Douglas College Theatre Department

Acting Workshop with Kevin Bennett & Michael Fera

Monday, January 5th, 2026
11:00am – 4:00pm
Jericho Arts Centre – 1675 Discovery Street, Vancouver BC, V6R 4K5Shape

About the Workshop

Red Cedar Playhouse is a new theatre company dedicated to storytelling and performance that is led by the actor and their relationship with the audience.

This workshop invites actors to engage with the fundamentals of our rigorous approach to acting — detailed, responsive, and alive to the sound and sense of the text. Together we’ll explore how the actor and audience interact over the course of a story to create an experience that awakens the imagination, exploring both form and freedom.

We’ll work through:

How to find freedom by unlocking the meaning behind Shakespeare’s verse and prose.

How to meet an audience in the spontaneous and live moment of storytelling.

How a focus on creating a beautiful sound can transform the audience’s experience.

This workshop is ideal for actors who are hungry for a rigorous ensemble practice with a strong focus on voice, classical text, and ensemble play.

It also serves as an introduction for those interested in joining Red Cedar Playhouse’s upcoming venture: a production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1, planned for early 2027. Involvement in this workshop does not oblige involvement in future productions, but serves as a way to learn about us and our process.Shape

Led by Kevin Bennett – Artistic Director & Founding Member

Kevin Bennett is a Studio 58 graduate and native Vancouverite, currently based in London, UK.

He began his career directing acclaimed productions with The Honest Fishmongers collective, including Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and Measure for Measure. Training under the mentorship of Dean Paul Gibson at Bard on the Beach where he spent two seasons as apprentice director, he then went on to spend two seasons at the Stratford Festival with their Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction, working closely with Tim Carroll. His work as a theatre director in Canada has been at various theatres including The Arts Club (King Charles III at the Stanley Theatre) and The Shaw Festival, where his production of The Madness of George III was named one of The Wall Street Journal’s Top Ten Productions of 2017.

In London UK, Kevin has spent over a decade with Shakespeare’s Globe, where he started as associate director on The Merchant of Venice starring Jonathan Pryce as Shylock, leading its world tour. He is currently a Globe Education Faculty member, working with visiting university acting programs studying Shakespeare with a specific focus on how theatre practitioners can learn from the architecture of Elizabethan and Jacobean playhouses.

Kevin also teaches and directs at LAMDA, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and the Oxford School of Drama, and has directed international projects in China and India.

He is the host and executive producer of The Big Smoke Variety Show, a London-based podcast blending interviews, games, sketch comedy and mini-radio plays inspired by the history of the variety show.

Co-led by Michael Fera – Actor Manager & Founding Member

Michael has been working as an actor, director and producer in Vancouver for over 40 years.



Some of Michael's favourite roles include: Peter in Rusted Gage Theatre's production of The Zoo Story, Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, Ghost of Hamlet's father in Hamlet and Elbow in Measure for Measure all under the direction of Kevin Bennett. Most recently Michael was in Hilda's Yard at Western Gold Theatre and in the Jessie awarded production of West Side Story by CTORA Theatre.



Favourite directing credits include Seventeen (Western Gold Theatre), Salt-Water Moon (Arts Club on Tour), Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Corpus Christi, Angels in America Parts 1 and 2, Three Heads Talking, Molly Sweeney, Medea (Hoarse Raven Theatre). Also, Tony n' Tina's Wedding (Vancouver, Seattle, Edmonton and Winnipeg).



Michael has received a number of Jessie Richardson Theatre Award nominations and he is a recipient of the 40 Under 40 'Business in Vancouver' Award along with Tanja Dixon-Warren.

Shape

About Red Cedar Playhouse

Red Cedar Playhouse is dedicated to the living art of performance — rooted in sound, story, and the shared imagination of the actor and audience.

Named for the Western Red Cedar, the official tree of British Columbia and a symbol of strength, resonance, and renewal, our work grows from our love of the Pacific Northwest and is grounded in craft, open to connection, and alive in the moment.

We create theatre that listens — performances that breathe, resonate, and belong to the people in the room.

To Register or Learn More

[email protected]

Spaces are limited — early registration recommended. Participation is free and only those selected will be asked to join. To register, send a short paragraph detailing your experience and interest along with an up to date acting CV.

Job Title: Voice, Speech & Performance Coach

Organization: Viva Voce Speech Arts Studio

Organization Description: We are a growing team of dedicated teaching artists, who care about our clients’ growth and success. We value teamwork, professionalism, creativity, and joy. We are voice, speech, and drama coaches, working with individuals and groups of varying sizes. Our clients range from 4 years old to adults, from ESL speakers to politicians, from beginners to experienced actors/performers. We are based in Vancouver, with clients around the world.

Website: www.vivavocespeech.ca

Job Description: We seek qualified individuals to coach children and adults in voice, speech, and drama. We work both online and in-person. We teach primarily in our West Vancouver studio and our Vancouver location. We also host workshops in workplaces and schools around the lower mainland.

*We are seeking a teacher immediately for coaching school-aged children on Tuesday afternoons and evenings at our West Vancouver studio.

In this job, you will help individuals become confident and effective speakers and performers through helping them develop self-awareness, focus, clarity of thought, imagination, and empathy. You will teach:

- voice (speaking voice)

- clarity

- presentation skills/ public speaking

- conversation skills

- recitation of poetry & prose

- acting of contemporary monologues and classical Shakespeare

- storytelling

- improvising

- mime

- debate

- history & literature

- performance technique

Ideal candidates are keen to grow with the company over time.

