Speaking at the Juno Award Ceremony in March, 2026, Wab Kinew, Premiere of Manitoba, spoke to the significant role that artists play in making change:

We are at a time in the world where little kids are being killed in a war for no reason. We are at a time where our country is under threat from what was supposed to be a long-time friend. And we’re at a time in the world where surveillance capitalism is trying to commodify the private moments that each of us has at the end of the day. And who is going to stand up and turn things around and mess things up for the better? I firmly believe it will be the artists.

In today’s world, the groundswell of artmaking in response to global tribulations is remarkable. Indigenous artists, artists of colour, disabled artists, and gender non-conforming artists lead the way with strength and resilience and brilliance. They create and perform in the face of systemic racism, economic disparity, a climate crisis, war, and genocide. And they do so with a sense of urgency and a spirit of determined hope.The socio- political and cultural impact of the arts today is ubiquitous. Just think of how Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl rocked our world! Around the globe, such creative acts of resistance and reclamation of land, language and culture, are forging new pathways toward a future of justice and peace. This is a time of change and heightened creativity which makes it an exciting and significant time to be an arts educator. It is also an exciting and inspiring time to be an arts student because humanity looks to our young people to author the next chapter of our world. As arts educators, we are uniquely positioned to provide opportunities for students to imagine and rehearse for a kinder, better future. We can also provide platforms to honour the creative envisionings and amplify the voices of our young people.

Through the process of reading Hope in a Collapsing World: Youth, theatre, and listening as a political alternative.(Gallagher, 2022)  and curating the collection of materials for this volume, new questions emerge for me:

folio (articles and stories):

Dr. Asa Ragnarsdottir and Dr. Peeter Mehisto shine a light on drama and dance on the international stage. We are reminded of the ongoing need for advocacy for our subject areas. Dr. Mehisto provides strong rationale and pivotal messaging to make our case, while Dr. Ragnarsdottir’s story reminds us of the difference one educator can make when fuelled by passion and commitment to the arts. Both Asa and Peeter invite us to think about how policy can support a humanizing arts curriculum. 

OISE teacher candidates speak with their instructor, Chrisitne Jackson, about their experiences at the academy, at their practicum placements and in our Intermediate/Senior drama class. The conversation highlights their key moments of learning, their belief in the power of drama, and their desire to inspire their students to be agents of change. 

Dr. Abigail Shabtay’s article showcases how drama can be used as a tool to examine children’s rights issues. With an explicit focus on specific articles encoded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Shabtay models how drama can bring human rights to life. She outlines the role of research and co-creation in the development of the drama piece, connecting to Kushnir’s idea of using drama as a call to both thought and action.  In this example, the creators are teacher candidates, but Shabtay makes clear connections to how the process for creation can be adapted for high school students.

Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters provides an overview of an immersive, community-driven project in which young people lead StoryWalks. The children take stories to the street or local park where they become performers, dancers, directors, and changemakers. 

Mazen Abbas’ teaching story illustrates how elementary drama and dance can serve as powerful tools for self-expression, identity exploration, and community-building. It is a rare and beautiful window into a Gr. 5 classroom, where drama, dance and music experiences cultivate a culture of care and where students thrive. 

Jessie Kennedy convenes a panel of educators for a discussion around the changing landscape of drama in education. Four experienced drama teachers consider how to examine challenging issues and texts in ways that amplify diverse voices, while avoiding appropriation. They take the weight of the responsibility seriously, because they care radically.

Dr. Harrison Campbell and teacher Heather Albers discuss a project they facilitated in a secondary English classroom, using Drama to animate their study of Shakespeare's Othello. They outline the ways in which students made personal connections to the text through embodied, affective learning. Practical strategies and resources are included.

cue2cue (reviews & resources):

Claire Holland reviews the beautiful picture book Berry Song and offers a series of rich drama and literacy activities for exploration in the elementary classroom. Claire models how to use drama to animate an Indigenous story, without transgressing into the territory of appropriation.

Christine Jackson shares three dance picture books which invite young children to communicate ideas and feelings through dance. These resources invite young children to co construct meaning, community and culture. For secondary classrooms, she provides a list of videos featuring dance artists whose work focuses on social change. These resources can be used to build student knowledge and understanding of diverse practices and creative processes. They may also inspire creative projects. 

touchstone (teacher, student, artist  stories) 

Katelyn Campbell, Grade 12 student, shares a reflective journal entry explaining how Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights’ Dream resonates with her and how the characters and themes encountered in this play remain relevant to young people today. 

Rosamund Small engages in a conversation with Chrisitne Jackson about her dual life as a theatre artist and drama teacher. Her narrative profiles the intricate relationship between the two roles – the ways that writing and performing help her to be a better teacher and how teaching supports her artistic processes. Rosamund speaks to the ways in which deeply personal story often carries resonances for others, creating connection across difference,  

Laurel Brown and teacher Joanna Perlus invite us to hear about the impact of dance directly from students themselves. We learn about an annual dance festival showcasing original choreography by students. With Dance Fest, the power of student voice is activated through both their dance creations and their well-articulated messages about their experience. Joanna Perlus, a dance teacher with the Toronto District School Board, describes the dance classroom as a space where students claim their voices, grow in confidence, and develop a sense of belonging. We are invited to hear the students’ first-hand accounts about why dance matters to them. 

Michael de Rose shares an honest, heart-searching account of his personal journey from actor to drama teacher. It is an inspirational story of his “eternal loop of process, exploration and self-actualization”. It also documents his evolving pedagogy and how he and his students have come to understand drama as a means of inspiring social change. 

Heidi Strauss speaks with Claire Holland about her life as an independent dance artist. She shares contemplative reflections based on a career of creating work that is grounded in a pedagogy of process, relationality,and unexpected outcomes. Claire and Heidi think together about dancing and learning and being.

References

Freire, P. (1998). Teachers as Cultural Workers: Letters to Those Who Dare to Teach. (Colorado: Westview), 

Gallagher, K. (2022). Hope in a collapsing world: Youth, theatre, and listening as a political alternative. With a script by Andrew Kushnir. Toronto, Buffalo, London: University of Toronto Press. 

Hogan, B. (Feb. 2026) Radical Love in Education is a Responsibility, Not a Risk. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/blogs/radical-love-in-education-is-a-responsibility-not-a-risk

Hooks, Bell. (2000) All about Love: New Visions. New York, William Morrow,EPUB Version. 

Kinew, Wab. (March 2026) [Speech] Juno Awards Ceremony.

Kushnir, A. (2022) Interview with Phil Rickaby, Stageworthy.  

https://stageworthy.ca/334-dr-kathleen-gallagher-andrew-kushnir/

Solnit, R (March, 2026) @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social