Brian Cumberland

After completing the prestigious but now sadly defunct Technical Theatre certification at Niagara College, Brian Cumberland worked with theatre and opera companies across Canada. For many years he also worked as a Project Manager involved in creating touring Broadway shows, international special events and museum installations. Brian joined Brock University for the design and build phase of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts and continues as the Production Manager for the Department of Dramatic Arts. 

Gavin Fearon

Gavin Fearon is a stagehand, designer, and maker who holds a B.A. in Drama from Bishop’s University. As a stagehand focused mainly on sound, lighting, and projections, he has worked at Tarragon Theatre, Young People’s Theatre, Soulpepper, The Shaw Festival, and many others in Ontario and Québec. As a designer, his work has played across Canada as well as in New York City, London, and Edinburgh. He has designed shows for Young People’s Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Théâtre français de Toronto, local companies Essential Collective Theatre and Carousel Players, and many others. Gavin is the Technical Director for the Department of Dramatic Arts. His heart is in the North Atlantic.   

Ed Harris

Ed Harris has been Head of Scenic Construction for Dramatic Arts since 2014. He was previously a Scenic Carpenter and built scenery, special effects, construction electrics and automation for The Shaw Festival Theatre and has been a Professional Stage Technician since 1992, touring most of the East Coast in the 1990s and 2000s. Ed also teaches the Carpentry section of 1F40 Scenography and Stagecraft, 3Y49 Scenic Carpentry, as well as 2P42 Stage Production and 2P43 Stagecraft.

In harmony with being a carpenter, Ed is also an arborist, sawyer, turner and drummer. Creating with wood is his passion, and stresses the need for tree preservation, planting, sustainable forestry and re-using, re-purposing and recycling. He feels that passing on this awareness to the students can be as important as the building techniques themselves. 

Melissa MacAulay

Melissa is the Administrative Assistant at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Melissa has spent a lot of time in and around universities and has a passion for higher education and the humanities. Starting as a university student herself, she eventually went on to earn her PhD in philosophy, writing about the metaphysics of time. A card-carrying grammar nerd, she has also worked as a freelance academic/non-fiction editor for the last decade, in addition to various university administration roles in both Canada and the UK. In her spare time, Melissa is most likely spending time with her kids, reading, writing, or making music — she plays the guitar, the mandolin, and the piano.

Elizabeth Maddeaux

Elizabeth is the Academic Advisor for Dramatic Arts as well as Digital Humanities: Interactive Arts and Science & Game Design BA, History of Art and Visual Culture and Studio Art, Music, Studies in Arts and Culture and Visual Arts. After completing a Master’s program in social justice at Brock University, Elizabeth worked as an academic advisor in the Department of Sociology for several years before leaving the university to work in the private sector. For years she worked from home as a communications coordinator until she felt the need to see more of the world than her kitchen table. In 2022 Elizabeth joined the Department of Dramatic Arts, providing administrative support and then transitioning to the advising role for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts and the Department of Digital Humanities, where she gets to sit at an actual desk at both the MIWSFPA and the main campus offices. The best part of her job is helping students navigate the bureaucratic side of their degree so they can focus on the fun stuff. For advising information see Elizabeth’s webpage.

Chelsea Mahon

Chelsea Mahon is a professional arts manager who enjoys supporting artistic creation from behind the scenes. Chelsea is currently the Production Coordinator for the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University and the Financial Manager for Punctuate! Theatre. She has worked as General Manager, Production Manager, Stage Manager, Technical Director, Administrative Assistant, Production Assistant, Lighting Designer, Sales Manager, Scenic Carpenter and Technical Operator. In addition to working with Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts and Punctuate! Theatre, Chelsea has worked with nearly all the local theatre companies in Niagara region, as well as Niagara-on-the-Lake’s classical music presenter, Music Niagara, and across Ontario at the Drayton Entertainment theatres.

Chelsea loves budgets, schedules and creative problem solving. Chelsea’s love for live theatre is fueled by the extraordinary teamwork that occurs when a cast and crew must adapt to changes in the moment. The power of storytelling to bring folks together has always held a special place in Chelsea’s heart.

Sandra Marcroft

Sandra Marcroft is an award winning lighting designer, theatre technician and educator. With 30 years experience as a lighting designer for theatre and dance, the work that has been the most interesting and rewarding to her is being part of developing new work. Sandra has spent several years lighting new shows for new works including at the Rhubarb Festival (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre) with Hillar Liitoja (DNA theatre) as well as many, many independent productions.  Her work has appeared in theatres and theatre festivals around the world, including Dailes Teatris (Riga, Latvia) and the Dialog Festival (Wroclaw, Poland). In 2021 Sandra joined the Department of Dramatic Arts as the staff Theatre Technician. Soon after, she started formally teaching courses about theatrical lighting and projection.  

Bobbi Pidduck

Bobbi Pidduck was 10 years old when she first experienced professional theatre. Her family drove through a thunderstorm to see a production of Peter Pan at the Shaw Festival Theatre, only to have Captain Hook inform them that, due to power outages, the theatre would be using a back-up generator and Tinker Bell would not be able to fly in the show. This did not dampen her enthusiasm or delight at the magic happening on stage, especially when — despite the circumstances — Tinker Bell did fly that night! She likes to think that’s when the seed was planted for her future career.   

For over 20 years working in theatre, Bobbi has had the great privilege of learning from many talented people in Wardrobe Departments across Ontario and as far as the Prairies. Her many roles have included Costume Sewer, Cutter (Pattern Drafter), First Hand, Dresser, Assistant Milliner and Head of Wardrobe, a position she now holds for the Department of Dramatic Arts.  It’s such a pleasure to pass on this knowledge to the next generation of Peter Pan enthusiasts. 

Recent STAFF at DART

Cindy Rorke

Cindy is the senior Administrative Assistant for the Department of Dramatic Arts at the Marilyn I. Walker School. With over 30 years experience at Brock University, Cindy brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise. As a mom of 4 she has finely-tuned skills juggling time – important expertise to support the multitasking that is the busy DART office. In her spare time she enjoys singing in the Brock women’s choir, along with other choirs, enjoys live theatre, Brock part-time studies, hiking, fishing, kayaking, dancing, singing and playing her guitar. She is also the OSSTF area representative for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts and Faculty of Humanities.

For more insight about the people at DART, see Five Minutes with DART Faculty & Staff!