Theatre offers us infinite possibilities for storytelling. From the raw passion of Angels In America, to the emotional depth of A Streetcar Named Desire, we are reminded that storytelling can challenge us, move us, and connect us to the shared human experience. Throughout my years as a theatre practitioner, I Continue Reading
Field Notes
“The Disappeared”
In the Spring of 2023, I participated as an actor in the Chorus of Erased for Open Heart Surgery Theatre’s workshop development of the play. Erased is written and directed by Coleen Shirin MacPherson, with movement direction by Alix Sideris. This internship was my first professional creative work outside of Continue Reading
Burlesque 101
Confidence, musicality, and “woah” factor are the three main components needed to become a burlesque performer. Anyone and everyone, no matter body type, background, academic or professional training, are capable of partaking in this performance art. I discovered this through the burlesque workshop hosted at York University, featuring four York Continue Reading
Enlightening Conversations and New Experiences: Women’s Innovations in Theatre and Performance
Theatre made its way into my life at a very young age and has opened the door to many opportunities. Writing and performing have always been my main passions. I never imagined taking theatre in university, creating amazing connections, being a part of theatre festivals, developing shows from the ground Continue Reading
From Serendipity to Discovery: My ‘Solo’ Research Journey
Theatre is magic for me! Even as a child I was fascinated by the interplay of lights, music, and the mesmerizing performance of actors effortlessly navigating the stage. Theatre became a spectacle when I saw a single woman on stage captivating the attention of hundreds of audiences. Since then, Continue Reading
Red Velvet, Ira Aldridge & the problems and possibilities of Othello
My field notes today are exactly that, paragraphs shaped from rough notes made after attending the December 1, 2022 performance of Lolita Chakrabarti’s Red Velvet directed by Cherissa Richards at Crow’s Theatre. Set primarily in 1830s London, bookended by scenes set in 1860s Lodz, Red Velvet stages the encounter between Continue Reading
God Give Me the Confidence of a Straight White Able-bodied Man: Cripping Up for Richard III
He has many names: Tricky Dicky, Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of Gloucester, King Richard III. He is famed for being scheming, manipulative, morally corrupt, and also possesses a nondescript disability commonly alluded to in performance through able-bodied actors feigning a limp, walking with a cane, and adopting a hunch-backed stance Continue Reading
Open Air Shakespeare: “a corrective to an overcitified and artificial life”?
To me, watching Shakespeare performed outdoors is a delicious novelty. I love sitting outside on a blanket or pillow, watching actors and musicians perform in a park alongside trees, rocks, grass, birds, bats, and mosquitos. Ok, maybe I don’t love the mosquitos. This summer I had the good fortune of Continue Reading
Anxious Danes – Anxiety and Surveillance in an Updated Hamlet
It is no secret that Stratford’s 2022 season has brought much attention to the Festival in its second year open since the 2020 COVID-19 closures. This season has seen the programming of three world premieres, adaptations of classic stories like Little Women and Molière’s The Miser, and a new version Continue Reading
“Himpathy” for the Devil?
Reflections on Hamlet 911. Note: I attended a matinee performance of Hamlet 911 in early August during previews. It is possible that some of the staging I reference below has shifted since then. The creators of Hamlet 911 have the best of intentions – or so interviews and related publicity Continue Reading