Saskatoon playwright Joel Bernbaum is reflecting on how the novel coronavirus pandemic will impact his own research and the way theatre is done in the future.
Related News
He said this is an opportunity to open up to new ways of thinking about the performing arts when things are back to normal.
“It’s also an opportunity for us in the arts to rethink the way we make our art and the reason we make our art. COVID-19 can be a portal to reimagining a whole new future for the arts. This is an incredible moment in history. Every theatre in the world is dark,” Bernbaum said.
“When the lights go back on, we have a choice. Do we go back to doing the same thing the way we’ve always done it, or do we reimagine the way that we connect with our communities, our audience members, in a way that creates stronger, more relevant and more engaged art?”
Story continues below advertisement
He added it’s not just about moving performances online but instead to re-imagine how theatres can be connected with their communities.
Joel Bernbaum is the first University of Saskatchewan student to be awarded the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation doctoral scholarship.
Brady Ratzlaff / Global News
Bernbaum is a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), where he is studying how theatre companies have the potential to strengthen cities by creating connected and engaged citizens.
He’s drawing on his previous works, including the co-creation of the 2020 documentary play Reasonable Doubt, which focused on the 2018 murder trial in the death of Colten Boushie.
Over 200 interviews conducted by Bernbaum were used in the play to present dialogues about relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Saskatchewan.
1:29 Heartfelt moments in Saskatchewan during the novel coronavirus pandemic
Heartfelt moments in Saskatchewan during the novel coronavirus pandemic
When completed, Bernbaum hopes his research will be used by arts organizations and cities to engage communities while uncovering new ways for theatre arts to build trust among citizens and promote responsible citizenship.
Story continues below advertisement
“Especially in the times we’re in right now, we’re seeing that community is more important than ever. And community is all about connection,” Bernbaum said.
“Whether it’s a hyper-local community like we have with our theatre company here in Saskatoon or a national community … what we gain from connecting with other people is exponentially valuable.”
“I’m looking forward to making connections with like-minded people who care about social justice and care about a better future for all people in this country.”
Bernbaum was recently awarded the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation doctoral scholarship, which goes to outstanding students undertaking social sciences or humanities research.
“It’s a great honour to be the first recipient of this award from [USask]. In moments like these, I always look back and I’m so grateful to all my mentors and teachers along the way who have made me who I am,” Bernbaum said.
“It’s inspiring for me to have my work recognized in this way because my work is all about using the theatre to strengthen cities. … It tells me that the work that we’re doing with theatre arts right here in Saskatoon can be applicable all over the country and all over the world.”
He is one of 16 Canadian students awarded the $40,000/year, three-year scholarship as well as a travel allowance of up to $20,000 annually.
“[The foundation’s] trying to create a community of people across Canada who they feel will be the future leaders of the country. And so it’s an honour to be among that community and it will be extremely enjoyable and stimulating to connect with these other 15 individuals from across the country to help learn and grow together,” Bernbaum said.
Story continues below advertisement
“Right now, because we are in the times we are, it’s all been virtual but we will gather together. I hope sooner than later.
“This is a very challenging time for many people and a huge shout out to all the medical professionals and frontline workers that are helping us get through COVID-19.”
Bernbaum also co-founded Saskatoon’s Sum Theatre, which offers free Theatre in the Park productions each summer.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
Story continues below advertisement
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
