Forum

Film & Theatre artists Cory Bowles, Jaunita Peters, Tara Reddick, Trudy Stewart, Jackie Torrens, Gordon White and Janine Windolph explore the challenges of working cross-culturally in film, theatre and the arts. Using Forum Theatre process led by Tessa Mendel, problematic scenarios are performed and then workshopped with audience participation to find positive outcomes.

Brainstorming Process

The Nova Scotia artists met twice to discuss the themes and brainstorm possible scenarios based on the experiences of participants. We also discussed the process of using Forum Theatre in this context. Interdisciplinary artist Ursula Johnson joined the brainstorming discussion. Ann meet with Janine and Trudy in Regina to discuss scenarios which were sent back to the NS group. Prior to the event all artists met and workshopped the scenes together.

Cory Bowles

Cory Bowles is a actor, choreographer, musician, filmmaker, educator and director from Nova Scotia. His work includes playing “Cory” in the TV series TRAILER PARK BOYS, which he currently serves as a director. Most recently he has been Director of Choreography for THE MOBLEES (CBC KIDS show) and Director of STUDIO BLACK! (CBC mini series). “…One of the things I am really fascinated with lately is – for so many years working in the arts with diversity is the whole conundrum now of diversity as a marketing tool as it starts to become something people are getting on but not necessarily for the best reasons…(an) institution might be getting points for being diverse… but it’s actually not doing any good because they are not doing the action that needs to be done…

Jaunita Peters

Juanita Peters is a playwright, actor, film and theatre director with over 30 years of media experience. Her works include the plays: The San Family, The Mother Club, Settling Africville, I M Possible and documentary film Africville – Can’t Stop Now. “…I worked as a writer for four or five years (at radio station). Fifteen years later my supervisor told me, at the time that I was hired here’s how the conversation went down – I found the perfect person for the job. And she says ‘great, hire her’. He says ‘Yes but we can’t let her be seen.’ When we’re talking about inclusiveness and diversity it’s not just about having a story and putting people who look differently in that story, it’s having the stories coming from different perspectives….”

Tara Lee Reddick

Tara Lee Reddick writer, director, actor for theatre and film, Tara’s newest script “The West Woods” tells the story of one Black Family in rural Nova Scotia and is currently being produced in collaboration with Mulgrave Road Theatre. Her passion is to tell stories about the African Canadian experience and to create dynamic roles for Black Women. “…what I want to talk about mainly is having a vested interest going into communities. Diversity is great and wanting to work with other cultures is awesome but without that invested interest in wanting hear from the community you are going into… I feel it when I’m working with someone who really is invested and not just having that ‘diversity’ box checked…”

Trudy Stewart

Trudy Stewart a documentary filmmaker, educator and director of Mispon: a Celebration of Indigenous Filmmaking, is Cree and member of the Flying Dust First Nation in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Trudy’s films include Regina Indian Industrial School’s RIIS From Amnesia: Recovering the Lost Legacies and From Up North for the NSI Aboriginal Documentary 2016 program about the experience of being Statement gatherers for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “…There is so much good intention sometimes to work with First Nations people in creative projects like this. We found that there is a default that people go to. And what we try to do in all of our productions is indigenize the process which is trying to take away all the hierarchy…”

Jackie Torrens

Jackie Torrens Halifax actor, writer, director, film and radio documentary-maker. In her most recent film My Week on Welfare (CBC TV), Jackie revisits the experience of living on welfare 25 years later. She also plays Drucie MacKay on OUTtv’s Sex and Violence.
“…diversity, decolonization is really important to me…I think there is this perception, “oh It’s something nice to have if you get around to doing it” but I actually see it as, in collaborative creative efforts, it’s integral. It’s actually really good for the business of the arts. The more perspectives you get, the better innovation can come about. I’ve worked in the arts for 20 years and sometimes people like to put what I do in a box – “oh you’re a woman writer and you tell women’s stories”. I actually don’t know what a woman’s story is, unless someone’s looking for their lost vagina…”

Gordon White

Gordon White, a theatre and film actor has been in series TV and worked with theatre companies across Canada. He performed in King Lear at the National Arts Centre, the first all Indigenous production of a Shakespearian play on a national stage. A member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation from Flat Bay, NFLD, Gordon currently lives in Halifax. “…I’m going to talk about a moment in time that was a very important cross cultural experience I had. When I had the opportunity to go to Ottawa to the National Arts Centre to do an all Aboriginal production of King Lear. (Peter Hinton, Artistic Director of the NAC) got an incredible group of actors and everyone of them had had the conversation where they had been told in no uncertain terms – “these aren’t your stories. Shakespeare isn’t your story.” It was stunning to hear that from everybody…”)

Janine Windolph

Janine Windolph a Saskatchewan filmmaker, performer, producer/director, multimedia storyteller, educator and entrepreneur who draws from her combined heritage of Atikemak-Woodland Cree and German. Janine’s films include Regina Indian Industrial School’s RIIS From Amnesia: Recovering the Lost Legacies and From Up North for the NSI Aboriginal Documentary 2016 program about the experience of being Statement Gatherers for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “…I found that there is diversity within First Nations culture so it’s important for me to respect the land that I go to, to learn about them, to listen and I do that as well because I don’t want to be disrespectful in a new place because my protocols where I come from are going to be different from the protocols that I’m navigating in. I try to be mindful and find someone that can teach me more and how best to approach elders. So I said how do I ask my elders…He said just go sit and have tea with them…”

Ursula JohnsonCultural Consultant

Ursula Johnson’s work combines the Mi’kmaq tradition of basket weaving with sculpture, installation, and performance art. “In my art I combine a multitude of elements in order to encourage dialogue between the viewers and the work, frequently challenging the viewers to explore with me ideas of identity, ancestry and cultural practice.”

Charla WilliamsFacilitator

Charla has worked as a diversity consultant with a number of private and public sector organizations, and has focused her career on assisting under-represented community members to gain their “voice” and sustainable employment. “…If you have respect for people and you communicate with people about what does respect look like for them because I believe in the platinum rule do unto others as they would like to have it done. Not the way I want it done because if they are of a different culture or background or history maybe they want something different…”

Tessa MendellForum Theatre Facilitator

Tessa is as a theatre director, community-based theatre facilitator and educator and the Artistic Director of Halifax Theatre for Young People. Her book, Using the Creative Arts for Transformational Learning, has just been published. “…is there something in the way we think as artists that we really have to examine because I think there is that little bit of cultural superiority that you think that you know what’s right for people sometimes…”

Scenario 1: Diversity Video Camp for Youth

A new summer Diversity Video Camp for Youth program is held at an established arts centre. The new accommodations that were promised to house the new campers (all from First Nations and African Nova Scotia communities), did not materialize. Instead the new campers were provided with tents. The regular campers (all white) were housed in the regular accommodations – cabins.

Scenario 2: Protocols when Filming Indigenous events

An Indigenous filmmaker arranges for non-indigenous filmmakers to attend an Indigenous cultural event in order to do some filming. Before hand they are told there will be some things that cannot be filmed. When they arrive, the non-indigenous filmmakers are told again there are some things that cannot be filmed. The non-indigenous filmmakers secretly film anyway.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.

Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 153 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays.