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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for IICSI
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260204T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260204T150000
DTSTAMP:20260128T184219Z
CREATED:20260119T201615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T184219Z
UID:16434-1770211800-1770217200@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Thinking Spaces: Alex Chesney and Dr. Nathan TeBokkel—Storied Social Practice: Improvisation in Farming and Food
DESCRIPTION:Growing and making food are ancient practices yet also scientifically advanced\, necessary for everyday living yet often inaccessible but to experts\, interdisciplinary yet highly specialized. Considering the role of improvisation in farming and cooking\, especially in our chosen subfields of beekeeping and dietetics\, fruitfully foregrounds these tensions. With improvisation as our watchword\, we bring to bear a syncretic mix of lived experience and literary criticism to develop a concept of storied social practice\, which will allow us to attend to social relations\, embodiment\, sensory perception\, and historicity\, without sacrificing\, as so often seems conventional in the long critical post-enlightenment\, individual agency\, the mind\, cognition\, and contemporaneity. Along the way we engage with our own stories and social practices as well as those of philosophers like Sylvia Winter and Ludwig Wittgenstein\, literary theorists like Anne-Lise François and Lenora Hanson\, and food and farming events like eighteenth-century agricultural improvement\, the contemporary Right to Repair movement\, and Leah Penniman’s Soul Fire Farm. \nAlex Chesney is a dietitian and farmer living and working on her family’s fruit and vegetable farm in Southwestern Ontario. Alex’s dietetic practice and farming work go hand in hand; rooted in food and agriculture education and communication\, she creates spaces for people to experience their food at its source\, and teaches them about agricultural production\, food preparation\, and nutrition. She manages pick-your-own fruits and vegetables\, on-farm workshops and tours\, recipe development\, communications (social media\, newsletters\, blog posts)\, and daily produce-subscription delivery (paired with nutrition tips\, recipes\, and techniques for food storage and preservation). Alex is also the current Chair of the Berry Growers of Ontario and is proud to help represent and promote the thriving Ontario berry industry through research and marketing efforts. \nDr. Nathan TeBokkel is a Banting postdoctoral fellow at Western. He’s writing a book\, Working Feeling\, on labour history and lived experience\, and he has a book in press at Cambridge\, Whistling at the Plough\, on agricultural capitalism and romanticism. Nathan’s also training to be a master beekeeper\, managing 160 hives on his family’s melon farm\, and researching requeening. His recent publications include an essay on food labels and technocratic populism in New Literary History.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/thinking-spaces-alex-chesney-and-dr-nathan-tebokkel-storied-social-practice-improvisation-in-farming-and-food/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Thinking Spaces
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ThinkingSpacesChesneyTebokkelcopy2.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260325T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260325T160000
DTSTAMP:20260226T180521Z
CREATED:20260119T192853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260226T180521Z
UID:16424-1774449000-1774454400@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Thinking Spaces: Kate Story and Ryan Kerr—Death in Reverse: Performance in Precarious Times
DESCRIPTION:Artists Kate Story and Ryan Kerr will share what it means to create meaningful work within conditions of precarity\, and on the unusual\, often improvised ways artists find to stay connected with audiences. They will share experiences from curating a contemporary theatre piece marked by setbacks: limited funding\, collaborative challenges\, shifting resources – while also finding unexpected forms of support through local politics\, partnerships\, and community networks. Reflecting on “Project Baroness” (https://ttok.ca/death–in–reverse-project-baroness/)\, they will also consider festival and DIY theatre\, arts and “non-arts’’ collaborations\, residency models\, and the fragile balance between fundraising and public funding that shapes small-scale performance ecosystems. “As Death in Reverse made its way toward the stage\, our work continually evoked echoes of DADA-era New York: periods of conflict\, displacement\, authoritarian tightening\, censorship\, and the suppression of movements for racial\, gender\, and LGBTQ2IA+ justice. Artists may have been worn down by their circumstances\, yet they continued to create. This conversation invites us to sit with those