News

Join us for the special two-day colloquium ‘The Changing Face of Theatre Criticism in the Digital Age,’ beginning February 21, 2014.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014 | By mbalsom

In photo: Jill Dolan

Listening to theatre companies, they’ve never needed theatre critics more. Listening to them after a bad review, they’ve also never resented them more. This strange dance of mutual need has been going on since the first time someone recited dialogue on stage, and someone in the next day’s paper wrote “it doth sucked, verily.” But what of that relationship today? Do critics matter? Can anyone with a blog call themselves a theatre critic? Are critics there to serve theatre companies or readers? (John Law)

See the complete article by John Law in the Niagara Falls Review about his upcoming participation in the two-day colloquium ‘The Changing Face of Theatre Criticism in the Digital Age‘ organized by Professor Karen Fricker of the Department of Dramatic Arts on the occasion of the special visit by Jill Dolan, Annan Professor in English, Professor of Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts, Director, Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, at Princeton University, noted theatre blogger (thefeministspectator.com) and a Walker Cultural Leader for 2013-14. Special guests J. Kelly Nestruck of The Globe and Mail and Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star will join local guests and luminaries including cultural leaders like Jackie Maxwell, artistic director of the Shaw Festival, and Steve Solski, director of the St. Catharines Centre for the Performing Arts.

The two day program begins this Friday morning with the public lecture, “Moving the Body Politic: How Feminism and Theatre Inspire Social Re-imaginings” by Professor Jill Dolan. The lecture is presented in association with the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies.

For a complete list of participants and more information please see the Brock News Article, the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts web pages.

Come join us! There is no charge to attend and engage in what will surely be a remarkable exchange of ideas and opinions in this “blossoming” cultural scene of Niagara (Professor Karen Fricker).

All events will be live-streamed at BrockVideoCentre’s DART channel [Click on the “live video” button on that page.]

Tags: colloquium, guest speakers, J. Kelly Nestruck, Jackie Maxwell, Jill Dolan, John Law, Karen Fricker, Richard Ouzounian, Steve Solski, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Announcements, Events, News
Brock community event looks at theatre criticism in the digital age

Monday, February 10, 2014 | By Brock University
(Source: The Brock News, Monday, February 10, 2014)

An upcoming series of community discussions at Brock University later this month will debate the question: is everyone a critic?

Media professionals, theatre experts, scholars and students will assemble in Sankey Chamber at Brock Feb. 21 and Feb. 22 to take part in the colloquium, The Changing Face of Theatre Criticism in the Digital Age, hosted by the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

“The rise of blogging and Twitter, combined with the decline of print journalism, is raising important questions about what counts as legitimate, professional criticism,” says Karen Fricker, event co-ordinator and a professor of dramatic arts. “Our discussions will focus on the current critical scene in Niagara, as well as imagining possible futures for the arts in our community.”

Panel members include two of Toronto’s most influential theatre critics: J. Kelly Nestruck of The Globe and Mail and Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star. Others include local figures like Jackie Maxwell, artistic director of the Shaw Festival, and Steve Solski, director of the St. Catharines Centre for the Performing Arts.

The colloquium will also feature international critics: Jill Dolan, Princeton University professor and noted theatre blogger (thefeministspectator.com); Maddy Costa, a London, England blogger and journalist; and Andy Horwitz, founder of New York arts blog culturebot.net

Dolan is visiting Brock as part of the Walker Cultural Leaders series. While here, she will deliver a public lecture, “Moving the Body Politic: How Feminism and Theatre Inspire Social Re-imaginings.” Her lecture, co-sponsored by the Department of Dramatic Arts and Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies at Brock, takes place Friday, Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, also in Sankey Chamber.

All of these events are free and open to the public.

Funding for these events is provided by the Walker Cultural Leaders Series, the Brock Humanities Research Institute and the SSHRC Institutional Grant scheme, and the St. Catharines Performing Arts Centre.

