Articles tagged with: Mainstage

  • Dramatic Arts mainstage brings fantasy world to life in celebration of unique identities

    Wednesday, March 04, 2026 | By

    Fourth-year Brock University Dramatic Arts student Nav Brar (left), the puppeteer for Melifollee, and third-year student Landon Drexler, the puppeteer for Pendamire Dragonius, enter into a scene in Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters.

    published Monday, March 02, 2026 | Brock News | by 

    Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is set to whisk audiences away to a magical land of powerful beings and fantastical creatures.

    Cast members Sandra Nampiima and Daisy Ford with puppets during a technical rehearsal.

    From dragons and elves to wizards and sorceresses, Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters invites viewers to leave the real world behind and embark on a journey of the imagination. The mainstage production opens Friday, March 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines.

    Written and directed by DART Assistant Professor and playwright Mike Griffin, the play explores escapism and fantasy genre tropes through diverse characters and extraordinary creatures.

    “Our creative exploration of escapism began by asking why people want to escape through stories and where they want to escape to,” he says.

    Featuring bold theatrical components that incorporate puppets, masks and physical theatre, the fantasy unfolds in nine chapters, each featuring a host of characters who travel to different areas in the magical land of Ilkanor.

    Many of the characters reflect marginalized perspectives that are not often represented in leading roles, Griffin says. Through their magical transportation to Ilkanor, these characters are able to explore different parts of their identity.

    Cast members Curtis Honsberger, Sandra Nampiima and Ryleigh OBrien rehearsing with th puppets Trink and Somp.

    Among the play’s chapters, for instance, are tales of a neurodivergent individual who becomes a wizard in Ilkanor and a non-binary drag artist who becomes the leader of a kingdom.

    Griffin says the play is not a typical hero’s journey.

    “Instead, we are exploring representation in fantasy, touching on neurodiversity and disability, and wrestling with identity and self-care,” he says.

    More than 40 DART students in all years of the program will bring Ilkanor to life, advancing their learning by collaborating with both emerging and established theatre makers.

    “The show is truly magical, not only in the fantasy elements, but also in the collaborative work and care to build the world of Ilkanor,” fourth-year DART student and mainstage performer Nav Brar says. “I personally don’t know another show that has highlighted so many different people that don’t always get their time, in one production.”

    DART student Julia Foley, assistant designer for the play presents her mask and costume designs to the first year students in Scenography and Stagecraft.

    Third-year DART student Julia Foley, an assistant designer for the play, says the crew embraced a sustainability mindset while creating the fictional world, with the production incorporating recycled materials in the set, costume and puppet designs.

    Working with limited or thrifted materials meant having to explore and be open to new possibilities based on what is available, she says.

    Brock University’s Dramatic Arts mainstage performance of Escape to ILKANOR: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters opens Friday, March 6 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre.

    “The elements of transformation and rebirth are at the core of the show’s landscape, communicated not just through the set and costumes, but through the stories told by each character as they journey from the real world to Ilkanor, where they unlock their full potential,” Foley says. “We similarly saw the potential in our thrifted fabrics, books and garbage materials and transformed them into something beautiful and new.”

    Escape to Ilkanor: A Fantasy Play in Nine Chapters opens Friday, March 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, March 7 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m., Thursday March 12 at 11 a.m., Friday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 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.

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  • How the arts shaped Walker Cultural Leader’s path to Indigenous roots

    Wednesday, December 03, 2025 | By

    As part of the 2025-26 Walker Cultural Leader Series presented by the Marilyn. I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, celebrated multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser (second from left) is in residence in the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART). Joy-Fraser plays the role of the Métis Nutcracker in DART’s mainstage production, performing alongside DART students second-year student Tejay Morley (left), fourth-year student Emma Marcy (second from right) and second-year student Sarah Lazo de la Vega Sanchez (right).

    Originally posted in the Brock News | Tuesday, December 02, 2025 | by 

    Reclaiming their First Nation identity has led multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser down many paths, from international theatre stages to local drum circles and, recently, to Brock.

