Despite the many changes that have taken place at Vanier Collegiate, the school's theatre program is going out of its way to keep students connected through the arts this year.
At the beginning of the fall, program director and Vanier educator Ben Sackville realized that putting on a full-scale production was not likely — and that the cancelled show was going to leave a real gap for students.
“I knew that the thing that was going to be most important was the connection between students over the production aspect of our program,” said Sackville. “That was my cornerstone thought, going in, was that we have to make sure that students are getting opportunities with each other because of this program, rather than just ‘let’s create a play.’”
In place of the usual choreography sessions, play rehearsals and set building that goes into putting together a show, Sackville instead launched a series of online skill-building workshops for theatre students this fall.
Beginning in November, students were invited to join weekly sessions on topics like theatre creation, writing for stage and set design. The program also hosted regular play readings, inviting students to test their skills.
Vanier alumni Bryce Johnson guest hosted a regular choreography workshop for the program, and senior students ran a technical theatre workshop, sharing their experiences as stage managers.
“I didn’t want it just to be for only the actors, or only the design tech people, or only for people interested in reading plays,” said Sackville. “I wanted there to be something for any of the students, even if it was just one thing.”
The goal, said Sackville, was to maintain the connection that students build with each other during regular show production — which often means many hours working together — and create an outlet to explore the creativity involved with theatre.
The sessions also still offer an opportunity for new students to learn from seasoned veterans within the program, said Sackville, which is something that usually occurs organically during the normal production process.
Sackville has also taken the opportunity to create a new drama ambassadors program at Vanier, involving senior students interested in being more engaged with the drama program.
“It’s for them to take on more of a leadership role within the program and the school,” said Sackville. “I’ve been helping build some leadership skills with those students, and they’ve been taking initiative about what they want to see from the program [and] that’s been really good. They’re a really gung-ho group.”
Sackville felt the fall launch of the program went well, and he is hoping to continue the online events during the spring semester as well — and hopefully garner some more interest from other parts of the school, not just theatre students.
More workshops are incoming, he said, like a continuation of the theatre creation and stage design workshop and the performance workshops. He is also trying to put together more social events, like a regular game night and a school-wide Variety Show.
“[I’d like to see] students submit a video of themselves playing the piano or singing a song, doing a dance piece, or maybe an athletic feat or something like that, to just put together a variety night showing all the things our students can do,” said Sackville. “Just to share some positivity in the building.”
Although there is disappointment that Vanier won’t be able to host its usual musical production this year, Sackville feels positive that the theatre program’s new format is still offering a positive space for students — one that focuses on inclusivity and growth, alongside the fun of drama.
“We don’t want to be a group that identifies problems, we want to be a group that solves problems, and so part of the philosophy coming into this year was to solve some of the problems of isolation,” said Sackville. “I definitely think that a drama program can be a source of positivity and support, especially in times like these [and] so we wanted to push for those things more than we ever push for learning how to be an actor.”