parallels—and with the quiet insistence of art that persists.” \nRyan Kerr is the founding artistic director of The Theatre on King\, a radical black-box space that\, soon after being established\, became the hub for new and risk-taking performance in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough Ontario. At TTOK\, Kerr oversaw countless original performances as outside eye\, lighting designer\, director\, and mentor\, featuring a wide range of artists – emerging to established\, including theatre artists\, musicians\, writers\, dance artists\, comedy\, and multidisciplinary artists. With Kate Story he co-ran the Precarious Festivals\, four multi-disciplinary\, multi-artist\, multi-week festivals featuring regional artists in collaboration with non-arts groups and initiatives. Kerr is the winner of the Arts Catalyst Award (Peterborough Arts Awards).  \n\nKate Story is a genderqueer writer and performing artist originally from Newfoundland\, now living and working as an uninvited guest in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough\, Ontario. Winner of the Ontario Arts Foundation’s K.M. Hunter Artist Award for theatre\, Kate is a dramaturge/director\, writer\, theatre designer\, and performer. Her one-person shows have been presented in Peterborough\, Toronto\, and St. John’s\, and her climate change story “Animate” was adapted for an international radio drama and virtual reality theatre performance\, performed and broadcast across Europe and as part of MUTEK 2023 in Montréal. They have published 6 novels\, including Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Urchin. She is currently working on a new novel.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/thinking-spaces-ryan-kerr-and-kate-story-death-in-reverse-performance-in-precarious-times/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Thinking Spaces
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-25-at-17-14-03-ThinkingSpacesStoryKerr2.pdf.png
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260326T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260326T213000
DTSTAMP:20260319T200008Z
CREATED:20260319T195721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T200008Z
UID:16726-1774553400-1774560600@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:IBPOC Artists' Network Tour: From Words to Action 2025/2026—Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre and Coco Collective
DESCRIPTION:Make your way to ImprovLab on March 26th for a double-bill presentation of spectacular live dance and music! Coco Collective and Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre will visit Guelph for one night only to perform at the ImprovLab. \nMovement\, voice\, and percussion harmoniously come together for these individually and culturally expressive dance works. \n“Calabash\,” by Coco Collective\, is a dance and live percussion journey exploring how African-diasporic communities cultivate everyday social bonds. This light-hearted narrative follows a woman’s labor of love in local food sovereignty and nurturing community connections. \nIn “Grandmother’s Drum\,” by Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre\, dance and voice fold into each other\, becoming a single river of presence. Within its silence and its pulse\, the past leans forward; the present opens; the body remembers what the mind forgets. \nThis performance is co-presented by IICSI\, Guelph Dance\, and the IBPOC Artists’ Network Tour\, in collaboration with Wind in the Leaves Collective. \nYou can grab your tickets here!
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/16726/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Guelph-OnToday_Mar26-3.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260401T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260401T210000
DTSTAMP:20260326T161453Z
CREATED:20260326T161453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T161453Z
UID:16736-1775053800-1775077200@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Mini Film Festival / Mini festival de film
DESCRIPTION:Make your way to ImprovLab on April 1st\, for a film festival curated by MA students in French and Francophone Studies at the University of Guelph! The students will present a selection of fiction and documentary films\, spanning shorts and feature-length options\, all of which are in French with English subtitles.  \nThis free event will feature two screenings (afternoon and evening). The afternoon screening will run from 2:30 PM to 5 PM\, with the evening screening running from 6:30 PM to 9 PM.   \nThe afternoon program will feature the following documentary films: \n\nFrom here\, elsewhere (Chadi Bennani\, 2023)\nYour call is important to us (Romy Boutin St-Pierre and Joe Nadeau\, 2023)\nThere’s a star (Julien Cadieux\, 2023)\n\nThe evening program will highlight works of cinematic fiction: \n\nRosie (Gail Maurice\, 2018)\nYou’re sleeping\, Nicole (Stéphane Lafleur\, 2014)\n\nReserve your free spot on EventBrite!
