(Re)Setting the Stage seeks to situate debates about theatrical representation and the politics of casting in Canada within a broader historical context, advancing dialogue with directors, playwrights, actors, educators, students, and other creators who are actively transforming professional Canadian theatre and university-level theatre training.
Major Activities:
Facing Backlash: Performance in the Age of Reactionary Politics
This two-day event engaged presenters and audience members in: reflecting critically on the DEDI work that has been achieved since 2020; identifying obstacles, including experiences of backlash, that have interrupted or impeded the realization of DEDI goals and related initiatives; sharing strategies for navigating backlash and strengthening the performing arts community locally and across Canada.
Wise Words from Facing Backlash: Performance in the Age of Reactionary Politics
The following arrangement of quotes represents a small sampling of the many wise words spoken during the Facing Backlash symposium held at York University in April 2025. This two-day event aimed to engage presenters and audience members in reflecting critically on the Decolonization, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work that has been achieved in the theatre industry since 2020, with a primary focus on Anglo-Canada.
Canadian Theatre Review 193: Casting And Race
Excerpt from Issue Introduction:
“What appears to be new today is both a collective willingness to change and artists’ refusal to allow dominant practices to remain unchallenged. To amplify this moment of transformation and engage discussions of casting practices as they intersect with race, culture, and ethnicity, we have invited a group of artists, scholars, and students to offer their insights. . . . The authors gathered in this issue offer diverse, occasionally divergent answers to these questions, but are united in their call for sustainable, meaningful transformation.”
– Editors Mariló Núñez, Jamie Robinson, and Marlis Schweitzer
Shaking Up Shakespeare Podcast Series
Shaking Up Shakespeare is a podcast dedicated to examining the legacy of William Shakespeare’s work, specifically in the context of Canadian theatre culture and Canadian society more broadly. Building on recent conversations about diversity and casting practices, colonial structures, and accessibility, this podcast brings together the voices of many individuals with diverse perspectives on Shakespeare.
(Re)Casting Shakespeare in Canada: A Symposium
This two-day symposium sought to challenge and engage professional theatre artists, scholars, educators, students, and the wider public in critical conversations about the history, legacy, and future of Shakespeare in Canada, with a specific emphasis on inclusive, intersectional casting practices modeled by IBPOC Canadian theatre artists.
From Training to Tease! An Encore For York Burlesque Alumni
A dynamic event featuring York University alumni from the Dance, Theatre, and Sexuality Studies departments, now professional burlesque performers.
(Re)Setting the Stage: The Past, Present, and Future of Casting Practices in Canada
“The event is a response to the call for greater transparency and accountability in creative practices, including (but not limited to) casting decisions and play selection within the Canadian theatre industry. It aims to bring together professional artists to reflect on the harmful legacy of casting practices and to build towards a better, more equitable future.”
— Mariló Núñez: Moderator & Panelist
Women's Innovations in Theatre, Dance, and Performance: A Bloomsbury Series | Volume 1: Performers
This volume will focus on innovations by women and femme artists such as dancers, actors, musicians, storytellers, performance artists, and other entertainers who appear in public within an audienced context. We are specifically interested in innovations in performance practices as a way to uncover new historiographies of women’s performance across time and space.
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