Executive Director's Update
By Craig Wrotniak
Spring is coming, and we’re back with our newsletter. I’m going to open this with a copy of a memo I sent out to all of you a couple of weeks ago, just in case you missed it:
On Interprovincial Trade Barriers, and our changing relationship with the U.S.
Dear Canadian Drama Educators,
At the Theatrical Arts Education Association, we appreciate Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Anita Anand’s March 6th announcement about breaking down interprovincial trade barriers across Canada, including professional certifications. This is wonderful news, and it is something we have been calling for, for quite some time.
[Editor’s the new Minister of Transport and Internal Trade is Chrystia Freeland.]
Not only does the breakdown of interprovincial barriers provide our members with the flexibility to work where they want, it will increase competition for teachers and salaries for our members. It also helps provinces like PEI, where, in spite of a nicely-laid-out curriculum, finding certified drama educators is a challenge, due to a lack of courses in drama-teaching methods being offered provincially. Taking down these interprovincial barriers, which limit the practice of our teachers across the country, can make our entire national educational theatre community stronger.
TAEA’s response to this exciting announcement includes consulting with provincial and federal political leaders to ensure that certifications of teachers, including drama teachers, will indeed be transferable across the country. We will connect with provincial drama specialist groups, where they exist, and encourage them to collaborate and cooperate with TAEA and each other. We will also reach out to the national music, visual arts and dance teacher associations, to see if they would like to join our national initiatives such as the national Arts Education Standards Project, and create a national educational arts board to communicate our needs to elected politicians provincially and nationally around areas of teacher certification and transferability within the educational arts sector in Canada. These may take time, but the conversations are starting and the momentum is building! In the more immediate future, we have now created a National Drama Teacher Job Posting Board, where we can share links to drama teacher job postings across Canada! If you know of jobs up for posting, please email all relevant info, along with links, to: info@educationaltheatre.ca
Student Designer Jeevan Sira’s Set Designs for Six
Hi! My name is Jeevan Sira, I’m in grade 11 at Fleetwood Park Secondary Troupe #899, Surrey, B.C., and I designed this set for SIX: The Musical, about the six wives of Henry VIII, which took place at Fleetwood Park Secondary. In my design, every queen had her own stage block, starting with Catherine of Aragon, all the way to Catherine Parr on the other side of the stage. To connect the queens thematically to the set, I added each one’s historical symbol to her stage block and stair, in chronological order. There is also symbolism to the banners hung at the top of the structure: each banner is cut off at the bottom in a certain way to show how each queen ended up. I was inspired by 15th-century English architecture and art to make my design. Here are three of my graphics for the show.
Winnipeg STAR Fest Video
Our friend Tori Mallo of Winnipeg has sent us this delightful video of highlights and opinions from the December, 2024 STAR Fest, when it took place in that great theatre town. Here’s the link. Enjoy! – Ed.
Springdale Hosts a STAR Fest
By Susie Strowbridge,
Indian River High School, Springdale, NL
L. to R.: Susie Strowbridge and Lindsay Morey
Where do I even start? To say that STAR Fest was the experience of a lifetime would be an understatement. Growing up in Springdale as a student interested in the arts, I’ve found few opportunities to thrive. Springdale is a town where the sports community thrives, but there isn’t much space left for our arts program. However, our English Language Arts teacher at the school, Jennifer Harris, saw a need for a change and made it happen.
When I first found out we’d be hosting a Regional STAR Fest, a lot of things crossed my mind. I was filled with excitement, but I also worried over how much time and effort it would take to pull it off. However, it was worth every minute spent to put it together.
The opportunity to not only grow as an aspiring actress in small-town Newfoundland, but also to watch other young actors and actresses from our region do it alongside me, was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. From participating in workshops and seeing creativity flow through our groups, to experiencing all the love and support from people I’d never met before, while being adjudicated in various categories, was nothing short of empowering.
To anyone looking to participate in a STAR Fest, I’d say, do whatever it takes to make that possible. The opportunities are endless and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Thank you again to Mrs. Harris, Mr. Payne, our countless sponsors, and the adjudicators who took their own personal time to travel to Springdale and watch us re all stars!
L. to R.: Seamus Pelley, Sarah Mayne, Christopher Norman,
Liam Grimes, and unidentified arm
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JOIN, SUBSCRIBE, AND CONTRIBUTE!
Want to see your thoughts printed in “Theatrics Canada”? So do we! We need your expertise, so send us stuff! We welcome news of your school’s theatre work (like Aurora Hickey’s piece in this issue), advice on teaching and theatre, reviews and criticism of current work that might be of interest, essays, photos – we love photos – short plays, cartoons, Letters to the Editor – anything related to theatre and teaching. Send it to John Lazarus at theatricscanada@educationaltheatre.ca. Please make it up to 1,000 words long, and include name and position of author(s), the section of “Theatrics” you’re submitting to, and the name and location of your school. The copyright to all material remains with the author(s).