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/mini-film-festival-mini-festival-de-film/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Francophone-Film-Festival1.png
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260410T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260410T120000
DTSTAMP:20260319T192340Z
CREATED:20260319T191339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T192340Z
UID:16722-1775815200-1775822400@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Cacophonie | choreographies of choice with Ms. Georgia Simms
DESCRIPTION:We’ll see you in ImprovLab on April 10th at 10 AM\, when Ms. Georgia Simms (she/her) will lead this creative\, interactive workshop that invites participants to engage in movement research framed by attention\, shape\, and momentum. Language\, music\, and the energy of the ensemble will create an atmosphere for experimentation\, response\, and reflection. This creative workshop is part of the Cacophonie series\, curated by IICSI Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht! \nWe invite everyone who is interested in participating to join the creative workshops. We aim to make these events as accessible as possible\, and they are open to everyone regardless of age\, ability\, ethnicity\, religion\, language\, sexual orientation\, gender identity\, political beliefs\, or status. Folks with children are also welcome to bring them along and their participation will not be part of the study. \nTo confirm participation and/or for more information\, including about consent forms\, please email sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca. \nIf you decide to join us spontaneously\, please do. Doors will be open 30 minutes before each event. There will be coffee\, tea\, and light snacks provided. \nMs. Georgia Simms (she/her) is a PhD student in the Critical Studies in Improvisation program at the University of Guelph. She is also an artist-mother who dances\, performs\, choreographs\, facilitates\, and organizes. Her current work investigates ‘ecstatic survival’\, emotions\, play\, and relational repair through the blending of modern and post-modern sensibilities in solo\, collective\, and site-specific improvised movement composition \nDr. Sharon Engbrecht (they/them) comes from a background in theatre and visual arts\, narrative theory\, and critical studies in gender and sexuality. They have a knack for event planning and facilitating group events focused on storytelling and improvisation. Their research investigates questions of embodiment\, identity\, and relationality.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cacophonie-choreographies-of-choice-with-ms-georgia-simms/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Cacophonie.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Sharon D. Engbrecht":MAILTO:sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260416T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260416T120000
DTSTAMP:20260319T192357Z
CREATED:20260318T153054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T192357Z
UID:16704-1776333600-1776340800@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Cacophonie | Bridge to Terabithia: A Somatic Exploration of Childhood Self—A Creative Workshop with Mark LeRoy
DESCRIPTION:Join us at ImprovLab for a workshop by Mark LeRoy\, PhD student in Critical Studies in Improvisation\, as part of Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht’s “Cacophonie” series! \nFor this event\, prospective participants should read Bridge to Terabithia. Copies are available through the Guelph Public Library. If you are unable to find a copy\, but would like to participate in the workshop\, please e-mail sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca. A limited number will be available through The Bookshelf at no cost to participants! \nThrough exploration and play guided by sensation\, image\, behaviour\, and affect\, we will explore how parts of us emerge within Terabithia\, as we collectively hold space for embodied knowing and self- and group-coherence. \nTerabithia becomes our imagination’s site of exploration and experimentation\, where we are invited to lay down our certainties to wonder and explore the beauty of our fragile highs. \nWhile reading Bridge to Terabithia prior to attending\, you may consider: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow might ritual support your temporal encounter of reading Bridge to Terabithia?\nAs you immerse yourself in Jesse’s and Leslie’s world\, how does your body emerge as a co-narrator?\nHow might we extend curiosity towards what our 10-year-old selves might be experiencing or want to share?\nThe name of your own magical land.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMark LeRoy (he/him) is a PhD Student in Critical Studies in Improvisation at the University of Guelph\, researching how the liminal spaces of improvisation and negative capability\, emerging from postmemory\, might function as a rite of passage to embodied knowing. As a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist\, Mark is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Internal Family Systems Therapist\, supporting those affected by the silencing narrative of trauma.  \nSharon Engbrecht (they/them) comes from a background in theatre\, visual arts\, narrative theory\, and critical studies in gender and sexuality. They have a knack for event planning and facilitating group events focused on storytelling and improvisation. Their research invest igates questions of embodiment\, identity\, and relationality.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cacophonie-bridge-to-terabithia-a-somatic-exploration-of-childhood-self-a-creative-workshop-with-mark-leroy/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Cacophonie.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Sharon D. Engbrecht":MAILTO:sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca
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