Assistant professor Shelley Liebembuk is a theatre instructor who has been teaching at UFV for the last three years, two of which were online due to COVID-19. She holds a PhD in theatre and performance studies from the University of Toronto. Her former work in acting and dramaturgy, combined with her praxis approach, enables her to effectively teach students in the discipline.
How has it been as a professor, having to pivot and teach via an online platform?
I would say it was an interesting opportunity when it first happened… We pivoted in March and then I was set to direct a production in the fall of 2020. I had a summer to re-think the production of Antigone [and] I was hoping to adapt it and try out a Zoom production. I was really fortunate to be working at a university that is supportive of trying to figure out how we could use the online technology to still create a creative project opportunity for our students.
What is your approach to teaching? I know that you come from an acting background; how has that influenced your teaching approach?
I teach both what are considered more academic courses [that are] usually more theoretical and I teach studio courses, which are the practice courses in acting and directing. I think for me, what is really important is the praxis element, which is learn[ing] through practicing. I try to apply the same thing I learn through the conservatory across all my classes. Even if I am teaching something that is more theoretical, I keep thinking about how we can make this applicable for the students…The acting classes here are obviously a different kind of program, because it is within a university and a broader liberal arts education, but I think that gives us a lot of opportunities to think about why we rehearse something…I love being able to work in a place where I can do both; where we are thinking critically and creatively through our bodies, but also with words and our writing. I really enjoy the process of teaching and supporting students to learn from wherever they are and whatever their starting point.
Are there any projects that you are really excited about that you are working on presently?
Related to the pivot, I am actually working on a research project around teaching acting online. Specifically, how do you teach embodiment in a digitized, non-embodied moment? So that research came around because of my teaching and having to figure that out. Now, I am continuing to do more research on different embodiment practices and how that is shifting and has continued to shift across the 21st century with digital technology.
Do you want to talk a little bit about the directors’ showcase?
I am the instructor for the Directing course this year and … it culminates in a capstone, which is the directors’ showcase, in the last week of April. Each student director is directing their own ten-minute piece, and the class is about studying something theoretical but then really understanding it through praxis…So the students have been thinking of concept statements [and] directorial visions. They have chosen their play, [and] they are going to be auditioning students right after reading week and beginning that rehearsal process for mid-March into April, and then presenting their pieces. It is really exciting and a wonderful way to learn on their feet. We are very excited to be able to give the students that opportunity to do that and have a public-facing series of performances. So two evening shows, as well as one show that happens during the Interpret festival, which is the School of Creative Arts end-of-year festival.
Can you talk a bit more about the Interpret festival?
That will be taking place on Friday, Apr. 29, 2022. The plan for that day is that students across the different areas of the School of Creative Arts will be showcasing their works, specifically, third- and fourth-year students. We are going to have our Theatre students and Directing [class] show their ten-minute pieces. We are going to have that [festival] open so that folks can come and watch ten-minute pieces and then head on out and go see what the Media students [are doing and] some shorts they have created.
Go see some of the film screenings that the film students have created, look around at the Visual Arts students’ art gallery material. We are also going to have food trucks with free food and hopefully create a sense of a celebratory event after a while of not having been able to gather on campus. So that’s the idea, a space for students across UFV to see what the arts students are doing, and theatre, of course, is an important part of that kind of constellation.
As a professor, was there anything that really stood out to you since we came back to campus in regard to how the university is running, and how students are feeling during this time?
I think what any crisis highlights is the need for additional supports. My sense is [that] UFV is well aware of the spaces that we need to keep investing in to give more support to our students in these difficult times. We know that students need more mental health support, we know there is food insecurity on campus, that many folks have been variably impacted, not only by COVID-19, but by the flooding in November…. As an instructor here, what I found heartening is…to have more personal contact with our students because we tend to work with them on various projects both in the classroom and extending out of the classroom into arts projects. So, I think hopefully being there to keep supporting students to think creatively and do their work. I think that theatre for me has always been about community. And I am hopeful that with our return to campus and as we keep growing as an area [within the SOCA]…investing in how we do work and how we actually invite more students to engage in that work, we can create a stronger sense of right.
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.
