Karen O'Meara, department head of dramatic arts at Richmond Green Secondary School in Richmond Hill, Ont., was one such teacher. Determined to forge ahead with her combined Grade 11 and 12 musical theatre production, she reached out to听, professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre in 91亚色鈥檚 School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, whom she had been collaborating with on workshops for drama teachers. They both decided that this was the perfect opportunity to combine forces in a new way.

鈥淎t the time,鈥� explains O鈥橫eara, 鈥淚 was putting on a production, which I then had to translate into an online production. What ended up resulting from that conversation was a number of 91亚色 theatre students saying, 鈥楬ey, we don鈥檛 have anything to do. It鈥檚 the pandemic and everything is locked down; we would love to help with your show.鈥� So those were the initial seeds of this project.鈥�

With the help of those enthusiastic student volunteers, Richmond Green presented its first online production in spring 2020 鈥� and it was a huge success. Heading into the next pandemic-impacted school year, Schweitzer decided to take the project one step further by officially incorporating it into 91亚色鈥檚 theatre curriculum as a for-credit experiential education offering called the Independent Production Practicum.

The course kicked off in January of this year and the seven enrolled students 鈥� Isabella Liscio, Megan Keatings, Hannah Smith, Rachel D鈥橝rpino, Dave Harack, Laura Nigro and Joshua Kilimnik 鈥� jumped right into planning mode, joining O鈥橫eara for a two-hour meeting on Zoom every Monday night. When the high-school semester began the following month, the 91亚色 students took the high schoolers through a series of theatre workshops, which O鈥橫eara says 鈥渟et the bar high for the students and gave them a fantastic foundation to continue with creative exploration.鈥�

Through breakout rooms on their weekly Zoom calls, the 91亚色 students went on to provide mentorship in areas where they had passion and interest. There were rooms for choreography, vocals, directing, producing and script-writing, to name a few. They attended the high-school classes whenever they could, and provided leadership within the classroom setting 鈥� running scenes and coaching students on various aspects of the show. Their contributions did not go unnoticed.

鈥淭he 91亚色 students were outstanding,鈥� says O鈥橫eara. 鈥淭hey had so much genuine enthusiasm for what our students were doing. They were always willing to offer their expertise, make suggestions and provide great feedback.鈥�

One of the 91亚色 theatre students, Liscio, who just finished her third year specializing in performance creation and research, started working with O鈥橫eara in May 2020 as a volunteer to get classroom hours for her teachers college application. She has now helped Richmond Green put on three productions. 鈥淭his experience has meant so much,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to be a drama teacher and I didn鈥檛 have much experience working with high-school students before. I got to learn and explore with them what this genre of online theatre is and work with them in the areas of acting, directing, marketing and production.鈥�

Another third-year student, D鈥橝rpino, who is majoring in performing arts and concurrent education, originally applied for the course thinking it was a volunteer opportunity that would serve her well as she pursues a future as a high-school drama teacher. She was thrilled to discover that it had become a for-credit course and she hopes to continue her involvement with the school. 鈥淜aren wants our opinion, asks us to help and gets everyone involved,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he kids are so immersed in everything, learning it all and putting it together from scratch. It has been such an amazing opportunity to give input and watch the whole experience come to life.鈥�

Like the others, Harack, who will be heading into his third year of 91亚色鈥檚 theatre production program in the fall, plans to attend teachers college post-graduation. He knows this experience with Richmond Green will help him thrive in that setting and in the industry at large. 鈥淪eeing the students take the lead has been really awesome,鈥� he says. 鈥淭o see them progress from an idea to filming scenes and then editing, it was a really rewarding experience.鈥�

Putting on a large-scale production during pandemic times certainly had its challenges, though, requiring the students to adapt on the fly to the ever-changing restrictions. 鈥淲e knew we were only going to get a very short time together in person and we had to take advantage of every minute,鈥� says O鈥橫eara. 鈥淥ur biggest learning was that if you want to produce work virtually, you have to be very organized, have a solid plan and be flexible to change.鈥�

And change they did. The 28-person high-school class was expecting to have two in-person blocks for filming, but when everything was shut down after the first block, they had to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the script accordingly. 鈥淏ut because we had such a good plan at the start and a very good scene-by-scene vision, that really helped guide us when we had to make a change,鈥� says O鈥橫eara.

