmouth and Portsmouth students to study at Brock during the third year of the program, graduating with two Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees: in Dramatic Arts from Brock and Musical Theatre from Portsmouth.

    Blending courses in music and dramatic arts, the program will prepare students for their future careers with professional training in singing, movement and contemporary musical theatre creation.

    “We are equipping the next generation of theatre educators and artists with a high level of practical theatre training as well as critical training in how to teach music and theatre; you need both to produce dynamic musicals in any creative setting,” Roberts-Smith says.

    While studying at Brock’s state-of-the-art Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, students will learn and create in a fully equipped professional arts facility that houses a 242-seat theatre, four rehearsal studios, a scenery studio and wardrobe, production and lighting shops.

    Roberts-Smith says a key element of the program involves students working alongside leading industry professionals and engaging in work-integrated learning opportunities, notably with Canadian professional theatre company Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, Ont.

    Students will collaborate on the development of a professional musical theatre production through Theatre Aquarius’ National Centre for New Musicals, a transformative force in both Canadian and international theatre.

    Mary Francis Moore, Artistic Director of Theatre Aquarius, says education has always been central to the company’s mission and is essential to building a vibrant theatrical future.

    “The combination of musical theatre training with education, together with Brock’s partnership with the University of Portsmouth, represents an exciting and much-needed addition to Canada’s post-secondary landscape,” she says. “We see tremendous potential for students to benefit from meaningful engagement with both Canadian and international approaches to musical theatre creation.”

    During their time at Brock, students will also help to rewrite the script for theatre education in Canada by participating in the Canada-wide Staging Better Futures/ Mettre en scène de meilleurs avenirs project, which is co-led by DART.

    “This new program and our partnership with Theatre Aquarius will continue to shine a spotlight on minoritized voices by supporting reconciliation, equity, anti-racism and access in post-secondary theatre education,” says Roberts-Smith.

    Admissions for the new International Double Degree Musical Theatre and Education program are through a workshop-based invitational which includes a vocal audition. More information about the program is available on the DART website.

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Future students, News

  • Dramatic Arts student takes career cues from Shaw Festival

    Monday, August 31, 2026 | By

    Shaw Festival theatre artists and intern on the stage.

    Image caption: Dramatic Arts (DART) graduand Gabriela Queiros developed her theatre artistry and honed her professional skills through DART’s 2026 Shaw Festival Internship. The program has partnered with the Shaw Festival since 2011 to provide internships for graduating students that focus on diverse aspects of production including performance, design, technical production, directing, arts management and education. From left to right are Mikayla Stradiotto, Shaw Festival Ensemble actor; Alexa Belgrave, Metcalf Foundation Music Intern; Jeremiah Sparks, Shaw Festival Ensemble actor; Queiros; Cheryl Mullings, Shaw Festival Ensemble actor; and Kimberley Rampersad, Shaw Festival Associate Artistic Director.

    Monday, August 31, 2026 | by 

    Gabriela Queiros got a behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional theatre this summer as she embarks on her own career in the industry.

    The Dramatic Arts (DART) graduand, who will receive her degree during Brock’s upcoming Fall Convocation, completed DART’s 2026 Shaw Festival Internship with a focus on acting.

    Queiros, who specialized in performance at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), said learning from Shaw’s celebrated repertory theatre Ensemble was a dream come true.

    “It was exciting to learn about the difference aspects of the company and experience the wide variety of genres covered in the 2026 season. From Sleuth to Funny Girl and The Wind in the Willows, the talent and versatility of Shaw actors inspired me, and I hope to deepen those elements in my own acting work,” she said.

    In addition to backstage tours of the festival and seeing nearly every play of the Festival’s 2026 season, Queiros shadowed Associate Artistic Director Kimberely Rampersad who directed the 2026 musical theatre production Perfect Pairings.

    During the rehearsal process, Queiros was invited to make observations as the cast rehearsed songs from iconic composers and songwriters. The experience allowed her to see how a professional production is built from beginning stages to final performance.

    “It was inspiring to see how the actors explored their creativity under the guidance the director with joy and laughter while maintaining their incredible work ethic and professional focus,” she said.

    Queiros attended a weekly Ensemble class led by Rampersad, engaging with company members and working on scenes from various plays.

    “Interacting with actors at the top of their game once a week and diving into scene work was invigorating, especially analyzing text and speaking and performing the lines in the way Bernard Shaw himself intended them to be spoken,” she said.

