In group discussion we will have the opportunity to define and refine how we approach teaching. We’ll share the texts, and plays, and art that are inspiring us. We’ll talk through the issues (large and small) which we have struggled with. We’ll celebrate one-another’s successes and learn from one-another’s failures.

Through lectures and presentations we take a deep dive into our colleagues’ areas of expertise. Understanding how and why they do what they do, and setting ourselves up to improve our own teaching.

Neil Silcox — Organizer

Instructor in Acting, Directing, and Devising; Crake Drama Fellow at Mount Allison University; Founder of the Canadian Theatre Educators’ Conference

Miriam Cummings — Conference administrator

Instructor in acting and devising with a particular interest in voice; teaching independently and at Concordia University

Alethea Bakogeorge — Conference Administrator

Development and Communications Associate at The Musical Stage Company. Alethea is an actor, arts administrator, and disability advocate.

Eric Armstrong — Leader of the Breakout room for Voice

Voice, speech, accents & classical text teacher; Acting Area coordinator at York University, (on sabbatical for 2020-21)

Leah Cherniak — Leader of the Breakout Room for Directing

Devising/Directing/ Acting/Teaching: UofT, Ryerson, Soulpepper Academy.

Philippa Domville - Leader of the Breakout Room for Movement

I am a theatre movement instructor at Ryerson School of Performance. I also work as a theatre and film actor and a theatre choreographer.

Gavin Fearon — Leader of the Breakout Room for Production & Design

Technical Director and sessional instructor for stagecraft and design, Brock University Dramatic Arts

Karen Fricker — Leader of the Breakout Room for Theatre Studies

Associate Professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University, theatre critic for the Toronto Star, and vice-president of the Canadian Theatre Critics Association.

Rachel Rhoades — Leader of the Breakout Room for Applied Theatre

Assistant Professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University, Rachel has worked as an applied theatre practitioner, educator, and researcher with students ranging from Grade 1 to the graduate level for 12 years in community- and school-based settings in Boston, Toronto, and now in St. Catharines.

Jamie Robinson — Leader of the Breakout Room for Acting

Actor & director; instructor at York University.

Lauren Acton

Program Coordinator for the Performing Arts Fundamentals program, and faculty for the Music Industry Arts and Performance program, both at Centennial College.

Natalie Alvarez

Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies in Ryerson’s School of Performance where she teaches courses in performance history, research creation, and theory; author of Immersions in Cultural Difference: Tourism, War, Performance.

Lara Arabian

Theatre artist and acting teacher at Sheridan College in both the Musical Theatre Dept. and the Performing Arts Preparation Program.

Liza Balkan

Liza is a director, actor and writer whose practice as an educator and teacher has included workshops, classes and productions with the COC, University of Windsor, Royal Conservatory of Music, Randolph Academy, Ryerson Theatre School, St. Clair College, CCPA, and the Birmingham Conservatory at the Stratford Festival.

Richard Beaune

Acting and Directing teacher, independent theatre artist

Suzanne Bennett

Suzanne Bennett is Head of Acting in the Hons. Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance Program at Sheridan College.

Michael F Bergmann

Assistant Professor at Ryerson University's School of Performance. His research explores the role of new technologies in live art and storytelling through his lab TRiPL (Technological Research in Performance Lab).

Valerie Bonasso

Founding Artistic Partner with Breathe Art Theatre Project; Props Master for Univeristy of Windsor’s University Players; and resident Stage Manager for the St. Clair College Music Theatre Program. 

Seika Boye

(she/her) Movement for actors -- Dance, Theatre and Performance Studies; Lecturer, Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Toronto.

Beth Bradbury

Technical Director and Production Manager for the School of Fine Arts, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Jill Carter

Assistant Professor cross appointed to the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies; the Transitional Year Programme; and Indigenous Studies at the University of Toronto.

Monica Dufault

Instructor in acting and scriptwriting at Brock University. Artistic Director of Carousel Players.

Stephan Ermel

Vocal Music Teacher; George Brown Theatre School; Resident MD at YES Theatre

Alex Fallis

Alex is on faculty at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University where he primarily teaches Theatre History and Acting, with an emphasis on the student actor as integrated creator.

Xing Fan

is Associate Professor of Asian Theatre and Performance Studies at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. She is the author of Staging Revolution: Artistry and Aesthetics in Model Beijing Opera during the Cultural Revolution (Hong Kong University Press, 2018).

David Fancy

Full Professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts, Marilyn I. Walker School of Performing Arts, Brock University, and is the editor of the Diversities in Actor Training website.

Chantal Forde

Writer, director, educator, and performer; on faculty at Sheridan College; instructor at Centre Stage Theatre School; and workshop instructor for Shadowpath Theatre Productions.

Janice Fraser

Instructor in Technical Production (University of Toronto) and Electricity, DMX, Control Protocols and Moving Lights (National Theatre School). Janice is a member of IATSE 58, and mentors female-identifying IATSE workers who are new to the local.

Francesco Gagliardi

Francesco Gagliardi is the Associate Undergraduate Director at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Toronto, where he teaches classes in experimental performance. He is cross-appointed with the Department of Philosophy, where he teaches classes in Aesthetics and Media Theory.

Mike Griffin

Lecturer in acting, directing, movement, mask, and Commedia dell'Arte at Brock University.

Michael Harms

Actor, Singer, Director - Teaches Voice, Mask and Acting - Seneca College and Toronto Film School.