Responsibilities:

Plan and teach the above stated areas of study, using the curriculum and resources where provided, coupled with your own knowledge, experience, and ideas to provide the best service possible, tailored to the individual needs of the client.

Teach children initially, and later potentially adults, from beginner to expert.

Prepare interested students for graded examinations in Speech, Drama and Communication Skills.

Co-plan and co-lead 3 end-of-term workshops a year.

Interact with parents to inform them of their child’s progress.

Facilitate workshops in schools and businesses around the lower mainland.

Answer the telephone and respond to emails from your students.

Keep up-to-date, clear client notes.

Participate in weekly staff meetings and professional development events.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelors or master’s degree in Theatre, Performance, Voice, Communication, or similar

3 years’ experience teaching/coaching both children and adults

Top notch communication and interpersonal skills

Professional, positive manner

Ability to work independently and on a team

Problem solver

Careful listener

Experience with the RCM and Trinity Syllabus beneficial

How to Apply: send resume and cover letter, to Luisa Jojic at [email protected]

Pay: $30+ per hour, depending on experience level, open to negotiation

Home - Viva Voce Speech Arts Studio Viva Voce offers coaching in performance and presentation skills. Locations in Vancouver and North Vancouver. Private classes and group classes.

DC GRADS: The Learning Centre is hosting a poetry contest this semester, which will include a reading event on April 15 from 3:30 – 5:00pm. Student poets who are shortlisted for awards (top 3 + an audience choice) will be invited to read their poetry at the event. They are also going to offer to have a ghost reader read for them in case they are either unavailable at the time or uncomfortable reading in front of an audience. Ergo, they're currently looking for 1-3 ghost readers for the event.

This is a volunteer opportunity. If you're interested, please contact Ryan O'Connor: [email protected]

https://www.susanbertoia.ca/commedia2023-251521.html

Commedia 2023 JULY 17- JULY 21 2023 10:00am - 4:00pm VANCOUVER ITALIAN CULTURAL CENTRE | Vancouver 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver ​

https://arrivalslegacy.com/arrivals-legacy-voice-workshop-in-vancouver-this-spring/

Arrivals Legacy Voice workshop in Vancouver this spring! By Atef Kefi A seed in Arrivals Legacy Project's SeedPool. Visit the gallery to learn more

http://www.newtotowncollective.com/
Artist talk with “Acrobat of the Heart” and “The Heart of Teaching” author, Stephen Wangh.
July 9th, 2022 @ 7:00pm PST (in person, ASL Interpretation provided, & live stream TBA)

Let's Play Let's Play

The Kirby Morrow Memorial Scholarship at the Calgary Foundation supports first year undergraduate degree or diploma students studying Theatre, Theatre Arts, Drama, Film, Radio, Television, Animation or Script Writing.

Applicants must:

Be an Alberta or British Columbia resident.
Be enrolled in first year of an undergraduate degree or diploma program at an Alberta or British Columbia post-secondary institution at the date of the scholarship deadline.
Be studying Theatre, Theatre Arts, Drama, Film, Radio, Television, Animation or Script Writing.
Submit a video (3 minutes or less) demonstrating their passion for Theatre, Theatre Arts, Drama, Film, Radio, Television, Animation or Script Writing and how this scholarship will help them pursue their dreams.

There are two awards available, valued at $750 each. The deadline to apply is September 30 at midnight. Eligible applicants are encouraged to access award information directly at https://calgaryfoundation.org/student-awards/undergraduate-students. If there are any questions, please contact [email protected].

Calgary Foundation

Calgary Foundation For Community, Forever

Corporeal Mime Workshops:
Two zoom classes by Tom Leabhart that are happening this July and August. Tom was an assistant of Etienne Decorum at his school in Paris for 3 years, and then the director of the Arkansas Mime Company.

These zoom classes were originally planned to be in-person workshops in Bellingham and Vancouver but due to Covid travel restriction issues they went to zoom. Tom will teach elements of 'the washerwoman', a very detailed technical piece that Decroux worked on for many years dealing with the various 'counterweights' a worker uses to lift, push and pull weights of various sizes as they perform their particular job. The other morning session is called Figures of Style. For more information you can write to [email protected]

WONDERING WHAT SUPPORTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARTS?

Info Session on BC Arts Council's Early Career Development Program
& Other Programs Supporting Artists & Cultural Workers

The BC Arts Council supports artists and cultural workers throughout their careers with funding programs ranging from Scholarship Awards and Co-op Placements through to the Early Career Development Program and Project Assistance grants to artists across disciplines.

Register today​ an information session on June 1, 2021 at 1:00pm PT where BC Arts Council Program Officers Erin Macklem and Michelle Benjamin will share information about these programs, with a focus on the Early Career Development Program (which is accepting applications now through June 30, 2021). They will offer guidance on how to apply and answer questions about the process.

If you are an organization looking to apply, a post-secondary institution looking for information on how the BC Arts Council can support your students now and after graduation, or a student wondering what supports are available for early career development in the arts, this info session is for you.

This webinar is brought to you by the Talent MATCH Program, a partnership between the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture, the BC Museums Association, go2HR, and ACE-WIL, the Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning. Join us at 1:00pm PT on June 1. This webinar is free, but registration is required. Please note that this webinar will be recorded.​​ To avoid being recorded, please turn your cameras off while attending.

Please forward this invitation to your colleagues, especially those in touch with students studying fine arts, performing arts, museum studies, archeology, and other disciplines relating to working in museums, arts, or cultural organizations.