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Behind the Scenes | 2021 Season | News | Halloween Events | Phoenix Phacts | Kudos
Behind the Scenes:
Returning to the stage... and livestreaming to your
homes.
It's been an exciting spring at the Department of Theatre as we
slowly, carefully, and safely begin the rehearsal process again. While there
are many guidelines to follow, our students are very eager to be back doing
what they love. Plus, in the process of pivoting to meet the needs of the
conditions of this pandemic, opportunities have opened up to give our
students advantages in their careers. 
Learning Livestream Technology
During this time when we are not able to have audiences in our
theatres, filming and livestreaming the work of our students is one of the
only ways we can share our work with you. Thanks to the incredible support
from the University of Victoria, a generous Theatre donor, and the Phoenix
Theatre's long-time sponsor iA
Financial Group, the Department of Theatre has
been able to obtain professional quality livestream equipment, such as new
cameras, a livestream switcher, a gimbal, and other important gear.
Since the arrival of the equipment late last fall, production
staff have been busy instructing students (like Joel Black with camera below)
in the art of filming, live camera direction, video editing, and other
skills, offering our students advantages that will take them into the future
of theatre. While livestreaming is a necessity today, there’s no doubt that
this technology will continue to be a key part of theatre outreach, even when
we are able to return to our seats in the theatre.
 Testing
our Skills and our Equipment
This past February, the department rehearsed and performed Caryl
Churchill'sLove
& Information, a beautiful play which
tells a kaleidoscope of stories revolving on the themes of love,
knowledge, and human connection. It's a production we had hoped to share
with our audiences, however deciding to make it an in-house departmental
project gave us the time to hone our essential skills – not only with new technology
but also learning and practicing how to manage the rehearsal and production
process while keeping everyone distanced, masked and safe. Our thanks also go
out to UVic's Classroom Safety Ambassadors for keeping our building
sanitized during this process. You can see more photos of the Love
& Information departmental project here. 
For instructor and Assistant Technical Director Simon Farrow,
this process offered an opportunity to relearn how we create theatre. "True livestreaming for theatre – where the
performance is filmed live while you are watching – is challenging. We wanted
to set the viewer’s expectation of the video production to be as polished as
every other element of our Phoenix productions," said Farrow.
“A good livestream theatre experience
requires all the other elements of the production to contribute as well. The
set design needs to offer access for good filming angles. Costumes need to
translate over the screen. The lighting needs to be adjusted for camera
exposure, the sound design needs to integrate well into the livestream mix
and, of course, the actors need to adjust their blocking, already distanced
for COVID guidelines, for the camera. All of the students working in these
areas are reframing their work to the camera lens, rather than the
auditorium." 
For third-year student Branden Sugden (shown left), directing
the team of students involved in livestreaming has been an immense and
satisfying challenge.
"I have
learned so much in the past few months on this project, it will certainly be
the most formative experience of my time at the Phoenix," says Sugden. "I am now able to be more conscious of where my
eyes go while watching theatre. It’s a skill that any good director needs to
have, but unlike in-person theatre, by directing through the camera, I have
been given full control over where the audience’s eye goes."
"I have also had to hone my leadership
skills," says
Sugden. "I'm overseeing a team of my
peers, and I have learned so much about managing a group, which I know will
carry over into my career as a director as well as any other ventures I might
pursue."
Problem Child
The results of this time of experimentation and rehearsal were a
spectacular and a positive learning experience for everyone in the department
– all of which is being applied to Problem Child, our
upcoming production of George
F. Walker’s gritty social comedy.
 At the centre of Walker’s play is the dysfunctional couple
Denise and RJ, who are stuck in a motel room, hopeful that they can regain custody
of their child – with some questionable help
from their offbeat motel desk clerk. However, their
disgruntled social worker Helen is the one who holds everyone's
fate in her hands.
“I’ve been a fan of George Walker’s
work for years,” says
faculty member and director Fran
Gebhard who
specifically chose this Canadian contemporary classic for our fourth-year
performance focus students so that they could perform in their bubble. With a
cast of only four, it allowed our graduating students to be featured in two
alternating casts, giving everyone complex roles and allowing for distancing
on stage. “We rehearsed in facemasks and
practised our social distancing to the
letter. Our staging and blocking had to adjust
to these protocols accordingly,” says Gebhard. “A
daunting challenge? Yes! Different? Certainly. But we’ve loved every
minute.” 