All events will be live-streamed. [Click on “live video”]

—

SCHEDULE: The Changing Face of Theatre Criticism in the Digital Age

All events take place in Sankey Chamber at Brock University

FRIDAY, FEB. 21:

* 2 – 2:30 p.m.: Welcome
Presentation by Brock dramatic arts students from the third-year class, Studies in Praxis – Theatre Criticism

* 2:30 – 4 p.m.: Panel discussion “Critics and the arts in Niagara”
- Jill Dolan (respondent)
- Monica Dufault, artistic director, Essential Collective Theatre
- David Fancy, associate professor of Dramatic Arts, Brock University, co-artistic director, neXt Company Theatre (chair)
- John Law, arts and entertainment writer, Sun Media
- Sara Palmieri, co-founder, In the Soil Festival
- Stephen Remus, minister of energy, minds, and resources, Niagara Arts Centre
- Steve Solski, director, St. Catharines Centre for the Performing Arts
- Candice Turner-Smith, managing director, Niagara Symphony Orchestra
* 4:15 – 5:45 p.m.: Panel discussion “Embedded criticism: a new way forward, or criticism-as-PR?”
- Maddy Costa, critic and blogger
- Karen Fricker
- Andy Horwitz, founder, culturebot.org
- Jackie Maxwell, artistic director, Shaw Festival
- Jacob Gallagher-Ross, assistant professor of theatre, University of Buffalo (respondent)
- Lawrence Switzky, assistant professor of Drama, University of Toronto at Mississauga (chair)
SATURDAY, FEB. 22:

* 10 – 10:30 a.m.: Welcome
Presentation by Brock dramatic arts students from the third-year class, Studies in Praxis – Theatre Criticism

* 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon: Panel discussion “Bloggers, critics, and cultural legitimation”
- Jill Dolan
- Karen Fricker (chair)
- Andy Horwitz (respondent)
- J. Kelly Nestruck, lead theatre critic, The Globe and Mail
- Richard Ouzounian, lead theatre critic, Toronto Star
- Holger Syme, chair, Department of English and Drama, University of Toronto at Mississauga, and blogger (disposito.net)
- Odette Yazbeck, director of public relations, Shaw Festival
* 12:15 – 1 p.m.: Colloquium wrap-up
- Maddy Costa; Jill Dolan; Karen Fricker (chair); Rosemary Drage Hale, director of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Brock University; and Andy Horwitz
Tags: Andy Horwitz, art criticism, Candice Turner-Smith, colloquium, DARTcritics, David Fancy, Holger Syme, J. Kelly Nestruck, Jackie Maxwell, Jacob Gallagher-Ross, Jill Dolan, John Law, Karen Fricker, Lawrence Switzky, Maddy Costa, Monica Dufault, Odette Yazbeck, Richard Ouzounian, Rosemary Drage Hale, Sara Palmieri, Stephen Remus, Steve Solski, The Brock News, theatre criticism, visiting artists, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Announcements, Events, In the Media, News
Gimme 2!

Wednesday, February 05, 2014 | By mbalsom

2 minutes, 2 actors! Gimme 2! is the first presentation of our first year students in short performances written and directed by their senior DART mentors. An Homage to Jerzy Growtowski!

Open Rehearsal at 6 pm, show at 8 pm. Admission is first-come, first-seated.

For more information: dramatic@brocku.ca or 905-688-5550 x5255

Contact bcumberland@brocku.ca to reserve a seat if you know you can only attend one or the other presentations.

Date & Time: March 5, 2014: 8 pm – 10 pm
Location: ST 107 (Studio Theatre), Schmon Tower, Brock University
Cost: $0.00
Contact: dramatic@brocku.ca or 905-688-5550 x5255

Tags: Gimme 2
Categories: Events, Plays
Jehanne of the Witches

Tuesday, January 28, 2014 | By mbalsom
JEHANNE OF THE WITCHES

by Sally Clark

February 13-15, 2014 at 7:30 PM
Student Matinee February 14 at 1:00 PM

DIRECTED BY Virginia Reh
Scenographer: David Vivian

Assistant Director: Casey Gillis
Assistant Designer: James McCoy
Dramaturg: Brittany Stewart

Black magic, illusion, and the suppression of Truth. Voices swirl as Joan of Arc and Gilles de Rais, the infamous Bluebeard, concoct a witches’ brew of sexuality and the use – and abuse – of power.

