Theatre
and
Performance
professor Naila
Keleta-Mae
will
moderate
a
panel
of
three
impassioned
speakers
on
the
topic
of Women
in
Theatre.
Through
their
different
perspectives
–
researcher,
dramaturg,
and
artistic
director/performer,
they
will
discuss
the
trends
they
have
witnessed
over
the
last
twenty-five
years
and
how
theatre
educators
can
facilitate
the
representation
of
under-represented
people
and
ideas.
Speakers
Rebecca
Burton: Rebecca
Burton
has
a
BA
in
theatre
and history
from
the
University
of
Guelph,
an
MA
in
theatre
history
from
the
University
of
Victoria,
and
PhD
ABD
status
from
the
Centre for
Drama,
Theatre
and
Performance
Studies
in
collaboration
with
the
Women
and
Gender
Studies
Institute
at
the
University
of
Toronto.
Her
area
of
specialization
is
Canadian
theatre
and
feminist
theatre.
Currently,
Rebecca
is
the
Membership
and
Professional
Contracts
Manager
at
the
Playwrights
Guild
of
Canada
(PGC). She
additionally
serves
as
the
staff
liaison
for
PGC’s
Women’s
Caucus
projects.
Rebecca
also
co-founded
Equity
in
Theatre (EIT).
Rebecca
also
works
as
an
editor,
educator,
and
researcher.
Rebecca
has
taught
at
Brock
University,
University
of
Ottawa,
University
of
Toronto,
Wilfrid
Laurier
University,
and
York
University.
Rebecca
occasionally
works
as
a
practitioner
in
different
capacities,
as
an
actor,
collective
creationist,
director,
dramaturge,
playwright,
and
technician.
Lisa
O'Connell: A
fierce
advocate
for
regional
theatre
artists,
Lisa
O’Connell
is
the
founding
Artistic
Director
of
Pat
the
Dog
Theatre
Creation,
a
catalyst
for
new
works
of
theatre
and
PlaySmelter,
Northern
ON’s
New
Work
Theatre
Festival.
O’Connell
is
a
two-time
recipient
of
a
Special
Jury
Award
from
Arts
Awards
Waterloo
and
has
delivered
the
closing
Keynote
address
at
the
Canadian
Association
of
Theatre
Researchers
Conference.
She
was
past
Caucus
Chair
at
the
Professional
Association
of
Canadian
Theatres,
Advocacy
Committee
of
the
Playwrights
Guild
of
Canada,
Steering
Committee
Equity
in
Theatre
and
is
the
creator
of
Regional
Women
Lead,
a
national
initiative
to
address
gender
parity
for
women
in
theatre.
O’Connell
has
been
published
in
Canadian
Theatre
Review,
The
Toronto
Star,
The
Globe
and
Mail,
Chatelaine,
among
others.
Evalyn
Parry: Evalyn
Parry
is
the
artistic
director
of
Buddies
in
Bad
Times
Theatre
in
Toronto.
An
award-winning
performance
creator,
she
is
a
writer/performer,
director,
songwriter
and
collaborator
whose
trans-disciplinary
work
is
inspired
by
intersections
of
social
justice,
history,
and
auto/biography.
Recent
creator
/
performer
credits
include
Kiinalik:
These
Sharp
Tools
(Edinburgh
International
Festival,
Dora
Award
for
Best
New
Play);
Gertrude
and
Alice
(nominated
for
a
2018
Governor General’s
Literary
Award);
SPIN
(a
musical
exploration
of
the
feminist
history
of
the
bicycle);
recent
directing
credits
include
Buddies’
queer
intergenerational
production
The
Youth/Elders
Project
and
Obaaberima
by
Tawiah
M’Carthy
(Dora
Award
for
Outstanding
Production).
She
is
also
the
recipient
of
the
KM
Hunter
Award
for
Theatre,
the
Ken
McDougall
Award
for
Directing,
and
The
Colleen
Peterson
Songwriting
Award.
The
Silversides
Theatre
Artist
Series
is
named
after
Brian
Silverside,
a
Canadian
Actor
and
stage
technician
who
died
in
2000.
His
family
set
up
an
endowment
to
offer
an
annual
artist
talk
with
leading
Canadian
Theatre
artists.