“Having just passed a year since our
production of The Children’s Hour was
cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown,” reflects Sugden, "I feel really honoured to be helping the
department bring work back to the stage. It is endlessly exciting to be
making art in the same room as my colleagues again.”
Gebhard agrees. “We’re natural-born
theatre-makers, and neither hell nor high water, nor even a global
pandemic, can stop us from carrying out our work with
joy.”
-----------
Read more in the Times Colonist about
how Fran Gebhard brought her years of experience in film and television to
guide this livestream production of Problem Child.
Events: Performances, Lectures and more
LIVESTREAM PERFORMANCES
March 24, 25, 26 &
27, 2021
By George F. Walker | Directed by Fran Gebhard
Stuck in a room. Stuck in the system. A desperate mother and her hapless
partner are confined to a hotel room while they try to put their delinquent
pasts behind them in order to regain custody of their baby. One of Canada’s
most prolific and popular playwrights, Walker is best known for his
fast-paced social comedies that satirize the woes of contemporary culture
under the pressures of capitalism.
NOTE: There will be two alternating, four-person
casts featuring our fourth-year performance class for their final required
credits. Performances maintain physical distancing guidelines. See
website for cast schedule.
TICKETS: $15
per link/household
An easy-to-use, one-click link and password will be sent to you the day
of your performance. All tickets come with a no-questions-asked,
money-back guarantee (within 24 hours of performance date for a full
refund).
Charge by phone at
250-721-8000 at
the Phoenix Box Office (no in-person or online sales at
this time.)
Presenting Sponsor
Online
Symposium:
Theatre
Pedagogy in the Era of Climate Crisis
This weekend! As part of the launch of their new book "Theatre Pedagogy in the Era of Climate
Crisis", join
Theatre prof Conrad Alexandrowicz and Brock University co-editor David Fancy
and contributors—including Phoenix's Sasha Kovacs & PhD candidate  Dennis Gupa—for a free online symposium addressing how to transform theatre
pedagogy. Watch
live on YouTube. (Presented
from Brock, times are in Eastern Standard Time)
Saturday March 20, 2021 (ET)
1-2:15pm – Theatre Pedagogy & the Climate Crisis
3-4:15pm – Eco-Aesthetics in Performance & in Design
Sunday March 21, 2021(ET)
1-2:15pm – Eco-Literacies in Teaching Theatre
3-4:15pm – Intersectionality, Solidarity & the Body
of the Earth
Established through the generous gift of an anonymous donor, the
Orion Fund in Fine Arts is designed to bring distinguished visitors
from other parts of Canada—and the world—to the University of
Victoria’s Faculty of Fine Arts, and to make their talents and
achievements available to faculty, students, staff and the wider Greater
Victoria community who might otherwise not be able to experience their
work. This year these free lectures are taking place on Zoom. Please join us
in the upcoming weeks to hear fascinating lectures by our acclaimed guests.
(Recordings of these and previous lectures are available
online a week after
the lecture.)
 Tuesday,
March 23 at 12:30pm
My Life as a Baby Clown
Gary Farmer, Actor, Filmmaker, Musician, Publisher, Activist
Farmer will discuss his freedom to explore his cultural
identity, in conversation with Prof. Brian Richmond. Known for his roles in
films like Powwow
Highway, Dead
Man (opposite
Johnny Depp) and Smoke
Signals, he has received lifetime achievement awards
from the Taos Talking Picture Festival and the Native American Music Awards.
He launched the magazine Aboriginal Voices and founded the urban Indian radio
network Aboriginal Voices Radio Network. Farmer is currently in Syfy
Network’s TV show Resident
Alien. Read more about Gary Farmer or register for this
lecture here.
 Thursday, April 1 at
12:30pm
Canoeing Down the River of Contemporary Storytelling…
with Drew Hayden Taylor,
Playwright, Novelist, Filmmaker, Journalist
Join Drew Hayden Taylor, in conversation with Prof. Brian
Richmond, as he talks about the changing face of Indigenous literature, its
origins, its trajectory, and his unexpected journey through it. Born on the
Curve Lake First Nation, Drew has written 20 plays with over a 100
productions, has performed stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center and served
as Artistic Director for Native Earth Performing Arts. He is currently
working on the second season of his APTN documentary series, GOING NATIVE. Read more about Drew HaydenTaylor or register for this
lecture here.
