Mentorships in spoken word, theatre tech, production, and theatre creation:
Eryn Lidster is mentored in theatre creation by Kate Story, supported by the excellent but sadly-extirpated (due to provincial funding cuts to the arts) Professional Theatre Training Program. Eryn develops a story told with an invisible performer using lights, sound, set, and props, taking the work from concept to page to stage, exploring direction techniques, integration of design elements, and the concept of theatre production as a collaborative creative entity. The services of Eryn Lidster were made possible through Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program, funded by the Ontario Arts Council.
Shannon McKenzie is mentored in lighting design, lighting and sound operation, stage management, and volunteer coordination during the festival. Mentored by established theatre artists Ryan Kerr and Kate Story, Shannon develops skills in theatre tech and theatre production. She also makes her first appearance as a panelist, speaking on “I’m still here: Precarity, Aging and Life with Art,” presented by the Trent Centre for Studies in Ageing, speaking from her perspective as a care-giver who provides compassionate care through arts.
The poet Priscilla Uppal once said, “The poem is incomplete until it is shared.” In this mentorship opportunity, organized by Jon Hedderwick in partnership with the Peterborough Poetry Slam, the Aspire Mentorship Program and the Precarious Festival, four professional spoken word artists, Jon Hedderwick, Elizabeth Jenkins, and Sarah Lewis and Ziysah von Bieberstein, will be paired with eight aspiring youth writers (age 17-25). The project will open with teachings from Elder Shirly Williams. The groups will then participate in workshops, meet-ups and two master classes. The master classes will be taught by dub poet, educator and spoken word artist, Lillian Allen; and genre-mashing performance artist and educator, Wes Ryan. The group will work in collaboration with each other to explore the art of spoken word poetry and create original pieces rooted in personal narratives as they prepare for a performance on December 11th at the Theatre on King.
