University of Windsor School of Dramatic Art
401 Sunset Avenue N9B 3P4 Windsor, ON, Canada

Dr. Tina Pugliese is the Director of the School of Dramatic Art. She is an Associate Professor and teaches courses in educational drama in the Drama in Education and Community Program. She holds an Ed.D. from the College of Education, Wayne State University, and an M.Ed., B.Ed., and BA[H] Drama from the University of Windsor. Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of educational drama, youth programing, and peer mentorship. Tina has dedicated her career to teac...hing and mentoring young drama teachers in training. With a focus on connecting her students with the local community, she partnered with Windsor Endowment for the Arts and founded the Changing the Odds, Community Transformation through the Arts summer program (2013-2018) as an opportunity for her students to create and lead meaningful integrated arts experiences while practicing and modelling good mentorship for youth ages 12-16. Tina is the recipient of the University of Windsor’s Student Alliance Excellence in Teaching Award, the University of Windsor Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching, and an OCUFA Award nomination. To read more about Dr. Tina Pugliese and her work, or our other faculty members, head to https://www.uwindsor.ca/drama/496/faculty-and-staff-members.

Michael Keating teaches Voice at the School of Dramatic Art at the University of Windsor. An actor as well as a teacher, Professor Keating is a graduate of the Acting Program at the National Theatre School of Canada and holds an MFA from Boston University. Professor Keating has performed in many Theatres in Eastern Canada and appeared in numerous films and radio dramas. He has taught at Boston University, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and has conducted numerous workshops, ranging from dialect study to Commedia Dell’Arte. Directing credits for University Players include: A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Waiting for the Parade. To read more about Michael and his work, or our other faculty members, head to https://www.uwindsor.ca/drama/496/faculty-and-staff-members.

Don't miss this incredible event hosted by Windsor Lancers! https://golancers.ca//womens-basketball-lancers-host-w-e-f

Dr. Michelle MacArthur is an Assistant Professor in the School of Dramatic Art, where she teaches courses in theatre history, dramatic literature, and performance theory. She holds a PhD and MA from the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto and a BA in English from McGill University. Dr. MacArthur’s research focuses on four main areas: equity in theatre, theatre criticism, contemporary Canadian theatre, and feminism and performance. H...er current, SSHRC-funded project, Gender, Genre, and Power in the Theatre Blogosphere, is mapping the demographics and generic characteristics of the theatre blogosphere and analyzing its findings in light of current studies and activism surrounding gender equity in theatre. With support from SSHRC, she is also leading a study of the creation and reception of theatre performed on Zoom during the pandemic, focused on the Outside the March-University Players co-production of The Stream You Step In. To read more about Dr. Michelle MacArthur and her work, or our other faculty members, head to https://www.uwindsor.ca/drama/496/faculty-and-staff-members.

We are thrilled to share this news! Karen Hines has been short-listed for the 2020 Siminovitch Prize. Karen is currently working with us on the short digital drama "The River of Forgetfulness", opening November 5 on Zoom. Fierce. That’s the word that springs to mind when I think about these five outstanding playwrights [...] these artists are leaders in their communities, and their influence is felt in multiple dimensions, both deep and wide. When their work meets an audience, it is unforgettable. A thrilling list. https://siminovitchprize.com/2020-shortlist/

Calling all SODA Alumni! We're excited to share this event with you for our upcoming Alumni Week - a digital YouTube screening of our 2010 Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream! Tune in October 2 at 7:15pm at the link below and join us for a live chat with some of the Class of 2011! https://youtu.be/BwPfG7n_VnM

Esther Van Eek is an Associate Professor in the School of Dramatic Art and teaches courses including Costume Design I and II, Drawing for the Theatre, Rendering for the Theatre, Stage Make-up, and Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies II. She serves as faculty costume designer for the University Players and continues her artistic practice as a designer, printmaker, and painter. She holds a BFA in printmaking and an MFA in Theatre Production Design graduating with di...stinction from The George Washington University. Esther has been working as a costume designer, milliner, props designer, set designer, mask maker, and illustrator in the US and Canada for many years. SHe has received awards for both costume design and theatre pedagogy, including the CITT/ICTS National Educational Achievement Award and an International Teaching and Learning conference award for (Un)-learning: Rediscovering the Creative Self. To read more about Esther and her work, or our other faculty members, head to https://www.uwindsor.ca/drama/496/faculty-and-staff-members.