    Queiros also participated in technical runs of this year’s Bernard Shaw play Heartbreak House directed by Tim Carroll, Shaw’s Artistic Director. She was struck by the physicality of the play and the actors’ focus on mastering the technical elements involved in the production.

    “Witnessing actors embody their characters so fully and completely during tech week while also communicating with the director and crew was an experience I will carry forward and try to emulate in my own acting career,” she said.

    The DART program has partnered with the Shaw Festival since 2011 to provide internships for graduating students that focus on diverse aspects of production including performance, design, technical production, directing, arts management and education.

    The opportunity creates a stepping that allows students to bridge what they have learned at Brock with processes and practices used in the professional theatre industry.

    Since completing the internship, Queiros has been working as a theatre educator and actor with Carousel Players, a professional theatre company for young audiences based in St. Catharines.

    “Every day I draw on the skills and techniques I developed both in DART and at the Shaw. I am grateful for these opportunities to grow as a theatre artist and to make industry connections,” she said.

     

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    Categories: Current Students, News

  • Dramatic Arts grad earns national screenwriting honour

    Thursday, July 23, 2026 | By

    Dramatic Arts graduate Caitlin English (BA ’09) was honoured earlier this year by the Academy of Canadian Film and Television.

    published Monday, July 20, 2026 in The Brock News | by 

    When Caitlin English (BA ’09) accepted her Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing for a TV movie, the Brock Dramatic Arts (DART) graduate couldn’t help but reflect on the start of her own career story.

    English was honoured in May by the Academy of Canadian Film and Television for Dateless to Dangerous: My Son’s Secret Life, a TV movie about a teen boy’s indoctrination into online incel culture after being romantically rejected at school. As his hostility escalates, his loving mother and sister fight to save him from a dark path.

    Although she is now a successful TV and film screenwriter, English didn’t imagine herself as a writer when she began studying theatre at Brock.

    “The skills I gained at Brock have made all the difference working in the entertainment industry,’ she says.

    Dramatic Arts graduate Caitlin English (BA ’09) has forged her own path as an accredited screenwriter for TV and film.

    Her job is to write and shape scripts that will grip an audience, including script doctoring to make existing scripts more compelling – all skills she says she was introduced to and practiced at Brock.

    “Thanks to creative exploration and script analysis, looking at the shape of the script and what makes a good scene, I developed my love for writing,” she says.

    As well as learning how to understand story structure through DART play and scene study courses, English’s time at Brock introduced her to concepts like collaborative devising, or collectively creating a script. She first encountered the process during a fourth-year Collaborative Play Development (DART 4D56) course taught by retired DART Associate Professor Gyllian Raby.

    “Undertaking collective theatre creation allowed me to access storytelling in a way I never had, and it truly inspired me. Collective creation involves improvisation, creative exercises, writing and rewriting to find the scenes that land.” Looking back, she says it set her up for her future.

    English says her career as an independent writer, who is now regularly contracted by big production houses, involves lots of pitching and requires clear, effective communications skills.

    “I developed these skill sets at Brock, and they have been hugely beneficial to my career. To be successful at getting your work noticed, you must be able to tell a memorable personal story about what kind of creator you are and persuade people to your side to listen to your ideas,” she says.

    Film and TV are so visual and auditory, English says, and she credits studying acting, directing, set design and aesthetics in DART with helping her navigate all sides of the industry.

    When Caitlin English (BA ’09) accepted her @thecdnacademy for Best Writing for a TV movie, the @brockudart graduate couldn’t help but reflect on the start of her own career story.
    “The skills I gained at Brock have made all the difference working in the entertainment industry,’ said English. Her job is to write and shape scripts that will grip an audience, including script doctoring to make existing scripts more compelling – all skills she says she was introduced to and practiced at #BrockU.

    “I work with a lot of industry professionals, including agents, casting directors, people who work in development or on the business side of entertainment. They all have an ear for a good story — and many of them came through theatre programs,” she says.

    The accredited screenwriter has used her skills and creative force to forge her path, including doing improv, stand-up and sketch comedy over the years while building her writing portfolio.

    Her first big break was working on the CBC comedy Cavendish. Since then, she has written multiple TV movies for channels such as Lifetime and Hallmark, turning heads in the industry for her ability to create surprises for viewers while working within the story formula.

    English has a new Hallmark movie coming out this holiday season. While she can’t  share the details about it just yet, she’s already excited to share the story with audiences.

    “I love the challenge of creating the building blocks for strong scenes and pivot points in these feel-good stories,” she says. “It’s all about finding ways to keep audiences hooked and invested in the characters while delivering on the expectations viewers have for these films — we want to make people feel happy.”

