Kimberly Walker
“Frederick Buechner defines vocation as the place where one's ‘deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.’ For many of us at Theatre of the Beat, this means using our creativity—specifically the art form that we love, theatre—to try and make the world—and specifically, the communities that I find myself in, whether Mennonite, incarcerated or otherwise—a more peaceful and just place.” –Kimberlee Walker.
The topic of Restorative Justice has held a strong place in Kimberlee Walker’s heart ever since she was working on her undergraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Studies (BA 2012) at Conrad Grebel University College. She always had an appreciation for art and creativity, and wished to combine her passions to make the world a better place—to spread peace and justice across communities with her love for theatre. In 2011, Kimberlee became a founding member of Theatre of the Beat (TOTB), a touring theatre company inspired by the principles of Restorative Justice, which works to start conversations on social justice in connection with the beliefs of the communities it finds itself in. In 2013, Theatre of the Beat presented a play about Restorative Justice while performing in schools, churches, theatres, and several provincial and federal institutions across Canada.
“This is when I began to think a lot about the well-being of people who are incarcerated,” Kimberlee said. After finishing her Masters of Social Work, taking courses and volunteering at Grand Valley Institution for Women (GVIW), she earned a job at the prison as a behavioral counselor, while continuing to work part-time with TOTB. “It got me dreaming about how more arts-based programming, and particularly theatre programming, could benefit the people incarcerated at GVIW. So I wrote a number of proposals about this idea to the administration of the prison and eventually they let me give it a try!”
Ever since Theatre of the Beat secured their first contract with GVIW in 2016, Kimberlee has facilitated theatrical workshops and led groups of incarcerated individuals through several performances. The program aims to build safer communities by offering participants opportunities to practice skills required for successful reintegration, which is one of the many goals of Restorative Justice. “We have witnessed significant participant growth in building skills in teamwork, collaboration, and conflict resolution, which contributes to the forging of a prosocial identity,” Kimberlee said. Researchers at the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) at the University of Guelph also noted that participants reported increased confidence in public speaking, communication skills, and emotional wellbeing.
Grebel had a substantial impact on Kimberlee and the creation of Theatre of the Beat. It began in a PACS class, when Lowell Ewert, past director of the PACS department, allowed Kimberlee and her friends to write a play instead of a final paper. This inspired them to pursue this idea in an independent study course, where they created and performed a play to a sold-out crowd and raised over $10,000 for the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee support. “That was my first experience that made me realize it WAS possible to create our own plays about topics we were passionate about and help communities at the same time,” Kimberlee recounted. “Since my BA consisted of a PACS major and Drama minor, I was always seeking ways to bring the two worlds together.” She wrote her final summative PACS paper on ‘Applied Theatre’, explaining that “theatrical forms in non-traditional theatre spaces can be used to explore issues of interest and concern to communities.”
In her final year of studies at Grebel, Kimberlee and Rebecca Steiner’s partner in action, Johnny Wideman, who had recently graduated from Grebel at the time, hatched the idea for TOTB. Other founding members included Katie Cowie-Redekopp and Leah Harder. Afterwards, Fred Martin, the Director of Development at Grebel and Chair of TOTB, got the team started on the right foot with his suggestion to dramatize the story of Sam Steiner. This ended up being TOTB’s first major touring production.
“TOTB will turn 10 years old this year!” Kimberlee said. “We are so thankful to the many Grebel and Grebel-adjacent folks who have believed in us, inspired us, and empowered us along the way!”
