Oct. 4, 2020
Dear colleagues,
We hope that this email finds you well during challenging times. We are writing about a training opportunity hosted by our Association which we hope will interest members.
As the theatre industry in Canada continues to have frank and difficult discussions regarding inclusion across gendered and racial identities, theatre critics have the opportunity to analyze how their work plays into these systems. What might criticism that is actively anti-racist, queer and trans-inclusive look and sound like?
The CTCA has paired with playwright, performer, educator and activist Makram Ayache of Shajara Anti-Oppression and Equity Consulting (see biography below) to offer a workshop addressing these questions. This training will introduce participants to a variety of anti-oppressive concepts informed by community conversations, academic research, and Makram’s experience in socially conscious pedagogy.
This workshop, Anti-Oppression and Canadian Theatre Criticism, will be conducted over Zoom in two parts. Both sessions are included in the registration fee, and two separate Zoom links will be sent upon registration. The sessions will take place on the following dates:
Part 1 – Tuesday, October 20 – 6-9 p.m. EST
Part 2 – Tuesday, October 27- 6-9 p.m. EST
The registration fee for current CTCA members is $15. For non-CTCA members, the fee is $40 which includes an associate membership into the organization for the remainder of the year. Spots for this workshop are limited, so please register as soon as possible if you wish to take part.
All attendees will be required to fill out a short, 5-minute survey, which will be sent upon registration.
Please register at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/anti-oppression-and-canadian-theatre-criticism-registration-121112144685
We look forward to your participation in this workshop, and for the conversations and critical writing that will ensue!
All best wishes and thanks
Carly Maga, President, and Karen Fricker, Vice President
About Makram Ayache
Makram Ayache is trained as an educator from the University of Alberta and has extensive education experience working with children, youth, and adult learners in a variety of settings. Currently, he facilitates 2SLGBTQIA+ (2-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual/Agender) inclusion training through the 519 Church Street Community Centre in Toronto, Ontario. He also runs his own consultation and facilitation organization, Shajara, which works with organizations and individuals to make meaningful change towards equity and anti-oppression. He has synthesized anti-oppression education with theatre education through the Queer and Trans Youth Theatre Project hosted by Soulpepper Theatre and the 519. He has extensive experience in curricular design and development at the secondary, post-secondary, and community level of education. Much of his teaching philosophy is centered around an anti-oppressive and socially conscious pedagogy.