Event Archive
Hypothetical Baby Post-Show Talk
March 2nd, 2025
The (Re)Setting the Stage project is supporting a post-show talk between playwright performer Rachel Cairns and playwright, activist, and labour organizer Darrah Teitel after a performance of Cairns’s play Hypothetical Baby directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster at Factory Theatre. Book tickets here!
October 10th, 2024
A Multi-Perspective Dialogue on Cultural Appropriation and Representation in the Arts. As we strive for cultural sensitivity in the arts world, an ongoing challenge is the navigation of cultural representation. What is culture? How do we differentiate between cultural appropriation and appreciation? How do we confront the historic movement known as exoticism and its inherent stereotyping of “foreign” cultures? A panel of noted artists will discuss these critical considerations, followed by roundtable discussions. Facilitated by Lisa Brooks, panelists will include: T. Patrick Carrabré, Director of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and Professor of Composition at the University of British Columbia; Phil Chan, Co-Founder of Final Bow for Yellowface and President, Gold Standard Arts Foundation; Marlis Schweitzer, Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies, York University; Wesley Wofford, Academy Award-winning American Figurative Sculptor.
October 8th-9th, 2024
This dynamic event featured York University alumni from the Dance, Theatre, and Sexuality Studies departments, now professional burlesque performers. Burlesque, a performance art form dating back to the 19th century, is known for its fusion of satire, comedy, and provocative entertainment, often centered around striptease. What makes burlesque truly unique is its ability to integrate elements from various performance genres—such as dance, theatre, stand-up comedy, clown, drag, circus arts, and more—allowing each performer to create something distinctly their own. This event kicked off with a roundtable discussion on Oct. 8 where we explore how our academic training at York informs (or doesn’t inform) our professional burlesque practice. We dove how elements of dance, theatre, and sexuality studies influence our creative processes. Following the discussion, the burlesque artists led three mini-workshop, applying ideas from the roundtable to their own creative work. This was an exciting opportunity to see how theory and practice intersect in the art of burlesque and to participate in the creative process alongside professional performers.
May 9th, 2024
A world history of women’s innovations in theatre, dance, and performance is still being written. To date, existing accounts of women’s innovations in theatre, dance, and performance in English have been overwhelmingly tied to Euro-American histories of stage actresses, concert dancers, and feminist performance artists. Yet, a vibrant world of women’s social performances, vernacular expressive cultures, and popular entertainment exists beyond these accounts. This roundtable seeks to explore how “worlding”—as a verb, as a method, and as a politics—might open up new trajectories for feminist theatre and performance historiography aligned with decolonizing and Global Majority social and aesthetic movements.
April 13th, 2024
Engage beyond the stage with Mad Madge! There are plenty of chances to learn more about the wild life of Margaret Cavendish, the incredible minds of the creative team, and some of the impassioned themes embedded in the show!
Join Director, Andrea Donaldson, and (Re)Setting the Stage Investigators: Keira Loughran, Jamie Robinson, and Marlis Schweitzer in a discussion on casting practices and conventions in Canada, and what it means when those conventions are broken.
Launching January 2024
Welcome to Shaking Up Shakespeare, 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 Cananda: A Symposium
April/May 2023
This two-day symposium seeks 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.
This event took place at York University on April 30th and May 1st, 2023.
Canadian Theatre Review 193: Casting and Race
Winter 2023
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. We have prioritized the voices of racialized artists and scholars at various stages in their careers, while also recognizing that lasting change requires the attention and investment of all members of the theatre community.”
– Mariló Núñez, Jamie Robinson, and Marlis Schweitzer
(Re)Setting the Stage: The Past, Present, and Future of Casting Practices in Canada
May/June 2021
“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 and Panelist
Presented in Collaboration with York University
Video Archive
Interview with Dawn Jani Birley
Here is a recording of Jeff Ho’s full interview with Dawn Jani Birley about her experience playing Horatio in Why Not Theatre’s production of Prince Hamlet. This interview was conducted in November 2022 and excerpts of it are included in many episodes of Shaking Up Shakespeare.