The Department of Dramatic Arts of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is proud to present this play by Canadian playwright Sally Clark. Ms Clark was part of a wave of female playwrights in the 1980s who wrote plays about notable women from a female perspective. The play is mostly based on solid historical fact; Clark weaves her magic through unique interpretation and theatricality.

Information:

View our media release.

High-School teachers should read this letter about the Matinee performance opportunity available for Jehanne of the Witches (February 2014). We’re also providing information on Secondary Education Curriculum Ties.

NEW! An Audience Guide is available for download.

Download the poster

Join us on our Facebook event page

Purchase tickets here!

Media:

see the preview on Cogeco TV below:

see the article in the Brock News:

That burning feeling: Jehanne of the Witches

Media call photos:
Tags: Jehanne of the Witches, Mainstage, plays
Categories: Events, Plays
Media Release: Jehanne of the Witches

Tuesday, January 28, 2014 | By mbalsom

Brock University
Media Release
St. Catharines, ON
January 28, 2014

The Department of Dramatic Arts’ mainstage production of Jehanne of the Witches is beset with twists and turns, black magic, illusion, sexuality, and the use – and abuse – of power!

Students of Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts present Jehanne of the Witches, a Canadian play that probes into the nature of magic, truth and illusion. Performances will be held at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University on February 13, 14 and 15, 2014.

Jehanne of the Witches, written by award-winning Canadian playwright Sally Clark, recounts Joan of Arc’s story with historical accuracy, and explores modern, feminist ideals, as well as Christianity and Paganism. Using historical facts, Clark weaves a story exploring the strange relationship that existed between Joan of Arc and her comrade-in-arms, Gilles de Rais – the notorious Bluebeard. In this production, Gilles de Rais is in his own personal purgatory where he is condemned to endlessly relive the events of his life from his first contact with Jehanne to his own death.
Directed by Virginia Reh, with scenography by David Vivian, and lighting by Cameron More, this second mainstage production of the Department of Dramatics Arts’ 2013-14 Season showcases the talents of students in the undergraduate program: Katie Coseni, Mallory Muehmer, Rachel Romanoski, Hayley Malouin, Elizabeth Smith, Nikki Morrison, Erik Bell, Derek Ewert, Josh Berard, and Lewis Whiteley.

“Sally Clark’s unique and unorthodox look at the Joan of Arc legend has called to me for a very long time,” states Reh. “This multi-layered play questions the very nature of history: how and by whom it is relayed and manipulated. It deals in power, mystery, a yearning to believe and the very nature of theatre itself. Layers behind layers are torn away in a search for the elusive “truth.” Who is a saint? and who is a monster?”

This play contains sexual themes and occasional strong language.

Performances for Jehanne of the Witches will be held in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University on February 13, 14, and 15, 2014 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinée performance on February 14 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, $12 for groups, and $5 for the eyeGo high school ticket program. Available from the Centre for the Arts Box Office: 905-688-5550 x3257 or visit: http://arts.brocku.ca/ For more information about this production and the Department of Dramatic Arts visit: brocku.ca/miwsfpa/dramaticarts.

Productions from the Department of Dramatic Arts are an integral part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate to build connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.

If you wish to experience the legend of Joan of Arc through the media of classic film and live choral performance, then you won’t want to miss Chorus Niagara’s CN CINEMA – The Passion of Joan of Arc, taking place on February 28 and March 1 at 7:30 p.m., held at St. Thomas Anglican Church in St. Catharines. Tickets can be purchased through the Centre for the Arts Box Office (purchase information is listed above).

Media call: Thursday, February 6, 2014 at 6 p.m., held in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University

For interviews please contact:
Marie Balsom, Communications
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
T: 905.688.5550, x4765| E: mbalsom@brocku.ca | W: brocku.ca/finearts

Tags: Jehanne of the Witches, media call, media release
Categories: Media Releases
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
Teaching Opportunity: Assistant Professor – Drama in Education/Applied Theatre & Performance

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 | By Brock University

Full-time Teaching Opportunity in the Department of Dramatic Arts:
Assistant Professor – Drama in Education/Applied Theatre and Performance

The Department of Dramatic Arts in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University invites applications for a tenure-track appointment in Drama in Education/Applied Theatre and Performance at the rank of Assistant Professor starting July 1st, 2014. The position is subject to final budgetary approval.

Qualifications

The successful candidate must hold a PhD with an emphasis on process drama/participatory theatre and exhibit exemplary practice in the profession. Teaching experience in elementary/secondary schools is an asset. Applicants should be able to teach courses with mixed studio/lecture components as well as larger-scale survey courses and studio performance intensives.

The successful candidate will teach a range of courses in drama in education, applied theatre, performance, movement, and praxis. The preferred individual will bring knowledge of a spectrum of teaching methodologies in diverse pedagogical situations and critical performance theory, as well as expertise in synthesizing these modes of knowledge. The individual will engage energetically with departmental production activity, specifically the conceptualization and realization of departmental main-stage events and/or outreach educational outcomes. Skills in a secondary area featuring interdisciplinary research and practice may also be of value. Administrative skills are a definite asset.

The salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications.

Notes

The Department of Dramatic Arts offers a BA Honours in Dramatic Arts. For Honours students, Concentrations are available in Drama in Education/Applied Theatre, Performance, Production and Design, and Theatre Praxis. The Department also offers a four-year (20 credit) BA with Major Dramatic Arts degree and a three-year BA Pass degree, as well as two concurrent BA (Honours)/BEd programs over five years. For more information, see www.brocku.ca/dramatic_arts/

Located at the center of Canada’s beautiful Niagara peninsula in St. Catharines, Ontario, we are a community of learners and researchers with a strong and expanding regional base, with excellent resources in cultural, social, and athletic enrichment. Canadian and American metropolitan centres are within easy distance.

In the summer of 2015 the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, including the Department of Dramatic Arts, will move to its new comprehensive facility in downtown St. Catharines, adjacent to a new regional performing arts centre built by the City of St. Catharines.

Applications will include a brief covering letter, a letter of intent (1200 words max.) and a current curriculum vitae including a teaching dossier and/or artistic/academic portfolio in a theatrical field (mask, movement, directing, publications etc.). A five-year research plan should indicate directions for the future. In addition, candidates will provide the names of three referees who will be contacted in the event of a short listing. Please address applications to:

Professor David Vivian
Chair, Department of Dramatic Arts
Brock University
St. Catharines ON L2S 3A1
dvivian@brocku.ca

The application deadline is December 10th, 2013. This position is subject to budgetary approval. More information on Brock University may be found on the University’s website: brocku.ca. Brock University is actively committed to diversity and the principles of Employment Equity and invites applications from all qualified candidates. Women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities, and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply and to voluntarily self identify as a member of a designated group as part of their application. Candidates who wish to have their application considered as a member of one or more designated groups should fill out the Self-Identification Form available at https://brocku.ca/hr-ehs/career-opportunities-2 and include the completed form with their application. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

This posting can be found at
www.brocku.ca/hr/careers/position_detail.php?id=1370

Tags: Applied Theatre, careers, drama in education, job opportunities, Performance, teaching opportunity
Categories: Announcements, News
TWELFTH NIGHT, (or what you will) a comedy by William Shakespeare at the Department of Dramatic Arts

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 | By mbalsom

image by Nitin Vadukul

TWELFTH NIGHT, (or what you will)

a comedy by William Shakespeare

November 7 – 9, 2013 at 7:30 PM
Student Matinee November 08 at 11:30 AM

DIRECTED BY Gyllian Raby
Co-Director and Vocal Coach: Danielle Wilson
Assistant Director and Dramaturge: Keavy Lynch

If music be the food of love, play on!
“Twelfth Night, (or what you will)” presented on stage at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre

The Department of Dramatic Arts’ rendition of Twelfth Night gives this classic Shakespearean comedy a 20th century twist, setting it in the 1950s and taking audiences to the era of soul-searching country blues. This production runs November 7, 8 and 9, 2013 at 7:30 p.m., and November 8 at 11:30 a.m., held at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University.