    As one of Dramatic Arts’ (DART) Walker Cultural Leaders for 2025-26, Joy-Fraser plays the role of the Métis Nutcracker in DART’s upcoming mainstage production.

    They will join Assistant Professor and Métis Nutcracker playwright Matthew MacKenzie, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, for a public artist talk, “Making Métis Nutcracker,” on the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre stage on Friday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.

    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 in Alberta.

    Identity is the heartbeat of Joy-Fraser’s artistic practice, which spans more than 25 years of storytelling on stage and screen with celebrated companies such as the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival, Mirvish, Theatre Aquarius, CBC, CBS, BBC and Telefilm.

    “The more I learn about my background, the more I am driven to keep sharing Indigenous theatre and more deeply understand my job as an artist to propel stories forward not just about identity but also reconciliation,” Joy-Fraser says.

    Nicole Joy Fraser

    Dramatic Arts Walker Cultural Leader 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 in Alberta. As a multidisciplinary artist, community theatre practitioner and cultural facilitator, Joy-Fraser continues to advocate for Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, which have greatly impacted their journey as a Sixties Scoop witness and 2Spirit Helper.

    Inspired by — as it happens — a performance of The Nutcracker they saw with their parents, Joy-Fraser spent much of their youth performing with local theatre companies. They instantly fell in love with ballet and began singing thanks to the “golden oldie” musicals on repeat in their home.

    It was in high school drama class, when handed a copy of Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989) by Cree writer and performer Tomson Highway, that Joy-Fraser began asking more questions about their roots.

    After three years at performing arts college Randolph Academy, Joy-Fraser landed a dream-come-true gig as a member of the first North American cast of Mirvish Theatre’s Mamma Mia! auditioned by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus himself.

    Years of performing in many non-Indigenous roles followed for Joy-Fraser on prestigious stages across Canada and with West End Theatre in London, U.K.

    At the same time, Joy-Fraser’s drive to learn about their First Nation identity burned brighter, spurring them on in their journey to find their maternal birth family.

    After years of searching and almost giving up, Joy-Fraser finally connected to their Northern Alberta roots. An Elder at their first sweat ceremony recognized their surname as belonging to their birth mother and realized her cousin was married to Joy-Fraser’s Auntie.

    “At that time, we weren’t equipped with the language and learnings to help us carry our trauma as intergenerational survivors and Sixties Scoop witnesses,” Joy-Fraser said.

    Joy-Fraser began attending traditional healing ceremonies and connecting with Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Suddenly, they were learning their history.

    “My acting roles began resonating with my personal growth, and I knew I was bound to give back to our community by sharing my story and helping others heal through the arts,” they said.

    Performing the role of the Métis Nutcracker as DART’s Walker Culture Leader has been a meaningful experience for Joy-Fraser, moved by sharing both their extensive experience as theatre practitioner as well as First Nation customs that have been part of the production process, including smudging ceremonies and feasts.

    “The best way to learn something is to experience it, and DART students are learning about Indigenous cultures by embodying this story — by living it and reflecting on it — you couldn’t ask for a more active action of reconciliation than what Brock is doing right now with this piece.”

    As an Indigenous student and actor, second-year DART student Abbey Keays of the Upper Mohawk Turtle Clan who performs in Métis Nutcracker said she has learned so much from Joy-Fraser, who she looks to as a mentor.

    “We have had important talks about what we can do to keep our cultural stories accurate, appropriate and informative. It’s not very often you get the chance to experience Indigenous work or work with Indigenous artists as an actor who is starting out,” Keays said. “I am very grateful to have Nicole Joy-Fraser to look up to in my career.”

    For more information about the Métis Nutcracker see the Department’s Events + Programming webpage.

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  • Métis Nutcracker: Classic winter tale reimagined in celebration of Indigenous identity

    Saturday, November 29, 2025 | By

    Brock Dramatic Arts students are preparing for the University’s upcoming mainstage production of Métis Nutcracker written by award-winning Canadian playwright and Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie. Third-year student Ella Martin, Assistant Head of Wardrobe (left), adjusts third-year student Molly Solomon’s (centre) handmade Maple Sugar Fairy regalia, assisted by fourth-year student Nav Brar, Wardrobe Co-ordinator.

