Carry it Forward, Covid-Era Lessons in Theatre Pedagogy for a Post-Pandemic World
Friday, June 11, 2021 | 16:00 - 17:30
Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. Live translation from English to French will be offered for this event. No ASL interpretation will be available.
NEIL SILCOX, SUE MINER, LISA KAREN COX & JORDI HEPBURN
It goes without saying that the 2020/2021 school year was unprecedented. Not just in the industry-wide shift to online learning, but also unprecedented levels of anxiety, mental health strain, and homework overload (for students and teachers). While Zoom fatigue, online modalities, and student isolation may have exacerbated these issues, it by no means created them. Theatre training programs, from conservatories to theatre studies programs (and everything in between) have long needed to improve how they prioritize the wellbeing of their students. This panel will bring together educators, administrators, and mental health experts to start laying out what strategies, lessons, and discoveries we need to hold on to when we can finally step back into the lecture hall, into the studio, and into the theatre.
Lisa Karen Cox is an Assistant Professor of Acting at Ryerson. A graduate of Concordia University's Interdisciplinary Studies program, Lisa relishes work that combines music, movement and heightened language. She completed a Master of Science in Education and spent over a decade working in the performing arts with the Toronto District School Board.
Jordi Hepburn is an educator and counsellor, building resiliency and engaging students as partners to develop student-driven mental health initiatives at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Currently Jordi is a Mental Health Educator and Community Engagement Counsellor at Bishop’s University, where she strives to cultivate a healthier psychosocial environment for students.
Sue Miner has been directing theatre for 32 years and teaching for 23, and is the Program Coordinator of George Brown Theatre School. Sue has also taught and directed at The Toronto Film School, Theatre Erindale, Sheridan Music Theatre, the TDSB, and Theatre Ontario. Sue is co-artistic director of Pea Green Theatre Group with her husband Mark Brownell.
Neil Silcox is a teacher, director, and actor who has taught students across the country. In 2018, driven by a desire for a space to share with, and learn from, other teachers, Neil founded the Canadian Theatre Educators’ Conference, which brings educators together to find new ways to teach and take care of our students.