“Arrivals was just what I needed. There was so much “space” within the frame you set for us that it was really easy to go to the core of the individual needs I felt. You built the workshop in a way that everyone was safe and in no time we had so much trust in each other as well as in what was going on. The world needs this kind of deep work.” Past Participant
The Arrivals workshop leads participants through a process of discovery. Artists at all levels and in all genres work deeply with their bodies and with their personal histories to discover stories that lie hidden within, and that can then become sources of rich and grounded artistic creation, personal growth, and community empowerment.
The Arrivals Personal Legacy Workshop has toured extensively across Canada, as well as in Europe, West Africa, the Caribbean and South America. It is the culmination of ten years of focused artistic research and draws on almost 30 years of experience as a theatre student, practitioner and educator by the founder of the process, Diane Roberts.
This innovative workshop is for artists working at the emerging, intermediate and senior levels; diverse First Nations and cultural communities; and artistic companies and organizations – all with a desire to connect in new ways to their authentic historic bodies as powerful sources for artistic expression, personal & community empowerment.
The individual and group experience of the APL workshop breaks down artistic, cultural, and generational barriers. We gather diverse ethnicities, lifestyles and artistic practices and engage in a guided, physical process of exploring and exchanging the experiences, values, and traditions of each person’s chosen ancestor.
With a common language and process with which to explore and exchange emerging stories, artists and community members are inspired to preserve and disseminate them through traditional cultural expression and modern-day artistic practices.
Performers learn skills in grounding, listening, authentic exploration of space, increased body knowledge, and character development.
Writers and creators learn to tap into their creative source through embodied research, exploring personal and collective history.
Arts and cultural organizations discover a meaningful process of connecting with diverse Indigenous and cultural artists and communities.
Program Cost: $735 (tuition, meals & accommodation)
Local Price: $615 (without overnight)
We strive to make our programs as accessible as possible.
Please contact our Registrar to inquire about a bursary or payment plan.
Please register at least 2 weeks in advance to secure your place in this program.
Leadership
Diane Roberts
Diane Roberts is an accomplished director, dramaturge, writer and cultural animator, who has collaborated with innovative theatre visionaries and interdisciplinary artists for the past 30 years. Her directorial and dramaturgical work has been seen on stages across Canada and her reputation as a mentor, teacher and community collaborator is nationally and internationally recognized.
Diane’s celebrated Arrivals Personal Legacy Process, developed during her 7 year tenure as Artistic Director of urban ink productions, has birthed new Interdisciplinary works across Canada, throughout the Americas, in the UK, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. This work has allowed her to articulate, cultivate and realise a vision for theatre that encourages Indigenous ways of knowing as a stepping stone to creative expression
Lopa Sircar
Lopa Sircar is an actor, voice & dialect coach from Vancouver. She has played on stages across Canada, in Ireland, and in India where she is the Resident Voice Coach for two of West Bengal’s most renowned Third Theatre companies, Satabdi and Pathasena. Lopa’s first foray into playwrighting, The Vermillion Project, was fuelled by Diane Roberts’ Arrivals Process and she was involved in the initial studio process of Heather Hermant’s Ribcage: This wide passage, also an Arrivals-based piece. Lopa teaches Voice & Speech at York University and coaches privately in Toronto through her company Lopa Sircar Voice. She just finished coaching TIFF 2014’s Rising Stars and she will next be seen playing Matt Damon in Ben and Matt with Theatre Transit in Calgary. She holds a Diploma in Physical Theatre, an MFA in Acting and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching Voice.
Liliona Quarmyne
Liliona Quarmyne is the Creative Mind Body Spirit Program Coordinator for the Tatamagouche Centre, and is also an independent choreographer, performer, teacher, and community development facilitator. Liliona takes a non-traditional approach to dance and its applicability, and deeply believes that movement and art can play a central role in the development of self-identity, and in the growth and empowerment of communities.
From her base in Antigonish, Liliona choreographs and performs new works as an independent artist, teaches dance for the Antigonish Creative Dance Association, guides families in movement and leads workshops under the umbrella of Generations in Motion, coordinates programs for the Tatamagouche Centre, and sits on the Boards of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre and the Masterworks Foundation. She draws on her Ghanaian/Filipino background and on her diverse set of trainings and to generate a creative and unconventional vision of how we are in the world.