ONELIGHT THEATRE FORUMs

FORUM 2004 — Theatre: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Theatre: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow focused on the history and development of theatre in Nova Scotia as it relates to the current situation and future plans. The general purpose of the forum is to bring together a variety of theatre professionals, representatives from different levels of government, and related interest groups (such as TNS and PACT) to discuss, over a full-day, a particular issue related to theatre, both theory and practice. Approximately 60 people participated in the two panels and round-table discussion of the day; panelists included Mary Vingoe, Chris Shore, Linda Moore, Ron Foley MacDonald and Peter Kirby.

From HRM Arts bulletin, December 14, 2004: General Manager of Theatre Nova Scotia, Chris Shore feels that the forum was a very positive step in ongoing development. “The first step in helping the theatre sector in Nova Scotia grow is to bring people together and have a frank discussion of where we are now and where we want to be. The Onelight Theatre forum was greatly successful in that it provided the inertia for that first step. It was well run and very beneficial to the community.”

FORUM 2005 — The Canadian Theatre Identity Crisis: Challenging Eurocentricity with Aboriginal Myth and Ritual

The overwhelming responce we received from Forum 2004 lead to a much larger forum in 2005 which spanned to day in December. Guests travelled to Halifax from across Canada to participate in this unique event which included performances by K.S.Callihoo and The Turtle Gals.

“Forum 2005, The Canadian Theatre Identity Crisis: Challenging Eurocentricity with Aboriginal Myth and Ritual, brought together interested parties from both academia and the arts community to discuss the multiple voices that constitute Canadian theatre. In particular, this forum focussed on the unique contributions of Aboriginal theatre artists in Canada and the challenges they face. This two-day event featured 2 panel discussions, a paper presentation and two professional performances open to the public: The Scrubbing Project by The Turtle Gals and Yesterday was a Very Bad Day by K.S. Callihoo. In hosting Forum 2005, OneLight Theatre partnered with Native Earth Productions, and was supported by Theatre Nova Scotia, the Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia, the Dalhousie Theatre Department, and the Dalhousie Aboriginal Law Students Association.”