The end result was "Out of Sync," a completely student-written musical that went live on the evening of June 23 via Zoom, of course. The show was about four high schools 鈥� one private, one public, one arts-focused and one sports-focused 鈥� competing against each other in a lip-sync battle. As the rival schools went from cut-throat saboteurs to considerate allies, the show left its audience with the feel-good takeaway that music has the power to unite people from all walks of life.

Understandably, signs of the pandemic were everywhere in the production 鈥� students in masks, physical distancing, scenes filmed in students鈥� homes, in parks, on Zoom and some spliced together to make it appear that the cast was in the same place when in reality they were not. And perhaps that was part of the show鈥檚 charm, serving as a sort of time capsule for the strange and surreal year that was.

No one yet knows what the next school year has in store, but one thing is certain: the educational experience gained from putting on this production in such turbulent times will have a lasting impact for all involved.

鈥淚鈥檓 delighted that our students have had such an exciting opportunity to work closely with Ms. O鈥橫eara and the students at Richmond Green on the development of a new musical,鈥� says Schweitzer. 鈥淭hrough this collaboration, they鈥檝e developed leadership and teaching skills that will enhance their careers, whether they decide to go on to become high-school drama teachers themselves or pursue other creative avenues. I look forward to seeing this kind of partnership grow in the future.鈥�

By Lindsay MacAdam, communications officer,听驰贵颈濒别

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playGround, the annual juried fringe festival of 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Theatre, celebrates its 20th season with two dynamic programs running Feb. 14 to 17 in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre,听139 Centre for Film & Theatre at91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus.

Well-known for its uncurbed spirit and risk-taking mindset, playGround is a student-produced seedbed for the next generation of theatre artists. It showcases original works conceived, written, performed and produced by up-and-coming playwrights, directors, designers and actors from all levels of91亚色鈥檚 undergraduate theatre program.

Meg Moran and Meara Tubman-Broeren, both fourth-year students studying devised theatre in the Department of Theatre鈥檚 Creative Ensemble, are the co-artistic directors of this year鈥檚 edition of playGround. With the help of a peer jury, they selected the most promising ideas from the almost four dozen proposals submitted.

鈥淣ot only does the festival showcase the work of emerging artists of our generation and community, it also deals with what鈥檚 important to us as students right now,鈥� said Tubman-Broeren. 鈥淲hat unifies all the pieces is our mandate, which is to foster innovative and experimental theatrical work which engages its audience and ignites thought and discussion.鈥�

鈥淧roducing the festival has been a challenging and lengthy process, with its share of ups and downs, but overall it鈥檚 been very rewarding,鈥� said Moran. 鈥淭his is a unique opportunity for us as students to work so independently. It鈥檚 been a real learning experience for Meara and me.鈥�

The old adage:, 鈥渨hen you want a job done well, give it to a busy person鈥�, rings true for this duo. In addition to their work with playGround, they are collaborating with other members of the fourth-year Creative Ensemble on a show slated to run March 27 to 30.听 Moran is also assistant-directing the upcoming Theatre @ 91亚色 production of Edward Bond鈥檚 Restoration, which will run March 18 to 24.听 And Tubman-Broeren is performing in a physical theatre adaptation of Shakespeare鈥檚 King John, which will be playing downtown this summer.

playGround 2012 ranges from light comedies to dark dramas, and from staunch realism to dance theatre.听Here鈥檚 an overview of the featured productions:

Series A听

Meat is a dystopic romance in which a young doctor鈥檚 morality is put to the test when his work forces him to explore, sacrifice and examine what it truly means to be human.听