Curious about what it's like to be a SODA student? Want to learn more about what the University of Windsor has to offer? Then join us for Virtual SODA Day! Meet some of our amazing faulty, hear from current students, and attend workshops and presentations to get to know what being a student in SODA is all about. Join us November 28th from 10am-2pm by registering at https://uwindsor.ca1.qualtrics.com//form/SV_4YgqywOv4y8b8Lb

"Deanna McLennan treats every day in her kindergarten classroom like an adventure, one she enthusiastically explores right along with her students." Sure sounds like a Drama in Education grad! Congratulations to Deanna McLennan on this incredible honour. We are so proud of our University of Windsor - Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Alumni! https://windsorstar.com//local-teacher-wins-prime-minister

We're so excited to announce some of the work our students will be doing this fall! We'd also like to highlight the research that Professor Michelle MacArthur will be conducting with a group of students, funded by a grant from from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Time to leap into the stream! #TheStreamYouStepIn

Updated TA Applications are now available on the Drama website. Students wishing to apply please do so before July 28! https://www.uwindsor.ca/drama/525/teaching-assistants

TA postings went up today on our website! You have until July 28 to apply. Check out the details here: https://www.uwindsor.ca/drama/525/teaching-assistants

The School of Dramatic Art and University Players have been called on by our students and alumni to make a statement regarding anti-Black racism in our department. This, along with the current anti-racist activism that is happening globally, has compelled us to enter into a long-overdue examination of our own actions so that we can make vital changes. As a department of theatre artists, practitioners, scholars, and educators, we are all committed to excellence and the success... of all our students. We are actively engaging in the work of listening, reflecting, and collaborating to change the community, the country, and the world we live in. It’s important for us to listen to and raise up the voices of BIPOC students. We begin by acknowledging that in past seasons we did not consider the implications of representation in our play selection and casting decisions. We did not listen when concerns were brought forward, apologize for our missteps, or seize opportunities to re-examine and rectify our practices. These actions perpetuated systemic racism within our school and at University Players. We accept responsibility and apologize for the hurt we have caused. As faculty, we resolve to create a culture that upholds anti-racist values. To do this, we need to take concrete actions. These are the actions we are starting with right now: - revising our play selection and casting policies and practices, - reviewing our syllabi for the 2020-21 academic year with the goal of decolonizing our pedagogy and course materials and integrating principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion within them, - engaging in anti-oppression training as a department to identify our blindspots and further actions, - establishing an external advisory board to ensure transparency, accountability, and ongoing consultation. It is our hope that we will heal together as we reach out to all of our students, past, present and future. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, and the work we must do to combat racism is ongoing. When we know better, we must do better. We move forward as a School of Dramatic Art and University Players and take responsibility for ensuring an anti-racist culture is integral to our operations and to the integrity of the theatre we create and produce.

Working from home? Try these useful tips from Professor Alice Nelson! Tip #1: Dachshunds aren't the greatest secretaries.

Welcome to the School of Dramatic Art! Meet Tina and Alice, two of our professors in Drama in Education, and learn a little more about working from home during the pandemic with this silly and sincere video! #WindsorProud https://youtu.be/DX1cQyJl5TA

Join us backstage at University Players (Windsor)! Professor David Court takes us into the shops and theatre inside Essex Hall in this latest video from the School of Dramatic Art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFIr7qJZbk

Curious about SODA? Wondering what our facilities look like? Join us for this virtual tour, hosted by Professor Meaghen Quinn! DM us or drop a note in the comments if you have any questions!

Theatre is evolving, and we are evolving right along with it. BFA 2020 grad Katy Chapman was recently awarded a École nationale de théâtre - National Theatre School of Canada #ArtApart grant: http://www.uwindsor.ca//acting-grad-selected-national-perf

President Rob Gordon has shared an important update about the Fall 2020 semester. We want students to be able to pursue safely and successfully the academic ...goals they have chosen, no matter where they are, what their situations are, or how health risks evolve. A decision has therefore been made to deliver #UWindsor courses, including their final exams, primarily online in Fall 2020. This will include a continued focus on the strong faculty-student relationships, peer collaboration, and community service partnerships that have always been a hallmark of the UWindsor experience. Decisions about the Winter 2021 semester will be made over the Fall semester, including determinations about how the second half of full-year courses will be offered. The primarily virtual approach we have chosen offers students the most stable and flexible avenue for engaging with academic opportunities and new experiences during this uniquely challenging time. by: @nevin_v_kurian For more information, visit https://www.uwindsor.ca/coronavirus/ See more

Thank you to our grad Victoria Velenosi for this brilliant article! "If you have your why, all the world needs is you."

By the time she finished high school, Gordon, daughter of Budget Carpet and Tiles owners Rudy and Sharon Gordon, was leaning toward a career in theatre. With her mother’s guidance, she settled on the University of Windsor. My mom asked if I wanted to be an actor who could sing or a singer who could act, said Gordon. She knew that a university degree and an acting credit would be taken more seriously.