News

  • Interacting with Immersive Worlds Conference Organizers Announce Newly Reduced Registration Fees

    Interacting with Immersive Worlds: Third Brock University Conference on the Interactive Arts & Sciences

    BROCK UNIVERSITY, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO JUNE 13th – 14th, 2011

    https://brocku.ca/conferences/immersive-worlds

    Thanks to a combination of generous support from the City of St.Catharines and corporate sponsorship we are delighted to announce that we are able to reduce our conference registration fees to:

    Regular: $150.00
    Student: $75.00

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  • Interacting with Immersive Worlds conference announces Guest Appearance by Dejan Momcilovic of WETA Studios, New Zealand

    Interacting with Immersive Worlds: Third Brock University Conference on the Interactive Arts & Sciences

    BROCK UNIVERSITY, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO JUNE 13th – 14th, 2011

    https://brocku.ca/conferences/immersive-worlds

    We are excited to announce that Dejan Momcilovic of WETA studios, New Zealand, will give a talk on Monday June 13th on “Lord of the Rings,” “King Kong,” and “Avatar” and motion capture, prior to the guided tour of the motion capture studio at the Generator at one. Further details will be announced on the conference web site as they become available.

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  • A New Spring Session course – DART 1F01: Acting for Non Majors

    img_6810cr-220dart_minor_infosheetv2-flatheader-sm

    Are you interested in Acting, but not a Dramatic Arts Major?
    OR
    Are you a Primary/Junior Concurrent Education Student looking for an introductory course in Acting?
    OR
    Are you looking for an active, engaging Spring Intensive Course?

    DART 1F01: Acting for Non Majors

    Monday, May 2 – Friday, May 13, 2011
    M T W TH F  9:00h  – 16:30h  TH 141

    This course is a rigorous introduction to acting for non majors. There are no pre requisites and no restrictions.

    Contact dramatic@brocku.ca for more information, ext. 5255
    Brock University

    DEPARTMENT OF DRAMATIC ARTS

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    Categories: Announcements, News, STAC Courses

  • Dramatic Arts Mainstage production opening Feb 17, 2011: Phèdre

    phedre-poster-draft-v2-copy-web_0Phèdre

    Written by Jean Racine
    Translated by Ted Hughes
    Directed by Virginia Reh
    Designed by David Vivian

    Feb. 17, 18, 19, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

    Student Matinee: Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 at 01:00 p.m.

    adults $15.00
    students and seniors $12.00
    $5.00 matinee for Brock students and staff

    The myth of Phèdre is one of the most powerful in all of classical mythology. Believing her absent husband Theseus to be dead, the Queen confesses her obsession for stepson Hippolytus, thus entering a nightmare world and spinning a tale of passion that unwinds with disastrous consequences.

    Phèdre: A Primer, is an introduction to our production, prepared by our Dramaturge and Fourth Year DART student, Spencer Smith. Included are:
    1) Collaboration, 2) Play Synopsis, 3) Director’s Notes, 4) Scenographer’s Notes, 5) The Playwright: Jean-Baptiste Racine, 6) The Translator: Ted Hughes, 7) Family Tree, 8) The Myths: Theseus, Phaedra, and Hippolytus, 9) The Labyrinth of Lexicon: People and Places, 10) The Many Faces of Phaedra, 11) Dramaturge’s Notes, 12) List of Figures, 13) Bibliography.

    Download your PDF copy of Phèdre: A Primer (PDF, 16.1 MB)

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  • Marlene Moser Memorial Scholarship

    The Department of Dramatic Arts lost a cherished colleague and friend, Dr. Marlene Moser, on December 21, 2010.  In her honour we have established the Marlene Moser Memorial Scholarship. To contribute to this Scholarship please send donations to the attention of Norm Bradshaw, Faculty of Humanities, Brock University. The cheque or gift should be made out to Brock University and indicate Marlene Moser Memorial Scholarship. All donations are eligible to be matched dollar for dollar by the provincial government.

    For more information please contact Norm Bradshaw.

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    Categories: Announcements, Faculty & Instructors, News

  • DART mourns the passing of a friend and colleague.

    Marlene at the Humanities Research Institute Symposium in December, 2006

    It is with deep sadness and grief that we share with you the news of our dear colleague Marlene Moser’s passing on the evening of December 21, 2010.

    Marlene’s courageous five year battle with breast cancer developed into metastasis this past summer.  Her condition started to deteriorate rapidly Monday morning and she was admitted to the Juravinski Hospital Tuesday morning and passed away peacefully Tuesday evening surrounded by all of her family.

    Marlene has been a member of the Brock Community since 2000. During her tenure as professor, researcher, creator, Director and Chair she provided leadership and love to her colleagues and students in the Department of Dramatic Arts.  She was instrumental to the development of the Department as a site of luminous and rigorous investigation of theatre praxis.  Her mentorship of five colleagues through tenure and promotion is but one facet of her legacy to the future of our research, pedagogy, and community. Her presence in the burgeoning theatre scene of St. Catharines was only recently curtailed as she focused her creative energies to meet the challenge of cancer – the vision of her initiatives remains undiminished and in our hearts.

    Marlene fought this cancer with such strength, courage and determination. The Department greatly mourns her passing.

    for more information please see her web page

    see the Brock News article here

    Information about the visitation and an upcoming celebration on January 4th, 2011 is found in the obituary in the Hamilton Spectator.  Here are the details:

    Family and friends may gather at the BAY GARDENS FUNERAL HOME, 1010 Botanical Drive, BURLINGTON, on Tuesday, December 28th between 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A celebration of Marlene’s life (reunion) will take place on her birthday, January 4th at the Royal Botanical Gardens at 2 p.m.

    There is also an online Book of Condolence at the above webpage.

    The department will host a memorial event in the new year, with details to come. Download the PDF for the Department of Dramatic Arts’ celebration of her life here.

    In her honour we have established the Marlene Moser Memorial Scholarship. To contribute to this Scholarship please send donations to the attention of Norm Bradshaw nbradshaw@brocku.ca, Faculty of Humanities, Brock University. The cheque or gift should be made out to Brock University and indicate Marlene Moser Memorial Scholarship. All donations are eligible to be matched dollar for dollar by the provincial government.


    Photos:


    Memories:

    Name: Derrick de Kerckhove
    Location: Naples, Italy
    How did you know Marlene?: I directed Marlene’s Phd. thesis
    Your comments: Since I have been away in Europe most of the time since 2008, having lost touch with Marlene a couple of years after she passed her oral – brillantly – I had not heard this heartbreaking news. I remember her elegance, intelligence, determination and freedom of spirit. This is the kind of loss that sinks deep in a community. My best wishes for the recovery of this community.

    if you wish to submit a comment or share a memory about Marlene, please contact dramatic.arts@brocku.ca

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  • Earp Dance at Brock Nuit Blanche 2010

    earpresidenceFor those of you unable to attend Nuit Blanche Brock this year, check out the short video above to see dancers Shannon Perugino and Jessica Goncalves of the Department of Dramatic Arts perform on the beautifully lit top floor of Earp Student Residence at Brock University.   The original piece was performed every half hour from 6pm to midnight on the chilly night of December 3, 2010, to audiences outside on the street below as part of Nuit Blanche Brock 2010. 

    Performed by Dramatic Arts students Jessica Goncalves and Shannon Perugino; Sound Op: Matthew Viviano; Tech and Design Support: Doug Ledingham and David Vivian; Conceived by Natalie Alvarez. Choreography by Jessica Goncalves, Shannon Perugino and Natalie Alvarez.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, News

  • Internationally renowned drama-in-education educator visits Niagara

    The Department of Dramatic Arts, Brock University will host Dr. Jonothan Neelands, a world leader in Drama in Education on Monday, Nov. 1, 2010.

    Neelands will provide an invitational workshop to local Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) and the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) secondary teachers between 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., held at Denis Morris Secondary School, 40 Glen Morris Dr., St. Catharines.

    Later that day, between 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., he will give an open two-hour workshop at Brock University held at the Schmon Tower Room ST103. This is a free workshop with a few openings remaining. Interested registrants can contact Joe Norris directly.

    Neelands will conclude his visit to the Niagara region with a one-hour workshop with a Drama in Education class for the Department of Dramatic Arts.

    Joe Norris states, “This is a remarkable opportunity for all those wishing to teach/learn through experiential and role play models of instruction that incorporate multiple intelligences and the use of the imagination.”

    Dr. Jonothan Neelands is a National Teaching Fellow, Chair of Drama and Theatre Education and Director of Teaching and Learning at the University of Warwick. He is an experienced trainer and workshop leader with a national and international reputation for delivering high quality professional training and development opportunities. He is an associate of the CAPITAL Centre for creativity and performance in teaching and learning, which is a joint initiative between the University of Warwick and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

    Neelands plans to return to Brock University next summer to teach a six-day course for the Department of Dramatic Arts about learning through process drama.

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  • Musical theatre takes centre stage

    Assistant Professor Virginia Reh in the DART Props Shop

    Canadian musical theatre is a little like Canadian film and Canadian writing. It takes place in our own backyard, but our brightest stars are often hidden from public consciousness.

    Virginia Reh is on a mission to change that.

    An assistant professor of Dramatic Arts, Reh is the driving force behind an upcoming conference called LyricCANADA 2010 from Oct. 21 to 23. David Vivian, associate professor and director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, is also an organizer.

    With the conference, Reh hopes to push Canadian musicals and opera into the minds of academics and the general public. That way, she said, more people will write about it. More people will study it. And most importantly, more people will know that it exists.

    see the full article here: https://brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=5777.

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  • LyricCANADA 2010 – Thursday, October 21 through Saturday, October 23, 2010

    LyricCANADA 2010 – Thursday, October 21 through Saturday, October 23, 2010.

    Brock University, St. Catharines ON (daytime program)
    Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake (evening program)

    Lyric Canada 2010 is an inaugural international conference consisting of one Keynote presentation, two Plenary presentations, Moderated Roundtable, 14 presentations by scholars and practitioners, and 15 Showcase presentations involving composers, librettists and performers.

    Lyric Canada 2010 will bring together creators of lyric theatre in Canada and abroad with scholars whose research does or could encompass their work. In this context the term “lyric theatre” encompasses a wide range of dramatic works in which sung text is an integral part. Thus it includes cabaret, musicals, operetta, opera and all points in between.

    By uniting a transnational group of researchers and creators of lyric theatre, we intend to develop a network from which to draw inspiration, expertise and experience for anyone pursuing research or production of this unique art form.

    Why is this an important event?
     This is an innovative ground-breaking project that nobody else is doing.
     For the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts this conference broadcasts Community Outreach and collaboration with the Shaw Festival, our major international collaborator in cultural creation and industry in the Niagara Peninsula.
     We are fostering the development and enrichment of Pedagogical Experiences and Institutional Relationships.
     We are bringing internationally known Composers and Writers to share their creative intelligence and experience with the Brock and Niagara communities.

    SHOWCASE PRESENTATIONS AT THE SHAW FESTIVAL

    A special component of the conference program will be the presentation of new and recent works in the Lyric CANADA 2010 Showcase. The Shaw Festival is a major collaborator in this project, facilitating three evenings of presentation of new and recent works in the Lyric Canada 2010 Showcase program in the Studio Theatre at the Shaw Festival. Details of the Showcase program are available on the website lyriccanada.ca The program includes:

    Leslie Arden One Step Forward 
    Tapestry New Opera: Tapestry’s Creative Process: Marjorie Chan, Writer in Residence as hostess; A writer/composer team from the most recent LIBLAB; 2 Opera Briefs (10 minutes)
    Paul Sportelli, Jay Turvey, and members of the Shaw Company Maria Severa
    Bram Gielen, Tracy Michailidis, with the Summerworks hit Biggish Kids
    among other established and new artists on the Canadian and American lyric theatre scene.