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

  • DART Performance Research Institute launches for 2026

    Thursday, July 09, 2026 | By

    DART students Deborah Howey, Gianna Lupparelli Nash, Talyn Knokhinova, Adia Buckle, Angelina Anello, Ariya Ullah and Milan Fernandez (l-r) discuss the Secret Service of the Stars during a recent DART PRI intensive.

    Students, faculty and guest artists recently launched the creative research projects of the 2026 DART Performance Research Institute (PRI). From June through August 2026 the PRI welcomes four projects, ranging from Research Explorations through to a Summer Institute Residency.  These projects typically provide up to 5 weeks of in-studio and online development to test or develop early drafts and ideas and sometimes result in a work-in-progress sharing to an invited audience.

    This year’s PRI program launched on June 15 with a one-day intensive workshop called The Agony and The Ecstasy led by Trevor Copp (Tottering Biped Theatre, Burlington) and faculty member David Vivian.  During this third workshop about the project, DART students worked with texts drawn from a landmark study of heterosexism and Transphobia in Canadian Catholic Schools.  Their reading from the redacted interviews of the research subjects generated a creative investigation to support dramaturgical and play-making development.

    DART students Tejay Morley, Deborah Howey, Angelina Anello and Gianna Lupparelli Nash (l-r) discuss the Agony and the Ecstasy with Trevor Copp, Artistic Director of Tottering Biped Theatre (Burlington), during a recent DART PRI intensive.

    Students provided feedback on the draft texts, contributed to discussions about content, and engaged in discussion about design choices for a simple, low tech and in-the-field province-wide research tour that Copp will be launching this autumn.  The day concluded with a generous and thoughtful consultation with the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Dr. Mary-Louise Vanderlee, and the imagining of future development opportunities that may involve the Faculty of Education.

    The June program of the PRI concluded with a four-day studio-based intensive with the new draft script of Secret Service of the Stars, led by DART faculty David Fancy and David Vivian and a diverse group of students including those who have just completed their first year of studies through to a graduate who will be commencing her Masters program in the fall.

    Secret Service of the Stars, written by Fancy, is a historical-metaphysical espionage drama inspired by the extraordinary real-life story of Louis de Wohl, the queer Hungarian-German playwright, novelist and astrologer hired by British intelligence (MI5 and MI6) during the Second World War to produce horoscopes for psychological warfare against Hitler and the Nazi elite.

    The play reimagines De Wohl’s recruitment by Churchill’s Ministry of Information as part of a covert campaign to weaponize the stars—using astrology not only as propaganda but as a mirror of the cosmic anxieties of a world rife with fascism, political extremism, conspiracy, and war.

    DART students Talyn Knokhinova, Milan Fernandez and Adia Buckle (l-r) discuss the Secret Service of the Stars during a recent DART PRI intensive.

    The Secret Service of the Stars workshop was a vital success, offering students a focused and generative encounter with a new theatrical world. After reading the play, participants followed their own interests and emerging areas of expertise to shape artistic explorations for the group.

    Fancy observed that the PRI workshop afforded “the student leadership the opportunity to initiate fresh pathways into character, image, space, ritual, and dramaturgical possibility, while building a strong sense of shared ownership around the project.”

    Playwright and professor David Fancy, DART students Deborah Howey, Talyn Knokhinova, Ariya Ullah, Angelina Anello, Adia Buckle, Gianna Lupparelli Nash and Milan Fernandez (l-r, with consultant Beverly Orser in foreground) discuss the Secret Service of the Stars during a recent DART PRI intensive.

    Key to the creative exploration of the text, the astrological insights offered by consultant and critical sociologist Beverly Orser brought a distinctive depth to the process, expanding the students’ understanding of the symbolic and social forces animating the play.

    Vivian’s contribution as scenographer brought pedagogical clarity and key suggestions of the eventual scenographic vision as part of the workshop’s artistic outcomes.

    He remarked that “the students’ enthusiastic and ambitious exploration of the theatrical and imaginary space of the story, combined with their thoughtful, creative illumination of the developing characters was a testament to the success of their learning in the DART program….These are emerging artists to keep an eye on!”

    DART students Gianna Lupparelli Nash, Milan Fernandez, Angelina Anello, Ariya Ullah (in mirror), Talyn Knokhinova (foreground) and Adia Buckle seen during an imaginative reading of the script of Secret Service of the Stars during a 2026 DART PRI Intensive.

