What is Provocations?

PROVOCATIONS: drama and dance in education is a new publication with a mandate to celebrate, problematize, and inquire into drama and dance in diverse educational settings. This venture aims to connect Ontario drama and dance educators by providing a vibrant platform for sharing professional knowledge, pedagogical practices, and research. The centering of teacher, student and arts educators voice and experience will be a hallmark of the publication.

Provocations' audience consists of educators, K- post-secondary, who want to learn more about effective teaching techniques, share their own classroom discoveries and research, and have a platform for interacting with others. The journal will also be of interest to artist- educators and arts organizations.

Mission and Vision Statement

MISSION

To cultivate community, provoke pedagogical inquiry, and disrupt educational complacency through drama and dance.

VISION

Through the sharing of diverse teaching & learning stories, PROVOCATIONS aims to build a connected community of drama and dance educators. This publication centers the voices of drama and dance practitioners (teachers, students artists) whose inquiries and practice-based research place them in conversation with a broader community. Innovative approaches, bold risk-taking, and reflective practice are highlighted to encourage exploration and experimentation in the drama and dance classroom.

WHAT GUIDES US

Drama and dance stories matter
Drama and dance make space for reflection on multiple processes: wondering, theorizing, challenging, exploring, provoking, creating, thinking and feeling
Drama and dance educators take action to decolonize learning
Drama and Dance practice-based research and scholarship build community, while stimulating innovation and new conversations
Drama and dance will continue to grow through exemplary practice

Provocations Editorial Board

Christine Jackson (she/her)

Christine has provided arts leadership in a variety of contexts, as a teacher and Arts Coordinator at the Toronto District School Board, Arts Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, and faculty member at OISE/UT, York University, and Brock University. As a Sessional Lecturer at OISE, Christine is currently teaching Intermediate/Senior Drama, P/J Drama and Dance, and Foundations of Teaching & Learning. She is a long-time member and former president of CODE, a Cultural Leader's Lab fellow, and is a board member of several arts organizations.Christine is the founder and managing editor of Provocations.

Brendon Allen (he/il)

Was challenged by a teacher with good instincts to deepen his love of French through improvisation and theatresports in Grade 4 and now, in Grade 37 (or so…) he is still learning and now looks for ways to present sparks to young people through Drama, Theatre and the interdisciplinary multiverse. A papa, a playwright, a picture book writer and an educator. Recently he has been playfinding with companies like The County Stage Company, Why Not Theatre, Outside the March, and the Toronto Fringe. Look for one of his projects at YPT soon. He is happy to be a part of this team of passionate dramatists at Provocations, as Drama and Dance have never been as important to the future of schools than they are right now but those passionate about it need to raise the stakes of the dialogue.

He still loves French and Improv, Merci, Mr. Paquin!

Jane Deluzio

Jane has 45 years of dance and drama experiences as a teacher, department head, coordinator, instructional leader, vice-principal, AQ instructor, conference speaker and workshop leader. In 1996 she was awarded a Human Rights Citation and a Certificate of Recognition from the Toronto Police for her work with students against Hate Crime. She has worked with teachers in Ontario, Austria, England, Estonia, Germany and Kazakhstan on developing student-centred, brave classrooms with a focus on personal and social creativity, engaged dialogue, and critical thinking that involves bodies as well as minds in motion. A long-time member of CODE, Jane is currently Past-President. She is also a volunteer on the boards of Dreamwalker Dance and Ergo Arts Theatre, and as the Educational Consultant for Bridging Arts Salzburg. A life-time highlight was performing as a senior, alongside Provocations Editor, Christine Jackson, in Karen Kaeja’s TOUCH X at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre, November 2022.

Jessie Kennedy (she/her)

Jessie Kennedy is a high school teacher in the City of Kawartha Lakes and a student in the Graduate Faculty of Education at York University. She serves on the Editorial Board of Provocations and is former Vice President of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators. Jessie has collaborated with partners from across the province on numerous curriculum projects including CODE’s In a Good Way: Drama, Dance and Indigenous Studies, Recognize, Reflect, Refocus: Addressing Anti-Black Racism in the Drama and Dance Classroom, and Exploring Islamic Art and Artifacts Through Drama, a partnership with the Aga Khan Museum (Toronto). Jessie is currently working on her PhD dissertation, LandForms: An ethnographic study of student-driven drama inquiry on local history and ecology.

Anastasia Lainas-Hayward

Anastasia has been a drama educator in Ontario for over 20 years and an actor, director, and writer in Toronto theatre for even longer. She’s performed several times in various Toronto Fringe Festival productions as well as festivals throughout the province. Anastasia’s passion is the spoken & written word, and her (not so)hidden love is comedy. As a coach of a National Award Winning Improvisational Team Anastasia caught the teaching bug and has never looked back. A literacy lead, teacher-librarian and curriculum leader, Anastasia is thrilled to be working with such esteemed colleagues on Provocations.

Matthew Sheahan

Currently the president of the Council of Drama and Dance Educators, Matthew is a nineteen year veteran drama teacher in the secondary system in Ontario. He has specialists in Drama, English and Indigenous Studies, and is a former department head of Arts and Indigenous Studies and a current Instructional Lead Teacher of Indigenous Studies at Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board. Matthew is a playwright, actor and improviser, having performed in the Kingston Storefront Fringe Festival and Big City Improv in Toronto, and all over Eastern Ontario. He is proud to be a co-founder and editorial board member of Provocations.

Shemina Keshvani

Shemina has been playing and making theatre for over 35 years. She has held a variety of posts including Artist-in-Residence at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, Head of Education at the American Shakespeare Centre, Industry Series Programer with ReelWorld Film Festival, Vocal Coach and Actor. Driven by a passion for learning and creativity, Shemina takes pride in helping others develop their talents, achieve their goals and most importantly, encouraging others to (re)-learn to play. Shemina holds a BFA and MA in Drama and a Masters of Teaching. She is currently teaching high school Drama with the Toronto District School Board.

Sharon Davidson

Sharon is a former drama student and constant person of colour who has worked in Canadian organizations which represent performers’ professional interests.

Claire Holland

Claire Holland is a teacher with the Toronto District School Board. She has extensive experience teaching Drama and Dance as a classroom teacher and Arts Prep provider. She has developed teacher resources around finding entry points into Drama and Dance, strategies for cross-curricular integration of the Arts, and strategies for using Drama to promote Critical Literacy and Financial Literacy.. Claire has been an instructor of the Drama AQ at OISE/UT and a course director for the Drama teachable in the Faculty of Education at York University. Most recently, she conducted a 3 part learning series for Drama teachers at the TDSB who are new to the subject area and need support in understanding the core conventions, planning and assessment.

Ariel Clarke

Ariel Clarke is a Drama and Education Alumni from the University of Windsor. She went on to complete a Master’s degree in Teaching at OISE-University of Toronto. She has done various community work with marginalized/racialized youth, as well as has taught across multiple Elementary and Secondary schools in Ontario. Ariel has also done specific work in social justice education, poetry writing, and drama and acting, which has allowed her to spread her love of the Arts to new young minds today. She is currently teaching secondary school Drama in Peel District School Board.

Thank you also to our Advisory Board Members:

Ayesatta Conteh

Claire Holland

Juliana Saxton

Justine Bruyere

Moksha Serrano

Robert Durocher

Ruwena de Fonseka

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