    Tickets to the Showcase performances are available through the
    Centre for the Arts Box Office at Brock University boxoffice.brocku.ca
    (search for lyric)
    905.688.5550 x 3257 (within local region only) or 1.866.617.3257 (outside local region)
    Cost: $25.00 for one evening program; $65.00 for all three evening programs

    PLENARY SPEAKERS

    Stewart Wallace (the composer of Harvey Milk and The Bonesetters Daughter) is coming from Texas en route to China to present the Keynote speech: FATE! LUCK! CHANCE! Adventures in Opera Making

    Sarah Schlesinger, Chair of Graduate Musical Theatre Writing at the Tisch School of Arts (NYU), Sarah is a multiple award-wining lyricist and librettist – her works include The Ballad of Little Joe, Prairie Songs, and Swing Shift. Sarah will be speaking about nurturing and training the next generation of writers and composers in lyric theatre. We are also programming a pedagogical experience between herself and students of the Departments of Music and Dramatic Arts wherein students of Brock can learn from this powerhouse writer in lyric theatre in an intensive workshop moment.

    Our very special guest Canadian Plenary speaker is Jim Betts, Canadian composer, lyricist, and librettist (Colours in the Storm, Thin Ice, Shooting of Dan McGrew), and author of Field of Stars: Songs of the Canadian Musical Theatre (2004) and Field of Stars: More Songs of the Canadian Musical Theatre (2008) (Toronto: Northern River Music). Jim’s provocative presentation is entitled Why Canadians Can’t Write Musicals (And Why Almost No One Else Can, Either)

    PANEL PRESENTATIONS

    Thirty panel presenters from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States complete the wealth of the panel program to be presented at Brock University.

    A selection of the three-day program includes:

    JOINT SESSION:
    Robert Walsh, composer will present From the Ashes: The development of lyrics in The Forbidden Phoenix, with Wayne Strongman and Tapestry New Opera, Toronto speaking about their production Iron Road

    JOINT SESSION: Kathryn Harvey, University of Guelph’s L. W. Conolly Theatre Archives and Francesca Marini, Stratford Festival, ON, will speak about the challenges of archiving performance, particularly musical theatre, and the wealth of their respective archival collections.

    Mel Atkey, London-based author of Broadway North: The Dream of a Canadian Musical Theatre will speak about his new volume: A Million Miles from Broadway: Musical Theatre from a Universal Perspective

    Julie Salverson, Queen’s University, ON will present Opera meets clown and the Atomic Bomb . . . The development of Shelter 

    Sheldon Rosen, Ryerson University, and Darren Russo, McGill University, will present Hansel & Gretel: Typographic Play

    Please see the online programme schedule at lyriccanada.ca

    The Conference may be attended in whole or in part. Members of the public are welcome to the conference or only attend the evening performances at the Shaw Festival.

    Conference Registration is available at the conference website lyriccanada.ca
    Cost: $150.00 to 290.00 depending upon program and including the Showcase program.

    questions or inquiries, please contact:

    Marie Balsom, Communications
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University
    Niagara Region | 500 Glenridge Ave. | St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1
    mbalsom@brocku.ca | T 905 688 5550 x4765 | F 905 378 5712

    Your hosts for LyricCANADA 2010:

    Professors Virginia Reh (Dramatic Arts)
    vreh@brocku.ca

    David Vivian (Dramatic Arts/Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture)
    dvivian@brocku.ca

    LyricCANADA 2010 is produced with the generous support of:

    Brock SSHRC Institutional Grant (BSIG)
    The Humanities Research Institute of Brock University
    The Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture
    The Department of Dramatic Arts
    The Department of Music
    Centre of Teaching, Learning and Educational Technologies, at Brock University

    and our special collaborator
    The Shaw Festival

    Hospitality vehicle provided by St. Catharines Mazda

    website: lyriccanada.ca
    general enquiries: info@lyriccanada.ca

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