Belly Doll is imagined and choreographed as a unique melding of traditional belly dance and theatrical performance.听

The Doorstep 鈥� In every relationship, there are conversations. These conversations are intimate, emotionally driven, and personal, and have the potential to be the beginning, or the end, of something beautiful.听

Old Town explores the nature of familial responsibility and sibling dynamics framed within the question: When is it time to grow up?听

The Watching Game is a raunchy comedy revolving around people watching.听

A Working Woman follows the story of a prostitute on the precipice of a life-changing decision.听

Emerging Artists Collective 鈥� 鈥淎 lowbrow commentary on highbrow art鈥�, exploring the challenges and pitfalls faced by the current generation of young artists.听

Womb - What if we weren鈥檛 told the whole story? Before there was Adam and his wife, Eve, there was Adam and his equal, Lilith. Womb explores the possibilities of a world where Lilith was the first mother.听

Series B听

Danny and Annie looks at the different ways love comes in and out of our lives.听

Drafts - Everybody is looking, but is anybody really seeing?听

Wonder鈥檚 Lost Where Wonder鈥檚 Found 鈥� A woman winds her way through the ridiculous annals of compulsion and the heart-aching longings of loneliness while seeking to remember the miracle of life.听听

The Abstraction 鈥� Two men in a gallery contemplate an abstract work of art and decide what it means to each of them.听

The Vagina Dialogues is a verbatim piece composed of interviews with91亚色University students about the misconceptions and mysteries surrounding the vagina.听

Da Capo explores a composer, his muse and the various layers of their relationship through movement.听

Cracked - At the end of her life, Ida Hookman must finally face the consequences of her self-obsessed lifestyle and defend her autonomy in the process.听

Emerging Artists Collective presents a new devised work that examines the artist鈥檚 place in the city of Toronto.听

Each program is presented three times over playGround鈥檚 four-day run. Series A plays Tuesday, Feb. 14 and Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30pm, with a matinee Friday, Feb. 17 at 1pm. Series B has a matinee Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 1pm, and runs Thursday, Feb. 17 and Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30pm.

Moran and Tubman-Broeren encourage patrons to purchase their tickets in advance, as performances do sell out. Tickets are $7 per show and are available through the 91亚色 Box Office website or by calling 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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A听catalyst for dialogue and healing is 91亚色 film Professor Colleen Wagner鈥檚 Governor General鈥檚 Award-winning play . This electrifying drama was the inaugural production of Rwanda鈥檚 IS脭KO Theatre in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide (see YFile, June 27, 2008).

Left: Actress听Jacqueline Umubyeyi, as Mejra in Colleen Wagner's The Monument. Photo by Nick Zajicek.

Translated into the local Kinyarwanda dialect and directed by , a former student in 91亚色鈥檚 Graduate Program in Theatre and the founding artistic director of IS脭KO, the play premiered in Kigali and toured throughout Rwanda. Harbourfront Centre鈥檚 presents the North American premiere of IS脭KO鈥檚 production (with English surtitles) at 91亚色 Quay Centre in Toronto April 27 to May 1.

Intimately staged and accompanied by song and African drumming, The Monument tells the story of a young soldier who has been convicted of war crimes committed during a genocide. Just as he is about to be executed, a mysterious woman who is both his saviour and tormentor offers him freedom 鈭� at a price. Billed as a 鈥減rofound excavation into the nature of forgiveness鈥�, this highly physical and imagistic production paints a contemporary portrait of a country whose resilient voice continues to be a beacon of hope and reconciliation.

Shortly before The Monument opens at Harbourfront, a second play penned by Wagner 鈥� this one a very topical, made-in-the-moment riff on Canadian politics 鈥� hits another Toronto stage. Wrecking Ball 12: Are You Dying to Vote? swings into the electoral debate tonight听at Toronto鈥檚 Theatre Centre 鈥� exactly one week before Canadians head to the polls.

is a fast and furious compendium of short works of political theatre. Playwrights hand over scripts to the directors and performers for rehearsal a mere week before the show, which is performed for one night only 鈥� usually to a fully-packed house. Founded in Toronto in 2004, The Wrecking Ball went national in 2008 when it was adopted in cities coast to coast.

Wagner is one of six writers contributing works 鈥渂oth strategically and from their hearts鈥� to the current Toronto edition. The details of her piece have not yet been announced, but if The Wrecking Ball鈥檚 track record is any indication, it will be a part of a theatrical romp long remembered.

Showtime is 8pm. The Theatre Centre is located at 1087 Queen St. West at Dovercourt. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at the door.

Another catalyst for political dialogue is the听latest听work by 91亚色 theatre professor and playwright Judith Rudakoff, which opened in Whitehorse on April 21. The River offers a vivid, poetic and unflinching glimpse into the intersecting lives of marginalized people in the community where it was created. Directed by Rudakoff鈥檚 colleague, Professor Michael Greyeyes, the production runs to May 1 at the Yukon Arts Centre Studio theatre.

Above: A map of Whitehorse drawn by Joseph Fish Tisiga, for the "Ashley Cycle" that inspired The River

The River was born out of Rudakoff鈥檚 ongoing -supported project Common Plants: Cross Pollinations in Hybrid Reality. In 2008, Rudakoff visited Whitehorse twice to lead her "Ashley Plays" workshop, in which participants collectively devise a cycle of short, site-specific performances that share a character named Ashley and听a common theme 鈥� in this case, the theme of "home".

The material developed in those workshops was so compelling that the collaboration continued into subsequent years. Rudakoff worked with local artist Joseph Tisiga and David Skelton, artistic director of Whitehorse鈥檚 , a professional company dedicated to the development of live theatre relevant to northern audience听to write the play. Nakai is producing it in partnership with the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition (YAPC).

The three artists drew inspiration for The River from both the extreme natural beauty of the Yukon and the ugliness that beauty can mask. Episodic and non-linear, the narrative is told by members of the largely untraceable "ghost population" of Whitehorse: a derelict vagrant, a missing high-school girl, a Tilley hat-wearing tourist, a transient worker and even an alien abductee.听These disparate voices take the audience on an unbridled journey through a world of longing and belonging that is both real and imagined.

The production aims to promote conversation and action in the community. YAPC is actively inviting and offering free tickets to individuals who might never otherwise attend a production at the Yukon Arts Centre, as well as arranging a special invitational matinee performance at the local Salvation Army shelter. At the end of the run, YAPC and Nakai are co-hosting a community conversation to discuss the issues brought up in the play.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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India鈥檚 President Pratibha Devisingh Patil presented the award to Pada at a ceremony in New Delhi. Founder and artistic director of , as well as founder and director of Sampradaya Dance Academy, Pada says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite an honour to be one out of 15 chosen from about 24 million people of Indian origin who live around the world. I think it鈥檚 not too often they鈥檝e given this to an artist or a woman.鈥�

Right: Lata Pada performing in a production of Kshetram听鈥� Dancing the Divine

It is the recognition by India for her contributions to the arts in Canada that really tickles her. 鈥淭hat is the one that gives me so much joy,鈥� she says. 鈥淔or the 46 years I鈥檝e lived here, I鈥檝e been demystifying the arts of India so they can share the stage with others around the world.鈥�

It鈥檚 a passion Pada doesn鈥檛 ever see coming to an end. In fact, she was in India when the word came she was nominated and then chosen for the award, meeting with costume designers and dancers for her next production, Taj, which she calls 鈥渁 true India-Canada collaboration.鈥� The world premiere of Taj was commissioned by (June 10 to 19) and tells the human story behind India鈥檚 Taj Mahal. Taj will run June 10 to 12 at the Fleck Theatre, Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.

鈥淚t鈥檚 quite different from anything the company has done in the past because it鈥檚 more theatre based,鈥� says Pada, responsible for the concept and artistic direction behind Taj.

Award-winning Canadian playwright John Murrell has been commissioned to write the script for Taj, which will be a 90-minute contemporary dance-theatre piece directed by Tom Diamond, choreographed by India鈥檚 Kathak artist Kumudini Lakhia and featuring Canadian actress Lisa Ray and Bollywood star Kabir Bedi. 91亚色 theatre Professor Phillip Silver will do the set and lighting design, Jacques Collin the visual design, Praveen D. Rao the music and Rashmi Varma costume design.

Pada, who is also a member of the Faculty of Fine Arts Advisory Council , also collaborates with 91亚色 through Sampradaya Dance Creations for Dance Intense, an annual choreographic residency that provides opportunity for professional development for emerging artists practicing in South Asian dance.

Left: Lata Pada

Her advocacy work, however, can鈥檛 be ignored. Her award is also for 鈥渢he advocacy role I took in pushing for an inquiry and for keeping this terrible, heinous tragedy uppermost in the minds of Canadians,鈥� she says.听And hard as it is 鈥� Pada lost her first husband and two daughters in the Air India bombing 鈥� it has given her a place to focus her rage. 鈥淚t happened 25 years ago, but there is still so much to learn. It was an awakening for Canada.鈥� The plan was devised on Canadian soil by Canadians, against Canadians.

Pada was determined to have government agencies, which were 鈥渋ncompetent, negligent or culturally insensitive鈥� in the lead up the tragedy 鈥渢ake ownership of what went wrong.鈥� It鈥檚 not over yet. Aviation security problems and terrorist threats are still issues today, and it remains to be seen how many of the 64 recommendations made in the final report in June 2010 by the , headed up by retired judge John Major, will be adopted, she says.

Art of course, is an area that Pada has turned to in dealing with the tragedy, and she continues to do so. Her 2003 dance-theatre production, Revealed by Fire, portrayed her dark journey through grief and subsequent emergence to reclaim her life (see YFile, Nov. 11, 2003). It also had a 91亚色 connection, involving 91亚色 playwright Judith Rudakoff in the Department of Theatre, Faculty of Fine Arts.

This dancer, choreographer and advocate has also received the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Toronto Sanskriti Sangha, the 2006 Best Teacher Award from the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, the 2003 Professional Woman of the Year Award from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, the 2000 New Pioneers Award and the 1995 Mississauga Arts Award.

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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Paul Muir directs fellow students from 91亚色鈥檚 Master of Fine Arts Theatre Program in this fast-paced, edgy courtroom 鈥渄ramedy鈥� by Stephen Adly Guirgis presented in听the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre from Jan. 23 to 29.

Left: Director Paul Muir

Set in purgatory, the play re-opens the case against the great betrayer, with everyone from Mother Teresa to Sigmund Freud brought to the stand to testify. First presented off Broadway in 2005, the play was remounted in 2008 in New 91亚色鈥檚 West End.

鈥淚 think Charlotte Stoudt of The Village Voice said it best when she said: 鈥淭his ain鈥檛 your grandmother鈥檚 gospel!鈥� says Muir.

Notwithstanding the playwright鈥檚 irreverent approach, there鈥檚 a deep and serious undercurrent. Muir cites New 91亚色 Times critic Ben Brantley鈥檚 statement that Guirgis infuses his play with 鈥渁 stirring sense of Christian existential pain, which wonders at the paradoxes of faith.鈥�

鈥淚n the midst of all its humour, profanity and darkness, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot delivers a message of hope that the world desperately needs,鈥� said Muir. 鈥淭he truth might just be that it is never, ever too late to choose freedom and light over darkness and despair.

鈥淏ut this choice is not an easy one. In fact, it鈥檚 one of the most difficult and challenging struggles we face as human beings. How do we truly find our way to forgiveness and freedom when we are lost in the pit of self-condemnation and despair?鈥�

Muir is completing an MFA in听directing in 91亚色鈥檚 Theatre Department. He has most recently worked with Alberta鈥檚 Rosebud Theatre, where he directed Confessions of a Paper Boy (remounted at the Vancouver Fringe last summer), When the Sun Meets the Earth, The Homecoming, Salt-Water Moon, Crimes of the Heart, The Clearing and The Zoo Story.

Theatre @ 91亚色鈥檚 production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot features undergraduates handling all aspects of production, design and execution.

The play previews Jan. 23 and 24, opens Jan. 25, then runs nightly to Jan. 29 at 7:30pm. There are matinees Jan. 26 and 28 at 1pm. Performances take place in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre, Centre for Film and Theatre. General admission $17; students and seniors $12; previews $5. For tickets, call the box office at 416-736-5888 or purchase online.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Researchers at 91亚色鈥檚 have come up with a pioneering way to convey their evidence-based research on what can happen when health-care mistakes are made 鈥� they鈥檙e putting on a play about it.

Seeing the Forest, inspired by a true story about what happens when a patient is not heard, will be staged as part of , Nov. 1 to 5.

Directed by 91亚色 theatre studies PhD candidate Laura Jayne Nelles (BA Spec. Hons. 鈥�84, MFA 鈥�07) and presented by听91亚色's Faculty of Health and the 91亚色 鈥� UHN (University Health Network) Nursing Academy, the play will take place Monday, Nov. 1 at 1pm in 152 Founders Assembly Hall, Founders College, Keele campus. The event is free and open to everyone.

It will also be performed as part of a symposium at various health-care sites across the Greater Toronto Area.

91亚色 Professors Deborah Tregunno and Liane Ginsburg of the School of Nursing, are leaders in the field of patient safety culture. They collaborated with 91亚色 nursing Professor Gail Mitchell, who has experience with conveying research findings through the arts. This dramatic approach presents research from their studies conducted in four provinces, in cooperation with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.

The play鈥檚 development was financially supported by the 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health Interprofessional Education Fund (IPE). IPE programming is shared with the health-care community through the Faculty鈥檚 innovative .

Co-written by professional playwright Julia Gray (BFA Spec. Hons. 鈥�98, MA 鈥�07) and Mitchell, Seeing the Forest is being performed in collaboration with six organizations, including the Central Community Care Access Centre, the , , , and Unionville Home Society.

鈥淏y dramatizing research using the arts, the findings become more meaningful,鈥� says Mitchell. 鈥淭he play presents the complexity of real life from the perspective of the patient and health care professionals. The impact is much stronger than it would be if you were just reading words off the page of a research report.鈥�

The key character in the play, Healther, goes to the hospital for routine surgery and tries to communicate specific concerns to different health-care providers, yet things go awry. Research suggests that 2.9 to 16.6 percent of patients in acute care hospitals experience one or more adverse events.

鈥淗ealth care providers work hard to keep patients safe every day. However, there are often systemic issues that contribute to errors. This play is valuable because it strikes an emotional chord and engages people in conversations about improving safety,鈥� says Tregunno.

鈥淭his play is a great example of the innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to health care led by 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health,鈥� adds Professor Lesley Beagrie, associate dean, professional & global programs. 鈥淚nstead of tailoring health-care programs to individual silos within the health profession, we aim to keep the focus on the end user 鈥� the patient.鈥�

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Her thesis encompassed her performance in the Theatre @ 91亚色 production of Peter Barnes鈥� macabre satire The Bewitched (see YFile, April 7, 2009) as well as a written paper titled 鈥淪mashing the Psychophysical Dam: Exploring Fear and Release in The Bewitched鈥� and an oral defence. It was on the strength of this three-pronged research project that she was recommended and ultimately selected for the highly competitive prize.

Right: Claire Wynveen

The examining committee that nominated Wynveen for the honour unanimously found her thesis exceptional.

