Rountable Discussion — Ritual in Practice

Adults and teens, 13 years +

 

 

The roundtable discussion was livestreamed and is available on Facebook.

An exciting, multidisciplinary exchange of ideas that explores ritual in contemporary creative practices, and how it connects to puppetry and mask performance.

 

Drawing from their intercultural experience during workshops and interviews with artists in Indonesia, Calgary, and Montréal over several months in 2022-2023, Peter Balkwill (University of Calgary, Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry, Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Alberta), Gabrielle Houle (University of Lethbridge, Alberta), and Maria Tri Sulistyani (Papermoon Puppet Theatre, Indonesia) spark a conversation with Cariad Astles (University of London Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UK) and Kateřina Dolenská (Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czechia). Some questions that will be raised: How do we find ritual in creative practice? How is ritual created or accessed in collaborative puppetry and mask practices? How can individual rituals be introduced to a group? And how can rituals ignite exploration with puppets or feed into a creative process?

 

This round table is part of a SSHRC/CRSH funded research project titled Exploring Shared Cultural Creative Practice Within Mask and Puppetry Arts led by Peter Balkwill (University of Calgary) with Maria Tri Sulistyani (Papermoon Puppet Theatre, Indonesia) and Gabrielle Houle (University of Lethbridge).

 

Panellists:

• Peter Balkwill (University of Calgary, Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry, Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Alberta)
• Maria Tri Sulistyani (Papermoon Puppet Theatre, Indonesia)
• Cariad Astles (University of London Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UK)
• Kateřina Dolenská (Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czechia)

 

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

 

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Facilitator: Gabrielle Houle (University of Lethbridge, Alberta)

 

Gabrielle Houle is a multilingual artist, theatre scholar, educator, and translator specialized in physical theatre, masked performance, and Commedia dell’Arte. She trained in Canada, Italy, France, the United States, Costa Rica, and Denmark with people such as sculptor Donato Sartori, and Commedia specialist Antonio Fava.

As an actor, Gabrielle has performed in French, English, and Italian in Canada and in Europe. She has also designed masks for theatre, dance, and film. She has taught theatre and directed plays in universities across the country. Gabrielle holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lethbridge.

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