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The Engagement Space welcomes audience members 30 minutes before the production begins. It offers an opportunity for the audience to interact with installations reflecting the thematic focal points of Immolation and explore the creative inspiration behind this innovative work.
Silhouettes in the Modern Languages (ML) Building
Numerous silhouettes crafted from paper adorn the engagement space and are strategically placed around ML. On these silhouettes, text alluding to the productions themes are inscribed, serving as a means to raise awareness about the content of the overall production.
Furthermore, these silhouettes are deliberately maintained in a "raw" style, emphasizing that the text displayed could represent anyone—in fact, it could be you. Take a moment to read the text on these silhouettes to gain a deeper understanding of the play and its themes.
Fight for Kindness
The word “kindness” appears in the English lexicon c. 1300 meaning “friendly, deliberately doing good to others. Arising from Middle English kinda, from Old English (ge)cynde “natural, native, innate,” with the feeling of relatives for each other,” from Proto-Germanic *kundi- “natural, native,” from *kunjam “family (see kin).” (OED 2024). Running in parallel ways with the play’s underlying themes of “freedom,” “struggle,” and “redemption,” is the embodied sense of empathy.
This activity, then, is a call to action, a prompt to “fight” for kindness. This call might seem at first a strange paradox or even counter intuitive. But in a world that has become increasing “unkind,” a call to resurrect the “innate … feelings for each other … as family” and actively resist the unkind (in its varying manifestations) is increasingly necessity; moreover, it is a projection of hope.
This activity, “Fight for kindness,” offers a prompt to respond to the call, and to give some kindness:
DIRECTIONS:
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Reach In
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Take A Card
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Accept the Kindness Shared with You on the Card (and Know it is True)
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Keep the Card Until You Give it Away to a Loved One, Friend, or Random Stranger as an Act of Deliberately Doing Good To Others
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What Do You Fight For?
The activity, "What Do You Fight For ?", encourages audience members to locate the silhouette that is correlated with their show date on the wall and share what they fight for. Markers will be made available to write direc
tly onto the silhouette. The idea is to provide a safe space for audience members to feel empowered to share what they fight for, which will be on display for the duration of the show’s run. This production highlights many topics that the ensemble and co-creators are passionate about and are things that they fight for in their everyday lives. From trans rights to having a voice, we see these topics arise in the show as major themes. This activity provides the opportunity for audience members to engage with these themes before seeing the production of Immolation. This concept also ties into the digital media display which highlights each capstone student’s personal take on what they fight for.
Cross Word Instructions
Welcome to the IMMOLATION Crossword! You will find the answers by searching the IMMOLATION website. You may also find some of the answers around the engagement space. Each question is tied to the production either directly or through research done by the Actors and Dramaturgs to inspire the play.
Resources & Charities
IMMOLATION is all about finding your voice, and fighting for what you believe in. If you leave with the question of “so, what now?” or need some assistance yourself, we have provided a list of charities and counselling services in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. We encourage you to explore these lists, and seek any support you need, or to help those within your community that do.
Resources
Trillium Counselling
(226)-752- 8857
https://www.trilliumcounselling.ca/contact
55 Erb St. East (Suite 303),
Waterloo, ON, N2J 4K8
KW Counselling Services
(519)-884-0000
https://www.kwcounselling.com/contact/
480 Charles St. East, Kitchener ON, N2G 4K5
New Moon Counselling
(519)-584-4240
https://www.newmooncounselling.com/
69 Bridgeport Rd. E, Waterloo, ON
Transformation Counselling
(519)-954-4900
https://www.transformationcounselling.com
22 King St. South, Waterloo, ON, N2J 1N8
CARESPACE
(519)-208-2273
https://carespace.health/
564 Weber St. North, Unit 12, Waterloo, ON, N2L 5C6
Unwind Counselling
(519)-778-5487
https://unwindcounselling.com/
41 Erb St. E, Waterloo, ON, N2J 1L7
Anchoridge Counselling
(519) – 745-4141
https://www.anchoridgecounselling.com/waterloo-counselling
295 Weber St. North, Unit 6A, Waterloo, ON, N2J 3H8
Bayridge
(519)-914-5026
https://bayridgecounsellingcentres.ca/counselling-clinic-kitchener-waterloo/
28 Weber St. West, Kitchener ON, N2H 3Z2
Willow Group
(519)-741-6444
https://willow-group.ca/
11 Willow Street, Waterloo, ON, N2J 1V6
This list is not exhaustive, we encourage you to find the right fit for you as there are a variety of options included on this list and outside of it!
Charities
Waterloo Region Community Foundation
Waterloo Region Community Foundation strengthens local organizations, spaces, and experiences to increase connection with communities across Waterloo Region
519-725-1806
info@wrcf.ca
https://www.wrcf.ca/
200-2 King Street West Kitchener, ON N2G 1A3
United Way
They are creating change on key social issues such as housing and homelessness, mental wellbeing, food security, and isolation in seniors.
519-888-6100
info@uwaywrc.ca
50 Sportsworld Crossing Road (East Building), Suite #220, Kitchener, ON, N2P 0A4
Habitat for Humanity
They work towards ensuring everyone has a decent place to live, provide the opportunity for lower income, working families to purchase a habitat home.
(519)-747-0664
https://www.habitatwr.ca/site/home
120 Northfield Dr. E, Waterloo, ON, N2J 4G8
Women’s Crisis Services
Empowers and supports women and children to move beyond violence by providing safe shelter, education, transitional housing and outreach services.
(519)-741-9184
https://wcswr.org/contact-us/
700 Heritage Drive, Kitchener, ON, N2A 3N9
Goodwill
A non-profit social enterprise that provides work opportunities, skill development and employee and family strengthening for people who face barriers such as disability or social disadvantage.
548-889-3436
https://www.goodwillindustries.ca/
428 King Street North, Waterloo, ON N2J 2Z6
Food4Kids
They are addressing the childhood hunger crisis through our healthy food packages, but they are also delivering hope, showing kids that their community cares, lifting them up, and changing lives. It’s so much more than food.
519-576-3443
https://food4kidswr.ca/
10 Washburn Drive, Unit 4, Kitchener ON, N2R 1S2
Marillac Place
They provide a safe home for women of ages 16+ who are pregnant, who have a child in their care, or who are attempting to regain care of their child. Provide 24-hour guidance and support to entrants.
(519)-571-0722
https://marillacplace.ca/
109 Young Street, Kitchener, ON, N2H 4Z2
The Food Bank of Waterloo
Provides food assistance to those in need, goal to reduce hunger in the region, address poverty and food insecurity
519-743-5576
https://www.thefoodbank.ca/
50 Alpine Court, Kitchener, ON N2E 2M7
YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo
They are dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls by providing services and programs that support physical and mental wellbeing and economic choice and independence.
519-576-8856
general@ywkw.ca
153 Frederick Street, Kitchener, ON N2H 2M2
Child Witness Centre
They provide support to child and youth victims and their families by helping them navigate the criminal justice system.
(519)-744-0904
https://childwitness.com/contact-us/
admin@childwitness.com
111 Duke Street East, Kitchener, ON, N2H 1A4