In nautical terms, a sounding is used to determine the depth of water under a ship. The title of the Soundings symposium takes inspiration from this marine procedure to locate the deep histories of the voice in Canadian performance, and to explore how vocal practices and innovations impact and intersect with the buoyancy of certain habits, historiographies, and traditions in the Canadian theatre. This symposium brings together a network of scholars and practitioners to deepen the understanding of voice as a central conduit for the charting of Canadian theatre’s past, present, and future. We aim to examine the history of voice and voice training in the Canadian theatre, with a view to chart the course that brought us to our current position and propose possible courses forward. Symposium activity includes: panel presentations on new directions in voice research, and roundtable conversations on the histories of voice instruction in both anglophone and francophone theatre training programs in Canada.

Saturday Oct 22nd  (register here):

  • 12pm-1:30pm (EST): A roundtable discussion on The History of Voice and Speech Pedagogy in Canada since 1945, featuring Ann Skinner, Janine Pearson and David Smukler
  • 2:30pm-4:00pm (EST): A panel of papers on Researching Canadian Theatre and Performance Through Voice, highlighting the work of members of the Canadian Association for Theatre Research Canadian Soundings working group

 

Sunday Oct 23rd (register here):

  • 12:00pm-1:00pm (EST): Presentations from internationally recognized voice scholars and practitioners Konstantinos Thomaidis and Manu Théron
  • 2:30pm-4:00pm (EST): A conversation specifically focused on Francophone Voice and Speech Pedagogy in Canada with Marie Lavallee (NTS, Montreal) and other panelists