For its winter major production the Queen’s Department of Drama is staging one of the most powerful contemporary Canadian plays.

If We Were Birds is a Governor-General Award winning play by Erin Shields based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the poem that also inspired Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, and is a poetic re-telling of the myth of sisters Philomela and Procne. In Shields’ work the ancient tale is transformed into a modern parable about violence against women in times of war as revealed through a chorus of testimonials of loss and suffering.

The play was selected as it has a large female cast explains drama professor and director Kim Renders, who points out that the department is comprised primarily of women. She also says the subject matter is particularly timely because of the ongoing conversation on campuses across the country, including Queen’s, surrounding sexual assault.

It’s a powerful play, Renders says, and a great script,

As a result, one of the main challenges in the production has been how to handle the powerful testimonials. There are times when the material is so heavy that a lighter touch may be required, Renders says.

“Dealing with this script at various times, that’s the balancing act,” she says. “When do we really punch it in and drive it home to the audience with hair pulling and chest beating and when do you need to hold back and just let the words do the work by themselves.”

Months of preparations are down to the final weeks and days but there is an eagerness to take to the stage. Renders, a co-founder of Nightwood Theatre and former artistic director of Theatre Kingston, says she is impressed by how the students are approaching the play from acting and production perspectives as well as the three student assistant directors.

“I’m feeling people are taking a very responsible approach to the material, very mature, professional,” Renders says. “People are quite dedicated to the work, and there is a ton of work because one of the students, Adrienne Miller , is choreographing the chorus and another student, Deanna Choi, is creating a soundscape that goes all the way through the entire production. And she is also playing music live.”

For the assistant directors it’s a further learning experience as they step off the stage and take on wider responsibilities.

“I think that being an assistant director is a very interesting learning experience because we are observers on one part, where we are watching and learning from Kim and her decisions as well as the actors,” says Holly Molaski (Artsci’15). “With such a big cast they have so many ideas too. So I’m really trying to observe and get ideas from everyone else.”

For Colleen Rush (Artsci’15) seeing the wider scope of the production has been valuable.

“What I’ve found interesting is seeing how quickly the images take form,” she says. “I also find interesting that Holly and I have a lot of input and it matches up. There’s a lot of agreeing.”

If We Were Birds will be staged at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. Performances will take place in the Studio Theatre Feb. 4-7 and 12 at 8 pm, with a matinee on Feb. 8 at 2 pm. The play will be staged in the Grand Lobby on Feb. 10 and 11 at 8 pm as well as a special “Sunrise Performance” scheduled for the morning of Feb. 7. The time has yet to be finalized.

Tickets are $22 for general admission, $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at theisabel.ca/tickets, at the Isabel box office (12:30-4:30 pm), or at the door prior to performances.

The Queen’s School of Music is marking the 10th edition of the Piano Festival with an outstanding lineup of artists and events.

Being held Jan. 16-18 and March 13, the festival will be headlined by Roman Rudnytsky, a winner of 10 international competitions who has enjoyed a varied career as performer and is currently Distinguished Professor at Dana School of Music, Youngstown State University.

Mr. Rudnytsky will hold a piano master class on Saturday, Jan. 17 starting at 11 am in Room 124, Harrison-Lecaine Hall. He will also perform a recital at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 2:30 pm.

Bringing top-level artists to Kingston has drawn interest not only from music lovers but students as well.

“I have found that the master classes, recitals and lectures offered by PianoFest guests inspire students to play better,” says festival organizer Ireneus Zuk, a professor in Queen's School of Music. “They hear the calibre of performances by artists on the international scene and then strive to reach that level. It is very important for students to be able to interact with and learn from such exceptional individuals."

Also participating in the festival is Amanda Johnston (Mus’93), an associate professor of music at the University of Mississippi. Her studies at Queen’s and institutions in Germany and the Czech Republic helped her establish a multifaceted career as an accompanist, coach and diction specialist. 

Ms. Johnston will take part in a pair of events Friday, Jan. 16: a colloquium presentation at 12:30 pm and a master class for voice students at 3 pm. Both events are in Room 124, Harrison-Lecaine Hall. On Saturday, Jan. 17 she will hold a voice and piano recital with tenor Robert Martin at the Isabel.

On March 13, a pair of events will be held featuring Yoko Hirota, a professor of piano at Laurentian University.

The festival receives support from the G.T. Richardson Fund, the Faculty of Arts and Science Visiting Scholar Program and the International Visitors Program.

All events are free with the exception of Mr. Rudnytsky’s recital which is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door.

For further information, visit the Queen’s School of Music’s website.