Articles tagged with: Wes Berger

• Dramatic Arts grads in Toronto Fringe Festival spotlight

  Tuesday, August 14, 2018 | By Brock University

  

  (From The Brock News, Tuesday, August 18, 2018)

  Two plays featuring Brock Dramatic Arts graduates will be playing this week in Toronto as part of the Best of Fringe.

  First Dates, a play about love, loss and people aching to connect, is written and directed by Niagara Falls native and former DART student Wes Berger and features music by his brother, musician and Brock alumnus Aaron Berger (BA ’17).

  Also featured during the Best of Fringe event is Anywhere, the newest work by award-winning playwright Michael Ross Albert starring Brock alumna Cass Van Wyck (BA ’13). The thriller, set in an Airbnb, follows a cordial relationship between strangers that escalates into a tense battle for control.

  Anywhere and First Dates were both selected as 2018 Patron’s Picks at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

  “On behalf of the department, we want to congratulate Wes, Cass and Aaron,” says Professor Joe Norris, Chair of the Department of Dramatic Arts. “As always, we celebrate our students’ successes and are pleased their hard and talented work is recognized in the Ontario theatre community.”

  The Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival provides opportunities for emerging and established artists to share their productions with the community in an affordable and accessible way. The Best of Fringe remounts selected productions at the Studio Theatre, Toronto Centre for the Arts to give patrons a second chance to see the shows.

  Also in July was the Hamilton Fringe Festival, which showcased another production filled with Brock talent. September Songs was directed by Colin Bruce Anthes (BA ’14) and featured five Brock grads. The show will be coming to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Nov. 1 to 3.

  Tags: Aaron Berger, Alana Perri, Anywhere, Best of the Fringe, Brock University Dramatic Arts, Cass Van Wyck, Colin Bruce Anthes, First Dates, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Hamilton Fringe Festival, Joe Norris, Kevin Chew, Patron's Pick, Toronto Fringe Festival, Wes Berger
  Categories: Alumni, Events, News, Plays

• DART Alumnus directs George F. Walker World Premiere

  Friday, October 03, 2014 | By Brock University

  

  “When I came to Brock I had done exactly one small part in one play. I had only ever seen two plays and one of them was Cats. I knew nothing about acting, nothing about theatre, nothing about life really. I was an English major planning to become a lawyer who thought that theatre would be a fun elective. When I left, five years later I couldn’t conceive of doing anything else with my life.” – Wes Berger, class of 1999.

   

  Department of Dramatic Arts alumnus Wes Berger, who has just directed the world premiere of George F. Walker’s Parents Night in Hamilton, has certainly made good use of the 15 years since he left DART. He has an extensive acting resume which includes stage, film and TV. Theatre credits include Tarragon, Young Peoples Theatre, Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Blyth Festival. He has worked as director on several Walker plays at this point, as well as Fringe and Summerworks shows in Toronto and projects with Lyndesfarne here in Niagara.

  Parents Night is a one-act, three-character comedy/dramedy set in a Grade Three classroom. The action takes place in real-time, starring Sarah Murphy-Dyson as concerned and unhinged teacher Nicole, sitting down for a serious discussion with the parents of two of her most troublesome students. John (Matthew Olver) a wealthy and neurotic businessman whose wife has recently walked out on him and Rosie (Dana Puddicombe) a brassy and strong-willed working class woman with a drug-addicted husband, each star as delightfully defensive parents, loyally and valiantly advocating for their children against Nicole, one another and society itself. John’s son and Rosie’s daughter may be having their problems in Nicole’s class – mostly with each other – but when these parents go to school for a Parent/Teacher interview, their own problems soon bubble over and take over the classroom.

  A funny, touching and truthful play for anyone who’s ever been a teacher. Or had a teacher. Or had a parent. Or wanted another kind of parent.

  Read Review from Gary Smith at The Spec

  There’s still time to catch the show. Parents’ Night runs through October 12 at the Pearl Company, 16 Steven Street in Hamilton. For more information, go to thepearlcompany.ca

  Tags: George F. Walker, Parents Night, Wes Berger
  Categories: Alumni, News