The magical fictitious kingdom of Illyria is a modern world where boys are boys and girls are girls and subterranean passions blow apart rigid conventions. Fools, lovers, and shipwrecked souls grapple adverse fortunes and comic misunderstandings to find what truth and love might mean. To meet Shakespeare’s demand that Illyria be a land where music is “the food of love,” we present the fool musician Feste as the leader of a country blues band.

The production is a directorial collaboration between Dramatic Arts faculty Gyllian Raby and Danielle Wilson, assisted by Keavy Lynch. Raby states, “We are performing Twelfth Night using music rooted in contemporary culture, so although this production is not a musical, music is threaded throughout the play.” Wilson adds, “The play has many of the elements common to Elizabethan romantic comedy, including the devices of mistaken identity, separated twins, and gender-crossing disguise, and its plot revolves around whether one can manage betrayal, and overcome the obstacles to truth and love.“

Have a look at our media release (PDF).

Let us know you’re coming by joining our Facebook Event.

High-School teachers should read this letter about the Matinee performance opportunities available for Twefth Night (November 2013) and Jehanne of the Witches (February 2014) (PDF)

A Study Guide is available for review,
prepared by Gyllian Raby and Keavy Lynch:
download to print a copy (PDF, 2.0 MB)

watch this preview on Cogeco TV:

see the article in the Brock News!

(From left): Sean Rintoul, Chris Chapman and Bri Lidstone perform in the Department of Dramatic Arts production of Twelfth Night, which opens Nov. 7 at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre.

Announcing $5.00 Fridays!

all holders of Brock ID cards – students, staff and faculty – are invited to take advantage of a special new price for the Matinee mainstage performance. Please present your ID card upon purchase of your ticket.
Tickets for all performances including the $5.00 Friday Matinees are available through the Box Office of the Centre for the Arts
or 905.688.5550 x 3257

For more information, please contact Marie Balsom, Co-ordinator of the School of Fine and Performing Arts, at 905-688-5550, ext. 4765; e-mail: mbalsom@brocku.ca

Tags: comedy, Mainstage, plays, Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
Categories: Events, Plays
Arts Education Event: Gaza Mono-logues performed by visiting artists at the Department of Dramatic Arts

Tuesday, October 01, 2013 | By Brock University

The Department recently hosted a performance of the Gaza-Mono-logues by Iman Aoun, Artistic Director, and four of her students of the Ashtar Theatre Company for Productions and Training (Gaza) in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre at Brock University on the morning of Oct. 1, 2013.

Brock Professors Carolee Mason and Glenys McQueen-Fuentes met Iman Aoun during the recent IDEA Conference in Paris (International Drama and Education Association, summer of 2013) where she spoke briefly of her work as Artistic Director of the Ashtar Theatre Company for Productions and Training. Her students had created personal responses to “living in war and under siege” which became their production called The Gaza Mono-logues. Ms. Aoun had sent the text out to friends around the world, which resulted in youth performances in various places around the globe in 18 different languages. She also spoke of 14 groups who performed in separate languages at the United Nations–once in Geneva, and once in New York.

At the Paris conference we learned that Ms. Aoun and 4 of her actors; 2 men, 2 women, all between 19-24 years old, were coming to Canada in the fall of 2013. Theatre Director, Majdi Bou-Matar, of MTSpace in Kitchener, Ontario had invited her to participate in his IMPACT Festival and Conference held at the end of September, 2013. The company accepted the invitation to make a brief detour by Brock University as they proceed to performances in Oakville before the company of student actors returns home.

Attended by approximately 200 DART students, faculty, and guests, including 50 students and faculty from Appleby College in Oakville. The performance was followed by a brief Q&A in The Guernsey Market.

For more information on the Gaza Mono-logues Project: Iman Aoun, Artistic Director, Ashtar Theatre, Ramallah – Palestine www.thegazamonologues.com www.facebook.com/Richard2Ashtar www.facebook.com/pages/Ashtar-for-Theatre-Productions-and-Training

Tags: Ashtar Theatre Company for Productions and Training, Iman Aoun, The Gaza-Mono-logues
Categories: News, Visiting Artists