    Originally posted in the Brock News | Friday, November 28, 2025 | by 

    When Molly Solomon brings her contemporary Fancy Shawl Dance to life in Brock University Dramatic Arts’ (DART) mainstage production, she will draw strength from her Ojibwe name, Ishkode Kwe.

    The name, translated to “Fire Woman” and “First Spark in my Heart,” was gifted to the third-year DART student by her grandmother — and she wears it proudly, just like the handcrafted regalia she dons on stage.

    Solomon plays the Maple Sugar Fairy in Brock’s upcoming production of Métis Nutcracker, which opens Friday, Dec. 5 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. The new play was written by award-winning Canadian playwright and DART Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie, citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and is directed and choreographed by celebrated theatre artist Monica Dottor.

    Solomon says sharing her Indigenous heritage with the Brock community is a profound experience.

    “I feel so welcome when my peers and mentors are genuinely curious to learn about my Indigenous identity,” she says.

    Brimming with magic, song and dance — and sprinkled with a dash of playful audience interaction that may involve throwing snowballs at the stage — the story is inspired by MacKenzie’s family heritage.

    In Métis Nutcracker, two Ukrainian refugees named Tatiana and Vanya are forced to flee from their home in the Red Pine Forest to escape the evil Rat King. They seek safety on Turtle Island where they are taken under the protection of the Métis Nutcracker, played by DART Walker Cultural Leader and multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser.

    “They travel in the four directions learning about different nations and sacred medicines in the Land of Flowers, Land of Berries, Land of Snowflakes and Land of Pine Cones,” MacKenzie says of the characters’ journey in his adaptation of the classic Nutcracker tale.

    Created for young audiences, the play celebrates identity and diversity.

    “My son is Ukrainian and Métis, and I wanted to be able to speak to him about his Indigeneity while exploring concepts of colonialism in a way that he could understand,” MacKenzie says.

    For Joy-Fraser, performing the role of the Métis Nutcracker also resonates with reclaiming their own Indigenous background. 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 in Alberta.

    Paramount to the production was ensuring that youth — particularly those with an Indigenous background — had the opportunity to experience Métis Nutcracker. Support from St. Catharines theatre company Carousel Players helped to achieve this goal, with two school-day matinee performances now sold out.

    “I hope every Indigenous child sitting in the audience sees themselves and their beliefs reflected in the beauty of the show,” Joy-Fraser says. “It’s magical storytelling embedded in nature, which is so much a part of who we are.”

    Indigenous practices of cultural significance are woven throughout the play,  including set pieces, costumes and regalia featuring intricate beadwork as well as custom painted canoe paddles, created in collaboration with Indigenous theatre cohort Pemmican Collective.

    MacKenzie, who teaches Contemporary Canadian Indigenous Theatre, says learning about different Indigenous nations alongside the cast and crew has been transformative.

    “Métis Nutcracker celebrates differences,” he says. “Everyone involved at Brock has come together to honour those differences, putting the ‘action’ in truth and reconciliation.”

    As the first Indigenous DART faculty member to write an original mainstage production for the University, MacKenzie says the in-house work of Indigenizing theatre is gaining momentum.

    MacKenzie is also excited to see more Indigenous representation at the University in the future.

    “We have such a supportive environment at the MIWSFPA, a true willingness and curiosity to learn,” he says. “Our conversations are centred on this performance, but they will carry forward.”

    Additional performances of Métis Nutcracker will take place Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $25 and tickets for students and seniors are $20. Visit Brock University Tickets to reserve seats.

    MacKenzie and Joy-Fraser will also host a public artist talk related to the production at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre on Friday, Dec. 5.

    For more information about the Métis Nutcracker see the Department’s Events + Programming webpage.

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  • Brock to make splash with Metamorphoses mainstage

    Monday, February 24, 2025 | By

    Photograph of rehearsal for DART mainstage production Metamorphoses

    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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  • Dramatic Arts welcomes celebrated theatre leader for mainstage production

    Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | By

    Director Soheil Parsa works with students Simone Cinapri and Lennon Paul on stage.