鈥淐laire鈥檚 performance, paper and oral were so outstanding that it seemed to all of us it would be criminal not to recommend it for nomination for the prize,鈥� said Professor Erika Batdorf. 鈥淚 can honestly say that I have never seen such a comprehensive and complete performance and paper. The mastery is in the way each of the elements supports the others so fully.鈥�

Under the direction of Nigel Shawn Williams, Wynveen performed the role of the fanatical and ruthless Queen Mariana of Austria in The Bewitched. In Barnes鈥� nightmarish recreation of late-17th-century Spain, Mariana is the ruling force behind her grotesquely inbred, imbecilic and impotent son, King Carlos II. The power struggle between her and her son鈥檚 wife is one of the most dramatic plot lines in the complex play.

鈥淥ne remarkable aspect of Claire鈥檚 thesis research is the extent to which she was able to translate historical details into her process of constructing the character 鈥� translating from intellectual insight to embodiment with admirable facility and sensitivity,鈥� said Professor Lisa Wolford Wylam, director of 91亚色鈥檚 Graduate Program in Theatre Studies and a member of Wynveen鈥檚 examining committtee.

鈥淗er accomplishment goes beyond completing the relatively straightforward task of background research, in that she demonstrated a sophisticated ability to select among myriad details those that could best facilitate characterization, as well as to lucidly articulate the process by which her historical analysis nourished her studio work.鈥�

Professor Honor Ford-Smith from the Faculty of Environmental Studies, who likewise served on Wynveen鈥檚 thesis committee, found Wynveen鈥檚 description of her research-to-performance process most illuminating, with the potential to be a 鈥渧ery useful resource for young actors struggling to understand what the creative process involves.

Above: Claire听Wynveen (left) with Courtney Smith in the Theatre @ 91亚色 production of Peter Barnes鈥� macabre satire The Bewitched

鈥淐laire鈥檚 main contribution is a careful narrative of how one actress approaches the challenges of translating key theories of Western acting into daily practice,鈥� said Ford-Smith. 鈥淭he thesis narrates precisely and evocatively how she develops her own practice. She explains clearly the psychological, observational and physical work which she undertakes in order to create the role.

鈥淪he tells the story of how the character gradually emerges within the player, and how she recognizes and supports the growth of the role within her. She draws on critical self-reflection, her own personal relationships, physical exercises, everyday activities and the work of other directors, writers and performers to validate and develop her process. Claire also proposes many useful exercises for the actor such as mask work, yoga, journaling and voice exercises to develop her approach.

鈥淭his dissertation is an excellent example of how actors learn and how process can be a form of praxis-based education.鈥�

Wynveen was surprised and delighted to learn last month that she had won a thesis prize. 鈥淚t validated my opinions that theatre is important for community-building and that the study of acting can provide useful benefits to academic institutions and society at large,鈥� she said.

Since graduating last spring, Wynveen has been putting this philosophy, her stage experience and research to good use. She recently completed a nine-month contract with Classical Theatre Project, a Toronto-based company that produces classical theatre for high-school students. Her work with the company included performing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Ophelia in Hamlet, understudying Lady Macbeth, and assisting the education director by giving workshops designed to make Shakespeare accessible and engaging for young people.

Wynveen also performs with the newly formed Cowgirl Choir, a 10-member women鈥檚 ensemble that gives semi-theatrical performances of old and new country and western songs. The group鈥檚 plans include concerts in Toronto this summer and potentially a Canadian tour in the coming year.

As she advances her professional career, Wynveen is grateful to her mentors at 91亚色 who helped her during her graduate studies. 鈥淎 special thank you to my thesis advisor Gwen Dobie, who was very supportive during the writing process,鈥� she said.听鈥淚 would also like to thank the fantastic professors who sat on my thesis defence panel and nominated me for the thesis prize.听They are all very strong, intelligent and inspiring women and it was a pleasure to share my work with them!鈥�

A copy of Wynveen鈥檚 thesis is stored at the National Library of Canada and kept in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Theatre.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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