    Together, these collective contributions helped establish a robust foundation for the ongoing creative production development that will proceed online and in subsequent PRI intensives in anticipation of the DART mainstage production of Secret Service of the Stars to be directed by Fancy in the fall of 2027.

    Subsequent PRI projects in July and August include ‘subh kuch theek hai’ (everything’s fine), a funny play about being depressed, to be led by Alison Wong, Waleed Ansari and their team. ‘subh kuch theek hai’ is a collective sensorial experience showing how much work it actually takes to do nothing, just to make it through the day. The play takes place immersed in MAN’s subconscious as his internal processes come to life through a multimedia environment.

    The PRI residency workshop of Wife of Bath, 1998, the DART mainstage for the winter 2027 session, will be led by Independent Auntie Productions with Anna Chatterton, Evalyn Parry, U of Waterloo Feminist Think Tank, & DART Chair Jennifer Roberts-Smith.

    This is an original, two-act play that explores the challenges of intergenerational feminism. As the Monica Lewinsky scandal of 1998 plays out in the background, a group of women-identified, trans-gendered, non-binary, and racially diverse theatre students wrestle with how to adapt Geoffrey Chaucer’s 600-year-old story about a protagonist (the Wife herself), who has been the focus of centuries of feminist and pre-feminist debate.

    Drawing on the Aunties trademark sensibilities and absurdist, clown-inspired style, this will be a subversive comedy about young, political artists attempting to make a “revolutionary” piece of theatre, while behind the scenes, interpersonal relationships and tensions simmer, threatening to explode. This residency will pilot a partnered, industry-academic approach to teaching theatre through a new play creation process that centres diversity, equity, and inclusion at all stages.

    For more information about the DART Performance Research Institute, see the DART PRI webpage. The Department welcomes expressions of interest from theatre makers and scholars for future PRI programming. The formal call for submissions is typically circulated in August/September of the preceding year. Students may apply to become creative research participants beginning in January.

    (all photos by David Vivian)

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, News, Plays, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

  • Dramatic Arts Professor honoured at local arts awards

    Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | By

    Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts Mike Griffin receives the 2026 Arts in Education Award at the St. Catharines Arts Awards on June 18 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. (Photo credit: Bernardo and Nina Photography and Videography)

    published Tuesday, June 23, 2026 in The Brock News | by 

    From established performers and educators to emerging artists, members of the Brock University community are making an impact in the local arts scene through their creative vision and dedication.

    Brock graduates, faculty and guest artists were honoured as nominees across five categories for their creative talent and community engagement during the St. Catharines Arts Awards on June 18 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

    For Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts (DART) Mike Griffin, recipient of the 2026 Arts in Education Award, teaching theatre is about inspiring the future leaders of artistic communities.

    “As we train, we develop specialized skills, but we also create an appreciation for the thoughts, ideas and stories of others and for the beauty around us,” he said. “Theatre is about the exploration of humanity. The community that is developed through creating together and sharing that experience with an audience, that is one of the greatest gifts that we have.”

    A theatre educator, director and playwright, Griffin teaches acting, directing, devising, movement, mask and puppetry at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    He has also written and directed several DART productions, including The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy, which explored mild traumatic brain injury and related mental health through full-mask and physical theatre, and Escape to Ilkanor: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters, which imagined the fantasy genre through a whimsical and theatrical lens using puppetry and mask.

    “I am so grateful to be recognized like this within my community amongst the many incredible artists, educators and supporters of the arts that were nominated,” he said. “What a rock star list of humans. I am inspired to go and see more art —  there is so much beautiful work happening in this city.”

    Comparative Literatures and Arts graduate Kosar Dakhilalian (MA ’23) received the 2026 Emerging Artists Award, nominated alongside Brock Studio Art grads Adam Wiebe (BA ’26), Jenn Judson (BA ’16) and Isabella Saranchuk (BA ’24).

    A director and playwright with a background in acting and literature, Dakhilalian was a two-time art resident with Suitcase in Point Multi-arts Company. A passionate arts educator, Dakhilalian has also taught in DART and delivered workshops on drama-based practices in education at Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation.

    Anne Carruthers (BA ’89, BEd ’95) and John Carruthers were awarded the Patron of the Arts Award, which recognizes an individual or business that has made a meaningful contribution to the arts in St. Catharines. The Carruthers were honoured for their generous support and advocacy for Niagara Artists Centre, extensive volunteer work and dedication to growing the cultural community in Niagara.