Ed Harris

Assistant Technical Director, Head Carpenter, Brock University Dramatic Arts.

Ann Hodges

Freelance director, occasional guest director at universities and colleges (Sheridan College, U of Alberta, U of Winnipeg) recently taught Directing for Musical Theatre remotely (pre-pandemic!) for Sheridan College.

Mark Ingram

Instructor in voice, acting, and fight; program coordinator at Seneca College.

Jeannette Lambermont-Morey

Acting, Directing, & Text Teacher; Instructor at George Brown College, Memorial University, and York University.

Elliot Leffler

Assistant Professor of Theatre & Performance, University of Toronto.

Cole Lewis

Writer & director, Artistic Director of Guilty by Association, Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University.

Melinda Little

Melinda is a movement teacher/coach at Sheridan and George Brown Colleges.

Glenda MacFarlane

Glenda MacFarlane is the Series Editor for Scirocco Drama; she teaches Writing for Actors at the Toronto Film School.

Anna MacKay-Smith

Acting instructor and Creativity Life Coach; Coordinator of George Brown College’s Acting for Media program.

Carolyn Mackenzie

Stage Manager; Instructor for Brock University, National Theatre School, Sheridan College, and the University of Windsor; former education coordinator at the Shaw Festival.

Hart Massey

Program director and acting instructor at Toronto Film School

Lauren Maykut

On faculty teaching Voice and Speech at Centennial College and George Brown in the Theatre Performance and School for media programs, and has taught at Humber College and York University.

Hope McIntyre

Assistant Professor at the University of Winnipeg teaching performance, business of theatre, playwriting and directing; also Artistic Director of Sarasvati Productions/FemFest

Sue Miner

As well as being a freelance theatre director Sue is the Coordinator of the George Brown Theatre School, where she also teaches and directs. She has been teaching various theatre courses since 1997.

Leora Morris

Directing & Acting, UBC.

Simone Nelson

Theatre & film producer and educator currently serving as The Managing Director of the California State University Entertainment Alliance (CSUEA).

Vincent Olivieri

Sound Design & Composition, Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs, School of the Arts, University of California-Irvine

Janine Pearson

Voice and Text coach for the Stratford Festival; instructor in the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical theatre Training and the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction.

Snezana Pesic

Snezana is a performance designer (set/ costume/ lighting) and lecturer at Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at University of Toronto.

Renate Pohl

Set, Costume & Lighting Designer and Assistant Professor, Technical Theatre Production, Theatre Department, School of Fine Arts, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus

Gyllian Raby

Associate Professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University where she teaches scriptwriting, directing, and dramaturgy.

Diana Reis

Acting Teacher (Foundation Techniques; Scene Study; Script Analysis; Audition Preparation; Acting for Media): Ryerson University; George Brown College; Sheridan College.

Ali Joy Richardson

Writer, director, and arts educator - has been a guest director and instructor at Sheridan College, Randolph College, and George Brown.

Maria Ricossa

Instructor in Humber College's Acting for Film and TV Program, and on-set Acting coach for the Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things.

Sarah Robbins

Sarah is a PhD Candidate at UofT's Graduate Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies researching equity in Canadian theatre.

Mandy Roveda

MFA Candidate at York University in Theatre Directing, instructor in acting

Banuta Rubess

Instructor in acting, directing and devising, Centre for Drama, University of Toronto.

Elizabeth Saunders

Instructor in Acting and Scene Study with Randolph College for the Performing Arts and George Brown College; Private Acting Coach.

Trent Scherer

Chair, School of Media & Performing Arts at George Brown College.

Nikki Cesare Schotzko

Associate Professor of Performance Studies at the University of Toronto, where she teaches courses on performance art, experimental music-theatre, avant-garde theatre, and apocalyptic performance. Author of Learning How to Fall: Art and Culture after September 11.

Steven Sparling

Instructor in Industry Preparation, Singing, and Musical Theatre Performance at Sheridan College, Randolph College, and Ryerson University; Associate Executive Director of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association.

Lana Sugarman

Lana is currently a graduate assistant at Kent State University in Ohio, completing her MFA in Acting.

Andrew Tribe

Artistic Director, Original Kids Theatre Company

Tamara Trojanowska

Director of the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies; co-founder of the BMO Lab in Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI.

Curtis Tye

Educator and arts facilitator; Drama-in-Education instructor at Brock University.

David Vivian

David teaches production and design at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts of Brock University, Niagara. He is the Director of the School.

James Wallis

Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Shakespeare BASH’d

Sarah Waisvisz

Sarah Waisvisz is a theatre maker currently based in Ottawa whose work focuses on the stories of marginalized people. She will be joining the Dan School of Drama and Music at Queen's University this summer as Assistant Professor.

Adam White

Performance, Musical Theatre History, Voice/Singing Lessons, Co-ordinator, Honours Bachelor of Musical Theatre Performance Program, Sheridan College

Jonathan Whittaker

Acting scene study @ Toronto Film School. Actor, Songwriter, Director, CoachJonathan Whittaker Acting scene study @ Toronto Film School. Actor, Songwriter, Director, Coach

Danielle Wilson

Danielle is on faculty at Brock University and teaches voice, speech, text and acting.

Kelly Wolf

Set and costume designer, theatre maker, sessional instructor at Brock University and Program Support at McMaster.

Myrna Wyatt Selkirk

Associate Professor, McGill University Department of English, Drama and Theatre Program. I teach acting, directing for the theatre, clown & mask and physical theatre