    Image caption: Simone Cinapri (left), a fourth-year Concurrent Education student with teachables in Dramatic Arts (DART) and History, rehearses on stage at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre with guest Director Soheil Parsa and second-year DART student Lennon Paul (right) in preparation for DART’s mainstage production of Scorched.

    Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | by 

    Director and writer Soheil Parsa is bringing his award-winning theatre expertise and artistry to Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

    Parsa, co-founder and former artistic director of Modern Times Stage Company in Toronto, is directing Scorched, a bold, innovative play written by Wajdi Mouawad, for the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) fall mainstage production. Parsa was Dramatic Arts Walker Cultural Leader for the 2023-24 season.

    With set and costume design by DART Associate Professor and Scenographer David Vivian, the deeply political and philosophical play explores fate, retribution and the human capacity for violence and destruction.

    Scorched tells the story of Nawal, a woman who fled a country tormented by violence, and her twins, Janine and Simon, who were raised in Quebec. Following Nawal’s death, the twins must return to their mother’s war-torn country to carry out her last wishes and deliver letters to their father, believed dead, and a brother they didn’t know they had.

    Parsa said Scorched strongly resonates with the events shaping the world today.

    “In this remarkable poetic piece, Mouawad explores the darker sides of human nature, contemporary barbarism, dehumanization in the face of war, friendship, separation, love and loss,” he said.

    Fourth-year Concurrent Education student Simone Cinapri, who plays the role of Janine, said Parsa guided the cast and creative team through the challenging script with patience and wisdom.

    “Beyond developing my skills as an actor, this experience has taught me about dedication, communication and creativity, lessons I will carry with me beyond my time at Brock,” she said.

    Cinapri explored how to bring characters like Janine to life — characters Parsa described as archetypal beings representing the essence of human hope, struggle and failure — as a tribute to women who have been affected by war and sexual violence.

    “By exploring the cycle of violence experienced by immigrant families in the play, I have drawn connections to my own family who faced many barriers to live in Canada today,” she said. “I am so grateful for DART’s dedication to providing memorable learning opportunities through mainstage productions.”

    Vivian, who attended National Theatre School with Mouawad, said the DART students involved in the production have “carried the characters in the play very carefully in our hearts these past few months.”

    “Digging deep into the histories and destinies of a multi-generation family led by women of great humanity has been simultaneously a privilege and a challenging responsibility for the artists of DART,” he said.

    Scorched opens Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines. Performances will also take place Saturday, Nov. 2, Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3.

    General admission tickets are available for $25 and tickets for students and seniors are available for $20. Visit the DART event website to reserve tickets.

    The public is also invited to a mini symposium on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Film House (FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre) for an engaging conversation with lead creatives from the production and guest scholars from Brock’s Faculties of Humanities and Applied Health Sciences. Free registration, ticket required.

    Content Advisory: The production contains mature content and is only recommended for individuals aged 16 and up.

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  • Vampires descending on downtown arts school for Brock’s mainstage production

    Thursday, March 02, 2023 | By

    The cast of A Vampire Story prepares the finals scenes of their upcoming performance, which premieres Friday, March 3.

    Originally published in The Brock News | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023 | by 

    The undead will make their debut next month in downtown St. Catharines.

    Moira Buffini’s A Vampire Story, the mainstage production from Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts, opens at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre Friday, March 3.

    The show follows Ella, a vampire who is new to a small town that has been plagued by disappearing high school students and teachers.

    Seeking to become more human, she decides to stop drinking blood and to be honest about her undead state, her vampire mother and her horrific past.

    But Ella’s honesty isn’t well received by the community. Her life is upended as she is ostracized and hunted — all while falling in love and sorting out her priorities in a small town where the residents are as bizarre and insatiable as the vampires who live among them.

    Led by Director and Adjunct Professor Gyllian Raby, the adaptation of A Vampire’s Story finds a perfect balance between the play’s gothic and comedic nature.

    Raby’s success both as a professional director and Associate Professor comes from her extensive experience and her affinity for intelligent, culturally astute comedy. She has worked as a freelance director, dramaturge and playwright/adaptor across the world.