    Nicole Joy Fraser

    Multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser, a DART Walker Cultural Leader in 2025.

    Multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser, one of DART’s Walker Cultural Leaders for 2025-26, received the 2026 Jury’s Pick Award. A proud bear clan matriarch who grew up in Mississauga with Euro-Settler, Tsa’tinée, Nehiyaw and Métis bloodlines from Horse Lake First Nation in Alberta, Joy-Fraser played the role of the Métis Nutcracker in DART’s 2025 mainstage production.

    Nominees from the Brock arts community for the 2026 St. Catharines Arts Awards include:

    • 2026 Arts in Education Award — Mike Griffin, Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts
    • 2026 Emerging Artist Award — Adam Wiebe (BA ’26), Studio Art graduate
    • 2026 Emerging Artist Award — Kosar Dakhilalian (MA ’23), Studies in Comparative Literatures and Arts graduate
    • 2026 Emerging Artist Award — Jenn Judson (BA ’16), Studio Art graduate
    • 2026 Emerging Artist Award — Isabella Saranchuk (BA ’24), Studio Art graduate
    • 2026 Making a Difference Award — Skye Rogers/retrograde: dance in motion (ARCS ’22, Certificate in Arts and Culture Studies)
    • 2026 Patron of the Arts Awards — Anne Carruthers (BA ’89, BEd ’95), Psychology and Fine Arts, Inservice Education graduate
    • 2026 Jury’s Pick Award — Nicole Joy-Fraser, Dramatic Arts 2025 Walker Cultural Leader

    A full list of this year’s award recipients is available on the City of St. Catharines website.

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, News, Uncategorised

  • Wardrobe experience leaves Dramatic Arts grad on pins and needles — in the best way

    Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | By

    Dramatic arts student Nav Brar works on a mushroom costume in the Costume Shop.

    Image caption: Dramatic Arts graduate Nav Brar discovered his passion for wardrobe and costume design at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, where he contributed his skills to creating costumes for performances.

    published Wednesday, June 10, 2026 in The Brock News | by 

    Nav Brar found an unexpected new passion woven into the fabric of his Brock University experience. Though he’s had a lifelong love for the stage, the Dramatic Arts (DART) graduate wasn’t sure where his academic path would lead when he first arrived at Brock — that is, until he stepped into Wardrobe at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA). Now, Brar is forging ahead with purpose after earning his degree and being honoured with the 2026 Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Textile Award at Brock’s 119th Convocation on Wednesday, June 10. Always more focused on acting and writing, Brar had never pictured himself in theatre production. Then came his a first-year DART production course, which ignited his passion for fabric and materials. In his third year, he landed the role of Assistant Head of Wardrobe, learning from and working with DART’s Head of Wardrobe Bobbi Pidduck on the School’s theatre performances.

    Nav Brar crosses the stage in graduation gown at convocation.

    Dramatic Arts graduate Nav Brar discovered his passion for wardrobe and costume design at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, where he contributed his skills to creating costumes for performances.

    Brar quickly picked up sewing, cutting and minor pattern drafting, all integral skills for professional costume designers. “Somehow, working with my hands and envisioning the final product, it was easy for me to understand what I needed to do,” he said. For Brar, the beauty is in the challenge of the process. “It’s envisioning the design, what you need to make, figuring out the math and then figuring out what the steps are,” he said. “Sometimes we build a simple T-shirt, and sometimes we work on hugely technical garments with lots of specifications to fit the production.” Working alongside Pidduck on mainstage productions, including Metamorphoses and Métis Nutcracker, was a transformative experience for Brar as he developed his design and dressing skills, bringing two-dimensional designs to three-dimensional life. “When the actor puts on the costume and performs on stage, you see it all come together,” he said. “It’s a very exhilarating experience to see something you’ve made or created give the desired effect.” When the curtain closes on each production, Brar is driven to keep creating, knowing he has contributed to enhancing the audience experience. “It’s incredibly meaningful and fulfilling,” he said. “Nav has been dedicated to his work, seeking to learn as many skills as possible and consistently improving with each new project, continuously navigating challenges with grace and humour that earned the respect of his peers and instructors at DART,” Pidduck said. From student peers to faculty, Brar said the support of the close-knit DART community sets the stage for students to grow and thrive in their academic and creative endeavours. “All of our professors and instructors are so kind. They are all talented theatre professionals and so willing to share their knowledge with students as we develop our own creative voices,” he said. “The opportunity to create in such a stunning facility has truly been a golden experience for me.”

