Roundtable discussion | When scientific research meets puppetry

Adults, 13 years +

 

The roundtable discussion will be livestreamed on Facebook.

 

Join us for an exciting, multidisciplinary exchange of ideas that explores the use of puppetry within scientific research as a means of sharing knowledge and of opening dialogue between the public and researchers.

Panellists will discuss partnerships that have emerged over the last 10 years across Canada, the importance of collaborative approaches with artists to help engage researchers and communities, and performances that have an artistic focus while bridging community knowledge with new ideas.

 

Panellists

• Kenneth T. Williams, playwright and professor at University of Alberta
• Geneviève Dupéré, circus performer and researcher at the National Circus School Centre for Circus Arts Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer (CRITAC)
• Antonia Leney-Granger, Artistic Director at Théâtre du Renard
• Rowan Pantel, puppeteer and PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan

 

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Language: Discussion in French and in English
Running time: 120 minutes

 

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Facilitator: Rowan Pantel Rowan Pantel is a Visual Artist, Puppeteer, and Designer. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Intermedia from the University of Regina and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the University of Saskatchewan. She is pursuing a PhD at the University of Saskatchewan with the Climate Collaboratorium: Co-creation of Applied Theatre Decision Labs for Exploring Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation. In addition to her work as an artist, she is the Co-Executive Director of On The Boards Staging Company in Saskatoon. Détails

 

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Panellists

 

Kenneth T. Williams, playwright and professor at University of Alberta

Kenneth T. Williams’ professional path is a “guidance counselor’s nightmare.” He’s been a soldier, rock musician, journalist, First Nations land claims researcher, and door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. As a journalist, he was a member of the very first Aboriginal Peoples Television Network news team. He’s the first Indigenous person to earn an MFA in Playwriting and become an associate professor at the University of Alberta’s Department of Drama. His plays have been presented across Canada. He lives in Edmonton and is a member of the George Gordon First Nation in the Treaty 4 territory.

Geneviève Dupéré, circus performer and researcher at the National Circus School Centre for Circus Arts Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer (CRITAC)

Geneviève Dupéré navigates between the performing arts, sciences, and the St. Lawrence River as a creator, researcher, and helmswoman of the ecH2osystem documentary-type maritime research-creation project. A researcher at the National Circus School Research Center (CRITAC), a professor at the National Theater School, and a university lecturer in the Master’s program in Environment and Sustainable Development at the Université de Montréal, she has been exploring the complexity of the St. Lawrence River since 2017. Prior to that, she spent 20 years travelling the world, working on projects ranging from circus to opera.

Antonia Leney-Granger, Artistic Director at Théâtre du Renard

General and Artistic Director of Théâtre du Renard, Antonia Leney-Granger is a Montréal artist and educator specializing in object theatre and transdisciplinary creation, particularly bridging the gap between art and science. The world of physics inspired her shows Une brève histoire du temps (2019) and La rébellion du minuscule (2024).

She explores ecology and the human-nature relationship via the podcast Enracinés | Récits de nature (2022) and the arts outreach project Les saisons enracinées (2024).​​ Her work connecting urban nature and artistic creation won her the first Culture and Ecological Transition grant awarded by the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal (2023).

Antonia also works with Théâtre de la Pire Espèce as a trainer, creator, and assistant director. Very involved in her community, Antonia was vice-president of the Association québécoise des marionnettistes from 2018 to 2024, sat on the board of UNIMA-Canada (2020-24) and was involved with the organization of the OUF! Festival Off Casteliers. Since 2022, she sits on the Culture and Ecological Transition Commission of Culture Montréal.

Rowan Pantel, puppeteer and PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan

Rowan Pantel is a Visual Artist, Puppeteer, and Designer. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Intermedia from the University of Regina and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the University of Saskatchewan. Her puppetry training includes studies at the Banff Art Centre and the O’Neill Puppetry Conference in Connecticut. Currently, She is pursuing a PhD at the University of Saskatchewan with the Climate Collaboratorium: Co-creation of Applied Theatre Decision Labs for Exploring Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation. Exploring the use of puppetry to share practical scientific research with participating communities along the Saskatchewan River water basin. In addition to her work as an artist, she is the Co-Executive Director of On The Boards Staging Company in Saskatoon, where she fosters independent performing arts production and supports local artists by maintaining an accessible, professional venue and providing production services. Rowan is deeply committed to cultivating an inclusive, vibrant arts community, balancing her roles as both a creative practitioner and an arts leader.

 

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