    Her productions of Bernard Shaw’s Passion, Poison and Petrifaction, the jazz/tap musical Fingers and Toes, Nicolai Erdman’s Russian farce The Suicide! and the international clown show hit Don’t Do It – Do It have been widely enjoyed by audiences in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Thailand.

    Raby said A Vampire Story is more relevant now than its debut performance in 2016, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The loneliness and anxiety caused by the pandemic are common motivating factors for vampire and infection stories, she said.

    “We can all identify with characters who are intensely alone amid society. Of course, this explains the success of the vampire genre,” Raby said. “Moira Buffini’s smart, witty play taps into the pop culture genre, relating loss of soul to the need for activist awareness.”

    Assistant Director and fourth-year DART student Lucas Irving said the use of monsters within the show is instrumental.

    “The production offers a fantastic opportunity to explore who and what the monsters in society are and how the definition changes from one period to another,” he said. “Vampires often surface during times of change and we’re certainly in a time of great change.”

    A Vampire Story includes set design by Nigel Scott, costume design by Alexa Fraser and lighting design by Chris Malkowski, with music direction and live band leadership by Joe Lapinski. The production showcases the talents of Brock DART students Hayley King, Simone Cinapri, Maiya Irwin, Thea Van Loon, Alex De Cicco, Cal Webb Wilkinson, Hunter Brown, Nathan Faigundo, Emma van Barneveld, Tyra Hayward, Celine Zamidar, Michelle Shortt, Benoit St. Aubain, Kaitlyn Boyer, Isaiah Alton and Zakk Milne.

    A Vampire Story opens Friday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre inside the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Tickets are available for $20 for general admission and $16 for students and seniors. Performances will also take place Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 5 at 2 p.m., Friday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. To reserve tickets please visit the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre website.

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  • Brock mainstage production puts human behaviour, climate crisis in spotlight

    Friday, November 11, 2022 | By

    Brock University Dramatic Arts students will explore a variety of complex topics in AnthropoScene, this year’s fall mainstage production.

    Originally published in The Brock News | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022 | by Charles Kim

    Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is inviting the community to experience a journey through time and place in AnthropoScene.

    The fall mainstage production explores how the alienation that results from humans’ supremacist behaviour towards one another contributes to the climate crisis, as well as engages the ethics of theatricalizing the present climate emergency.

    AnthropoScene playfully mingles elements of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, real-life figures including Toussaint L’Ouverture and various youth climate justice activists, and fictional characters across multiple locations and time periods.

    The production, which debuts Friday, Oct. 28 and continues into the first week of November, involves one of the largest groups of students, faculty and staff in recent years. Twelve DART students will perform, as 30 others assist in creative and backstage roles. This original work is written and directed by David Fancy, designed by David Vivian, and choreographed by Trevor Copp and Colin Anthes, with live music performed by Devon Fornelli.

    “I’m so pleased at the skill and talent of the many students involved in creating this production, from actors to assistant designers, directors and sound designers — the list goes on,” says Fancy, a Brock DART Professor.

    Conveying so many complex elements within the production has been no easy task, but one the cast and crew have handled impressively, he says.

    “Our Dramatic Arts students have really shown courage and insight in dealing with the challenging materials that this play covers: self-harm, racism and environmental harm,” Fancy says. “They have also brought great verve and joy to the choreography, company dance numbers and comedic aspects of the project.”

    To help immerse audiences in multiple locations and time periods, the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre has taken on a new form.

    “I imagine the audience having an experience of poetry, drama, comedy, dance, beautiful design, light and sound that will transport them to different places and times,” Fancy says. “I’ve configured the theatre differently than it usually is in order to help the audience feel they are being brought somewhere else.”

    AnthropoScene opens Friday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., with additional performances on Oct. 29 and 30, and Nov. 4 and 5. All shows take place at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in Downtown St. Catharines.

    A roundtable discussion, also open to the public, will take place on the production stage Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m., with a panel of experts from Brock and other institutions discussing topics related to staging planetary evolution and destruction.

