Embedded Criticism

Hello DARTcritics readers! Welcome to the first in a series of articles written by myself and my colleague Kristina Ojaperv, about our work following the making of Inferno, a new production by DopoLavoro Teatrale (henceforth DLT). Throughout the coming weeks, we will dive into various areas of interest: the conversatio…

One year ago a group of students from Brock University presented QUEER‽NOW‽ to the world. It was a show that was not only the director’s undergraduate thesis project, but also an experience that was unapologetically queer. The team was comprised of Max Hunter, Ari Para, Dael M. Cooper and me, each of us taking part in…

In their final post, our team of embedders at the Shaw Festival discuss their experience sitting in on a technical rehearsal and watching the world of The Horse and His Boy come vividly to life. Shannon Fletcher, Matt Lazaris-Brunner, Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk, and Danielle Woodcock write, Well, readers, we have follow…

The embedders return to the Shaw Festival’s The Horse and His Boy for their last rehearsal before they move into the Festival Theatre for technical rehearsals. Shannon Fletcher, Matt Lazaris-Brunner, Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk, and Danielle Woodcock write, It’s an exciting thing, walking into Shaw and being recognized b…

Our Shaw embedders stepped into The Horse and His Boy‘s rehearsal hall for the first time. Shannon Fletcher, Alexandra Chubaty-Boychuk, Matt Lazaris-Brunner, and Danielle Woodcock write, The Shaw Festival is one of Canada’s most prestigious theatre companies. The four of us have all seen shows at Shaw before, and now w…

The other half of our embedders give their final thoughts on The Team to close out DART Critics’ time embedding with Essential Collective Theatre. Dani Shae Barkley, Jonah Pace, and Kristina Testa write, The creative team engages in their “Check-out” circle. Photo by Kristina Testa. When we walked into the Robertson Th…

Hazel Adie and Frances Johnson write, Feeling almost as excited as if we were about to step on stage ourselves, we take out seats in the Robertson Theatre. Director Colin Anthes steps forward to thank us all for attending and gives a land acknowledgement. That calm, confident voice now so familiar from rehearsals is li…

The second production we have students embedding is The Horse and His Boy at The Shaw Festival. Their first order of business was to meet the director, Christine Brubaker. Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk, Shannon Fletcher, Matthew Lazaris-Brunner, and Danielle Woodcock write, Photo by Peter Andrew Lusztyk. Design by KeyGordo…

Still in two groups, one half of our embedding team returned to The Team‘s rehearsal room once again and share their final observations. Dani Shae Barkley, Jonah Pace, and Kristina Testa write,  Returning to the Suitcase in Point rehearsal space, we are quite excited to witness the progress that the artists of The Team…

Having returned to the rehearsal room once more, half of our embedding team remarks on the changes they witness.  Hazel Adie and Frances Johnson write,  We arrive for our second and final visit to familiar smiling faces. This rehearsal is a week and a half away from Essential Collective Theatre’s first performance of T…