    Photo of flower costumes from Metis Nutcracker Production.

    Nav Brar built dynamic costumes for the Dramatic Arts mainstage productions including Métis Nutcracker written by award-winning Canadian playwright and Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie.

    The Marilyn I. Walker Textile Award is given to a graduating student to further their apprenticeship or study in textiles. “Nav has contributed so much to the theatre program through his beautiful costume designs and constructions,” said Visual Arts Professor Linda Carreiro, Associate Dean, Fine and Performing Arts and MIWSFPA Director. “He truly deserves this award, and I’m thrilled that he will be able to use it to continue honing his craft.” Brar will pursue the Fashion Techniques and Design program at George Brown Polytechnic to expand on his theoretical and technical foundation in garment construction and costume building. He hopes to be found happily working away in a professional wardrobe room one day. “I am excited to keep developing my design eye,” he said. “I am forever grateful for the role Brock has played in setting me on this path.”

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

  • Public showcase to celebrate acclaimed artist Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Brock residency

    Friday, June 05, 2026 | By

    An upcoming public event will highlight Brock University’s collaboration with celebrated Canadian author, actor and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald. (Photo Credit: Travis Silverman)

    published Friday, June 5, 2026 in The Brock News | by 

    New Brock University research conducted in collaboration with beloved Canadian author, actor and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald is poised to change the way readers experience and engage with literature.

    The findings of the Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald (MAMM) project will be unveiled at a public symposium on Saturday, June 20 that will also give guests a sneak peek of the critically acclaimed Fall on Your Knees novelist’s latest play, Best Soldier, which she’s been developing during her residency with the University.

    Held at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) in St. Catharines, the event will highlight innovative Brock literary learning and theatre creation research while also offering a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into MacDonald’s creative process.

    MacDonald will perform a reading from Best Soldier, which is still in development.

    MAMM was designed to advance scholarly research on MacDonald’s influential body of work, explore new types of humanities research and promote collaborative student learning across academic disciplines.

    Brock University research assistants working on the Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald (MAMM) project put finishing touches on a 3D map for the upcoming MAMM Symposium. From left are third-year English Language and Literature student Riley Campbell, Brock Digital Humanities graduate Paige Wolf (BA ’25), third-year English Language and Literature student Sloane Gray and Social Justice and Equity Studies master’s student Emily Mills.

    Co-led by Neta Gordon, Professor of English Language and Literature, and Aaron Mauro, Chair and Associate Professor of Digital Humanities, the interdisciplinary team also includes Ebru Ustundag, Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies, and Tim Ribaric, Scholarly Publishing and Platforms Librarian, as well as student research assistants.

    The team was driven to explore how MacDonald’s work helps people understand their connections to places, communities and other people.

    Gordon is thrilled to share insights gained during MacDonald’s three-year research involvement at Brock, especially on how the author’s accessible way of questioning political and cultural ideas can inspire new approaches to academic research.

    “In putting together an interdisciplinary team of senior and junior researchers and working collaboratively to make decisions, the MAMM project highlights how new ways of thinking can emerge out of relationships and community building,” she said.

    MacDonald said the project “represents something new. A synthesis. A tool for critical analysis, and a portal to the mysteries of imagination and creative process.”

    The symposium will also celebrate MacDonald’s tenure as Brock’s 2026 Walker Cultural Leader, which launched in January with an excerpt reading of Best Soldier by the playwright.

    Over the past six months, MacDonald has worked with the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) to deliver student workshops offering valuable insight and perspective on developing artistry and creative voice in relation to theatre creation.

    “DART students have had an exceptionally rare opportunity to apply techniques Ann-Marie has taught them in their own play development projects, while observing how Ann-Marie’s own work on Best Soldier has evolved during her residency as Walker Cultural Leader,” said DART Chair and Professor Jennifer Roberts-Smith. “It’s been an inspiring few months.”

    The MAMM symposium program will feature research poster presentations, a 3D map in the MIWSFPA lobby, digital exhibitions showcasing virtual literary maps and live demonstrations run by the research team.

    Faculty and student researchers will formally present their findings to the public from 11 a.m. to noon. MacDonald’s reading from Best Soldier will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., including time for audience questions. Following the reading, Roberts-Smith will facilitate a discussion with MacDonald and Canadian theatre artists Alisa Palmer and Rebecca Harper.

    The public symposium is free to attend, but tickets must be reserved ahead of time on Brock University Tickets.

    The MAMM project was supported by a Government of Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant.

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Plays, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

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