    Brock Professor of Art Education Fiona Blaikie will lead the discussion alongside Fancy; Vivian; Christine Daigle, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Brock’s Posthumanism Research Institute; Katrina Dunn, Assistant Professor in the University of Manitoba’s Department of English, Theatre, Film and Media; Lin Snelling, a dancer whose artistic practice brings the qualities of improvisation into dance, theatre, writing, visual art and somatic practice; and Priya Thomas, Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts at Brock.

    Tickets for AnthropoScene are $20 for the general public and $16 for students and seniors. For a full schedule of performances or to purchase tickets, visit the Brock University Tickets website.

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  • Dramatic Arts spring mainstage production delivers comedy, whimsy and innovation in Zoom theatre

    Tuesday, April 06, 2021 | By

    Caption: A screenshot from the “Yellow Brick Road” scene in the DART 2021 spring Mainstage production of Fever/Dream, includes cast members (top row, from left) Jonah Pace, Emily Clegg, Jane Smith, (second row, from left) Violet Brown, Bianca Taylor, Joanna Tran, (third row, from left) Yasmine Agocs, Peter Herbert, Luca d’Amico, (bottom row, from left) Taj-Alexander Crozier, Lucas Irving and Matt Martin.

    Originally published in The Brock News THURSDAY, APRIL 01, 2021 | by 

    A collapsing stock market, an eccentric billionaire and a roller-coaster ride of parody and the surreal are just the beginning of what audiences can expect from the upcoming production of Fever/Dream presented by Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts (DART).

    The DART spring mainstage production runs from Wednesday, April 7 to Sunday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. as free livestreamed performances viewable on the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) YouTube channel.

    In mounting the production virtually, the resilient cast and crew have had their fair share of challenges creating theatre during a pandemic and have masterfully emerged with exciting theatre to share with audiences.

    Director Gyllian Raby, Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts, has much gratitude for the dedication of the production team and the participating students.

    “Collaborating during these times could not be done without a production team fanatically dedicated to beating the odds,” she says.

    To bring the play to life, props, costumes and lighting supplies had to be distributed to students all over Ontario.

    “Actors are working as their own technicians, and the student directors are confronting scenes demanding live acting and intimacy with zest and imagination,” Raby says. “With this group of fevered dreamers, I think Calderón de la Barca and Sheila Callaghan would both be proud.”

    Assistant Directors and Dramatic Arts students Dillon Bernier and Samantha Rideout share Raby’s enthusiasm for the work put into the show and anticipation for opening night.

    “Working on Fever/Dream has taught me so much, not only about myself as a director, but also how theatre can still bring people together, even in a digital form,” Bernier says. “We need theatre in our lives, whether that be in person or digitally.”

    Rideout echoes this sentiment, acknowledging the impact of the experience.

    “Fever/Dream is the first opportunity I have had to take my knowledge as a performer and try my hand at assistant directing,” she says. “The past eight months developing this show have opened my eyes to the potential of theatre to transcend our current understanding of the art form.”

    The play itself touches on many themes, such as corporate greed, complicated family dynamics, white supremacy and the healing power of love — all delivered in a comedy meant to defy logic and challenge convention.

    “As theatre makers, we are trying to use our talents to create a piece that is current and contemporary and with a strong social message. We also want audiences to feel the whimsical romance of the story and the magic of theatre,” Bernier says.

    While the new digital stage is a departure from traditional live theatre, the assistant directors and cast members have fully embraced “Zoom theatre.”

    “The Zoom platform has challenged the cast, while also providing us with an important learning opportunity to explore and play outside of our comfort zones — and we have made bold discoveries,” Rideout says.

    The production is free to view, however space is limited. The public can make a reservation to watch the show on the MIWSFPA YouTube channel by booking through brocku.universitytickets.com

    In addition to being directed by Raby alongside Bernier and Rideout, Fever/Dream’s Scenic design is by David Vivian, costumes by Roberta Doylend, lighting design by Chris Malkowski, sound and projections design, videography and postproduction by James McCoy, choreography by Rachel Romanoski, and stage management by Diego Blanco and Alyssa Ruddock.