Student
Alternative Theatre Company
In the same spirit of innovation this year, SATCo, the student-driven theatre company inside our department, has also
developed a season of online shows this semester. SATCo
works to reinforce the teachings department to support the development of new
work, and provide quality opportunities to emerging artists while upholding a
strong artistic vision. Follow them on Facebook to learn more. 
March 18, 19, 20 at 12:45pm
Tinder: A Puppet Romance
by Holly Hamilton
April 1, 2, 3 at 12:45pm
What it Means to be Nothing (and
Everything at the Same Time)
by Sydney Hunt
Thank
you for your support this year.
We are so thankful for those of you who have supported us this.
While ticket sales often cover 2/3 of the costs of making theatre, this year
our costs, while different, will not be any less than previous years. Please
consider supporting the Phoenix so the quality of our students’ education can
be maintained.
Phoenix Phacts: Community and Alumni Connections
The Belfry Theatre launched into their 2021 season with filmed
productions of their new verbatim play Being Here: The Refugee Project,
on now and running until March 21, 2021.
Created by Joel Bernbaum based on interviews he conducted with refugees from
around the world about their remarkable escapes and reasons for coming to
Canada. The show includes three Phoenix alumni including actor Celine Stubel, and Stage Manager and ASM Jennifer Swan and Becca Jorgensen.
  
Congrats to all our alumni at Theatre SKAM who CBC Arts called "Canadian heroes" for how they used the arts and
culture for helping us all get through the pandemic. Theatre SKAM's
initiative is called "Pop-Up Theatre Home Delivery," where folks in
the Greater Victoria Region could book 15-minute socially-distanced outdoor
performances delivered to them from the back of a flatbed truck. Phoenix
students performing in last year's summer pop-up theatre included Sarah Hunsberger, Lynnéa Chan, and Hannah Allin. Thanks for being our heroes and hope
this initiative is repeated again this summer!
 Theatre
SKAM is also behind a proposal for an exciting new arts hub proposal that
went before Victoria City Council this past week. SKAM’s Artistic Producer
and alumnus Matthew Payne is working to lease the building at
851 Johnson St. and convert 7,200 square feet into a shared space for
independent artists and small-to-medium performance companies. This could
create a mini arts district between this initiative, Intrepid Theatre's Metro
Theatre (1/2 block away) and the Conservatory of Music. Their proposal for
funding was successful and they are working to pull other funding partners
together to help make this happen.
Exciting news! Read more about their plans.
 Alumnus Mack Gordon and his theatre company Theatre
In The Dark have
been developing radio-style audio dramas since before the pandemic started.
The most recent offering is Herman Melville's Moby Dick,
running now until April 10. Although the company is based out of Chicago,
actors perform and broadcast live across 5,500 miles to audiences anywhere.
The audio drama is adapted from the beloved story of young Ishmael’s
three-year voyage across the earth’s oceans in pursuit of Captain Ahab’s
fiery revenge for an elusive and vengeful whale named Moby Dick.
 Alumna Kate Braidwood of the Wonderheads is working with alumnus Peter Balkwill of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop to offer a behind the scenes virtual
tour of their "place-of-tinkering" studios and a chat about their
process. Balkwill will be interviewing and pick their brains about the world
of Wonderheads. Wonderheads are the first in a new series of artist
interviews and studio tours as part of the 2021 Festival of Animated Objects and
produced by CAMP (Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry). Join them Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 5pm
(PDT).
Don't forgot to join, like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram – for more Phoenix, alumni and
theatre-based stories.
Supporting our Students Kudos:
An amazingly huge THANK YOU to the Phoenix Theatre's many individual
donors and corporate
sponsors for their support of our programs and talented students! Find out
how your company can reach our 10,000 audience members and UVic community of
over 25,000. Contact us to
discuss a customized sponsorship package to meet your goals.
Phoenix eNews is a regular
email magazine for those interested in the Phoenix Theatre, the
not-for-profit productions at the University of Victoria's Department of
Theatre, PO Box 1700, STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2 Canada. The University
of Victoria is a Registered Charity. Charitable Registration No. 10816 2470
RR0001
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