Articles tagged with: Adam Rappold

  • Brock to make splash with Metamorphoses mainstage

    Image caption: Brock University’s Dramatic Arts mainstage performance of Ovid’s Metamorphoses opens this Friday, Feb. 28 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

    Monday, February 24, 2025 | by 

    Creative minds in Brock University’s Faculty of Humanities have joined forces to bring an epic ancient Roman poem to life on stage.

    The Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) will present playwright Mary Zimmerman’s award-winning adaption of Metamorphoses — complete with a challenging stage element sure to make waves with audiences.

    The play, which includes a large pool of water central to the production, opens Friday, Feb. 28 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre stage in downtown St. Catharines.

    Though the original literary work dates back more than 2,000 years, Metamorphoses continues to capture imaginations across creative and academic disciplines. Written in Latin by Ovid, a Roman poet exiled by emperor Augustus in 8 CE, the collection of myths explores themes of transformation, beauty and struggle in the ancient world.

    “Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation shows how powerless people are empowered through Ovid’s stories, and we hope the hilarity and poignant drama will open similar transformations for audiences,” said retired DART Associate Professor Gyllian Raby, who is directing the production.

    Adam Rappold, Assistant Professor of Classics and Archaeology, teaches a course dedicated to Ovid’s Metamorphoses and worked on the mainstage as Dramaturge —  an expert in the interpretation and composition of theatrical works, often advising on the text and how it is represented on stage.

    Rappold advised on the poem’s literary devices and shared insights with the cast about storytelling and the construction of myths.

    “Contemporary artists and scholars have re-examined the rebelliousness of Ovid’s poem and rediscovered the critique of the Roman Empire, revealing the full compassionate range of the exiled Ovid’s vision,” he said.

    Raby says that theatrically, this has been the most challenging play she has tackled to date. She credits the production team at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts for rising to the occasion.

    The DART cast and production crew created a technically advanced and visually stunning stage environment, including the large pool of water famously called for by Zimmerman’s adaptation.

    DART Technical Director Gavin Fearon said throughout rehearsals, the production crew have continued to discover new aspects of the pool’s impact on every element of the show including choreography, props and lighting.

    “Students in every role are navigating challenges introduced by the water,” he said. “The costumes team in particular, needed to track wet and dry quick changes in under 30 seconds.”

    Audiences will also experience original music of composer and DART sound design Instructor Joe Lapinski (BA ’99) who has drawn inspiration from the ancient Greek philosophical idea that celestial bodies make music, known as the “music of the spheres.”

    Voice Instructor and soprano Leanne Vida in the Department of Music coached individual singers in the production, including fourth-year actor Maddox Keller, who also took on the role of Choral Conductor.

    Metamorphoses opens Friday, Feb. 28 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, March 1; Friday, March 7; and Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 2.

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

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    Categories: Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, News, Performance Season, Plays

  • Antigone sparks public discussion

    There was a full crowd in the Scotiabank Atrium of the Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex on Oct. 31 for a panel discussion on Antigone and the relevance of the ancient text in today’s world. Participants included, from left, Professors Athena Colman, Roberto Nickel, Elizabeth Vlossak (moderator) and Adam Rappold, as well as Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton, Antigone Director Mike Griffin and Professor Stefan Dolgert. There are two remaining performances of Antigone on Nov. 2 and 3 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

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    Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News

  • Public roundtable to explore Antigone’s relevance to modern society

    Students in Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts have been working for months to bring the classic Greek tragedy Antigone to the mainstage this weekend. The production will have a six-show run at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines, opening on Friday, Oct. 26. Seen during last week’s media call are actors Catherine Tait (Antigone), left, and Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk (Ismene).


    (From The Brock News, Thursday Oct. 25, 2018 | By Jaquelyn Bezaire)

    Gender inequality, corruption and the conflict between personal beliefs and the laws of society are all at the centre of Brock’s new mainstage production, Antigone.

    And although the classic Greek tragedy is more than 2,500 years old, a roundtable discussion will be held at the University next week to discuss its relevance to today.

    Elizabeth Vlossak, History Professor and Director of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), hopes to delve into the reasons why Antigone is one of the most read, performed and adapted plays in all of dramatic literature.

    On Wednesday, Oct. 31, she will moderate the roundtable that will include a panel of professors from Brock’s departments of Classics, Political Science, Philosophy and Dramatic Arts.

    Faculty, staff, students and the community are invited to join the panellists in the conversation, which begins at 3 p.m. in the Scotiabank Atrium of the Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex.

    The informative and lively discussion will highlight the importance of Antigone and the connections that can be made across academic disciplines.

    The panellists will explain why Antigone is not only studied in courses about Ancient Greece but is also used to explore political theory, gender dynamics and various religious and moral problems.

    Panellists include professors Roberto Nickel (Classics), Adam Rappold (Classics), Athena Colman (Philosophy), Stefan Dolgert (Political Science) and Mike Griffin (Dramatic Arts).

    Vlossak organized the event in part to promote the upcoming production of Antigone, which opens Friday, Oct 26. The play is presented by Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts.

    “One of my goals as Director of the MIWSFPA has been to increase student, faculty and public awareness, interest and participation in our programming at the school,” said Vlossak. “But this interdisciplinary panel discussion is also about bridging the two campuses. It’s bringing faculty from different departments together to share their expertise with students and the public, and it’s showcasing how the fine and performing arts can be incorporated into all of our teaching, learning and research, as well as our everyday lives, in meaningful ways.”

    The roundtable will begin by exploring the world of Sophocles and Antigone’s significance in ancient drama and performance.

    Other topics of discussion include the legacy of Antigone in the fields of politics and philosophy, the continued pedagogical value of studying Antigone, and the play’s relevance in the current political climate.

    “Antigone still inspires political rebels today, who find in her obstinate resistance a role model for action in the present,” said Dolgert. “Antigone is for those who refuse to accept the tired cliché that politics is ‘the art of the possible,’ as it is her seemingly irrational affirmation of the impossible that ultimately prevails.”

    Griffin, a Dramatic Arts lecturer and the production’s Director, will join the panel and explain why he chose the play for Brock’s mainstage performance.

    He hopes to “paint Antigone as a strong woman,” and aims to show how themes of the #MeToo movement are reflected throughout the production.

    Antigone runs Oct. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. and Nov. 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a high school matinee on Nov. 2 at 11:30 a.m.

    The production will be held in MIWSFPA’s Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines. Tickets are available through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office at 905-688-0722 or on the PAC website.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Performance Season, Plays