    The cast and crew have dedicated this production to dawn e crysler, Theatre Technician and beloved MIWSFPA staff member who sadly passed away before the show was completed. crysler, who preferred her name referred to in all lowercase, will be remembered by students, faculty and staff for her commitment to the show, her delight in the process, quiet moments shared with the cast during online rehearsals, her exuberant spirit and her dancing.

    As noted by the Fever/Dream team, it takes a village to put on a theatre show; crysler was not only an integral part of the creative process, but she was also the all-around motivator of the village.

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Performance Season, Plays, Shaw Intern Blog, Uncategorised, Visiting Artists

  • Scenes from an Execution: Dramatic Arts in the era of Covid-19! opens Oct.30

    Saturday, October 24, 2020 | By

    scenes from an Execution
    by HOWard Barker

    Scenes from an Execution is a genre-bending feeding frenzy of high impact theatre, art film, and social media. This production features the story of a 16th century punk feminist painter named Galactia. She outsmarts and out-arts all the other hangers-on with her ability to wield a paintbrush and her prowess with a video camera. She stores her lover in a plexiglass box, and, well, everything takes off from there… Taking place in an in-between pandemonium of dozens of separate performance spaces around the region and the world, Scenes From and Execution integrates the live and the recorded, and blood and paint, in festival of good-times-for-all that won’t be easily ignored!
    Directed by David Fancy.

    Live streamed on:
    October 30 at 7:30 PM
    October 31 at 7:30 PM
    November 01 at 2:00 PM
    November 06 at 7:30 PM
    November 07 at 7:30 PM

    Where: created at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines with content from the performance spaces of students and artists in Canada and Mexico, streamed to the MIWSFPA YouTube Channel.

    Reservations to view the Scenes from an Execution performance of your choice can now be made at brocku.universitytickets.com
    There is no charge for reservations, but numbers are limited. Please book your ticket soon.

    Behind the Screen: See this student video showing how we made Scenes from an Execution,

    Program including statements of purpose from the student artists for Scenes from an Execution is available on the website or for download here

    click to open program

    CREATIVE TEAM:

    Director: David Fancy
    Associate Director: Molly Lacey*
    Set/Costume Designer: Kelly Wolf
    Assistant Designer: Wyatt Hoskins*
    Dramaturg: Asenia Hall*
    Choreographer: Trevor Copp
    Dance Captain: Marley Mahon*
    Audio Design: James Dengate*
    Stage Manager: Peter Herbert*
    Asst Stage Manager Alyssa Ruddock*

    CAST:

    Galactia – Holly Hebert*
    Carpeta – Neo Moore*
    Urgentino – Jesse Caines*
    Suffici – Jackson Wagner*
    Rivera – Heidi Nickel*
    Ostensible – Diego Blanco*
    Prodo/Third Sailor – Jarrod Vandenbogaerd*
    Sketchbook/Pastaccio – Celine Zamidar*
    Supporta – Sammie Marett*
    Dementia – Chloe Petrou*
    Sorda/Sailor – Maiya Irwin*
    Official/Gaoler – Isaiah Alton*
    Lasagna/Sailor – Marley Mahon*
    Sailor/Workman/Woman in the next cell – Thea Van Loon*

    PRODUCTION:

    Production Manager: Brian Cumberland
    Technical Director: Gavin Fearon
    Assistant TD: Sid Malcolm*
    Sound Operator: Alex Sykes*
    Head of Wardrobe: Roberta Doylend
    Wardrobe Assistant: Julian Corlett*
    Construction Head: Ed Harris
    SM Supervisor: Carolyn MacKenzie

    ( * DART student)

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised

  • PERDITA, OR THE WINTER’S TALE: our first mainstage for the new decade!

    Friday, January 17, 2020 | By

    Perdita the winters tale poster

    PERDITA, OR THE WINTER’S TALE,
    ADAPTED BY GYLLIAN RABY

    Join us for our second Mainstage production of the 2019-20 season: a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic co-directed by Professors Gyllian Raby and Danielle Wilson, with Gerry Trentham.

    Perdita, or The Winter’s Tale, views through the eyes of a child the chaos set in motion by a father’s paranoid jealousy. King Leontes’ psychosis is terrifying as he plots to kill his best friend Polixenes on suspicion of adultery with Queen Hermione. But when he threatens the lives of the Queen and her newborn daughter, Leontes succeeds only in killing his heir, the ailing prince Maximillius. In the storm of recrimination that follows, Max steps out of Time to save his baby sister, manipulating the Winter’s Tale by imagining reality anew.

    The Department of Dramatic Arts presents this sad tale with a happy ending. The Winter’s Tale is Maximillius’ attempt to explore the situation that is destroying him, to understand its consequences and to bind his world together.

    Read the review in the Brock Press.

    See the teaser video taken during rehearsal and featuring interviews with the Assistant Directors Rina Wilkins and Emma McCormick, and performer Jasmine Case (Perdita) from YourTV Niagara.

    perspective drawing view of the set, designed by Nigel Scott

    Artistic Direction for our production of Perdita, or The Winter’s Tale.

    The text of 1612 has been re-imagined into the Cold War era of 1970’s where Shakespeare’s ‘evil’ Sicilia is an Iron Curtain country kind of power imagined by John LeCarré and ‘festive’ Bohemia is a flower-power realm where kids rebel against their parents’ values.

    It is a tale of lostness and belonging, of trust-betrayed and loyalty. The craving of a child or youth to understand adulthood, and of people stuck in a role or gender to experience its opposite, is our focus. This is a production where the god and mortal “he” is socially constructed and can be played by actors of any biological sex.

    costume designs by Alexandra Lord. (l-r: Leontes, Polixenes, Dorcas, and Perdita)

    Bring your students to a special matinee performance of Perdita, or The Winter’s Tale on March 06, 2020 at 11:30 am. Group tickets start at $13 each, and discounts available. We are pleased to offer a talkback and Q & A with the actors and creative team after the matinée on March 6th. Should you be interested, contact us for more information. Curriculum connections include Shakespeare Studies, English Literature, World Studies, History, Gender Studies and Drama Studies. The performance of Perdita is appropriate for high school audiences.

    To book your school, please contact the Production Manager Brian Cumberland for all group ticket purchases: [email protected] . If you are interested in booking a tour of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts prior to the show, please e-mail [email protected] .

    download the poster

    Presented at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts. Purchase your tickets at https://brocku.universitytickets.com/.

    When: Feb. 28 and 29, 2020 — 7:30 p.m.
    March 1, 2020 — 2 p.m.
    March 6, 2020 —11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
    March 7, 2020 — 7:30 p.m.

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

    The Marilyn I. Walker Theatre is situated at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, located at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines, L2R 0B5. We are adjacent to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and the Meridian Centre.

    See our website for maps and contact information:
    brocku.ca/miwsfpa/dramatic-arts/contact/

     

    Directed by Danielle Wilson and Gyllian Raby, with Gerry Trentham
    Set Design by Nigel Scott
    Costume Design by Alexandra Lord
    Lighting Design by Chris Malkowski
    Sound Design and Music by Max Holten-Andersen
    Assistant Direction by Rina Wilkins and Emma McCormick.

    download the rack card

    Stage Manager: Jordine De Guzman
    Asst Stage Manager Elizabeth Martin and Diego Blanco
    Production Manager: Brian Cumberland
    Technical Director: Gavin Fearon
    Shop Supervisor: Ed Harris
    Theatre Technician: Dawn Crysler
    Head of Wardrobe: Roberta Doylend

    CAST:

    Avery Delaney Florizel
    Jackson Wagner Leontes 
    Jasmine Case Perdita 
    Jesse Caines Court Judge/Jailer/Servant 
    Joanna Tran Hermione 
    Juan-Carlos Figueroa Polixenes 
    Lauren Reid Paulina/Shepherd 2 
    Leah Rantala Emilia 
    Meryl Ochoa Maximilius/Time
    Mike Hammond Antigonus/Shepherd 3
    Molly Lacey Clio/Dorcas
    Rachel Frederick Dion/Mopsa
    Taylor Bogaert Camillo

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    Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Performance Season, Plays, Uncategorised

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