THURSDAY, JANUARY 8
Schedule detail - STACON26
Subject to change
Morning Yoga
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 7:30am NST
The Narrows, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
Coffee, Tea, Toutons* & Yogurt
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 8:00am - 9:00am NST
Reception Hall, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
*Toutons: a traditional Newfoundland dish of pan-fried bread dough, typically served with butter or molasses.
Conference Kick-Off & Role Call
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 9:00am - 11:00am NST
Salon A/B, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
Break
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 11:15am - 11:30am NST
PS01: "Please you to take the urgent hour" - Defending and Celebrating the Need for Shakespeare in Our Urgent Times: Opening Plenary with Ben Crystal
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 11:15am - 12:00pm NST
Salon A/B, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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In this opening plenary, UK-based author, actor and creative producer Ben Crystal will speak to our urgent need to defend Shakespeare's relevance in our schools and in performance, in light of the world we live in now and the challenges currently being faced by many STA-member organizations.
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Topic Tables Luncheon
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm NST
Salon A/B, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
AB01: "I Am Native Here" - Indigeneity & Shakespeare Panel Discussion, co-hosted by IPANL
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm NST
Garrison/Signal, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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A wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of Shakespeare and Indigeneity with theatre artists from across Turtle Island.
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MB01: “Whistling To Th’ Air” - Digital Marketing: Innovative Practices in Action
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm NST
Avalon/Battery, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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As producers and artists, we're constantly trying to figure out how to engage our audiences - especially during our "off" seasons, or - in the case of touring theatre - the times when we're not physically present in front of our audiences. The interconnectedness of the digital world gives us ample opportunity to be seen by audiences near and far, but how do you do this without generating a ton of extra work for yourself? How do you create content that audiences will be excited to see, and will keep your company top of mind? Is there a way to do all of that, but also have it generate revenue? In this session we’ll hear how two companies are approaching this in innovative ways.
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EB01: "All The Currents of a Heady Fight" Part One - Shakespeare & Violence Prevention Handbook for Educators
How one community outreach program turned into a book.
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm NST
Salon A/B, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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This session focuses on the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s innovative K-12 Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program. For the past 14 years, this education program has reached 140,000 Colorado students with live performances and interactive workshops, and is now the subject of a new book: Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators by Amanda Giguere (University Press of Colorado, 2025). Presenters include Dr. Giguere, Director of Outreach at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Wendy Franz, Managing Director of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
Panelists will discuss the overlaps between Shakespeare and violence prevention, detail the program’s growth from an outreach initiative to a published book; and offer strategies for practical implementation of this program in other theatres, communities, and learning environments. Attendees will receive a discount code for Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators. |
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XB01: “The World’s Eye Doth View” - Exploring Shakespeare’s Worldview
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm NST
Salon C/D, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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This workshop explores Shakespeare’s World: Seeing the Plays through Elizabethan Eyes, a new book based on the teachings of Dennis Krausnick, a master teacher of classical acting and a founding member of Shakespeare & Company. This book offers a groundbreaking approach to understanding Shakespeare’s plays by immersing actors, scholars, and educators in the Elizabethan model of reality—the cosmology, physiology, and psychology that shaped the playwright’s language, characters, and themes. By bridging historical scholarship with practical theatrical application, the book serves as both an intellectual framework and a hands-on guide for engaging with Shakespeare’s texts in performance. This session invites scholars, theater practitioners, and educators to discuss the book’s central ideas and consider their impact on Shakespearean interpretation, pedagogy, and performance.
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Coffee, Tea, & Cookies
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 3:00pm - 3:30pm NST
Reception Hall, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
AB02: "If We Walk Not In The Trodden Paths" - Bridging Shakespeare Performance from "Gown to Town"
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 3:30pm - 5:00pm NST
Garrison/Signal, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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This discussion panel explores the art and practice of performing Shakespeare in contemporary rural settings through the lived experiences of an Artistic Director, Director, Performer, and Education Director. Together, they will examine the nuanced and layered processes of staging Shakespeare, developing programming, and engaging audiences outside traditional urban and academic hubs. While many professional Shakespeare companies thrive in areas with developed arts ecosystems, a growing number are creating or sustaining work in regions defined by agricultural economies, manual labor jobs, and deep-rooted cultural identities. Moving from "gown to town" means a shift from university-adjacent and metropolitan centers into small towns, agricultural regions, and communities without formal theater infrastructure. This shift requires not only different outreach strategies, but the embracement of creative and logistic differences. In these communities, Shakespeare’s resonance and relevance must be earned, not assumed. This panel investigates how these circumstances shape the work at every level, from artistic process to institutional structure.
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MB02: "Out O'Th' House" - Performing and Teaching Shakespeare Without a Theater
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 3:30pm - 5:00pm NST
Avalon/Battery, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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From house-less organizations to touring projects, this management-focused discussion will draw from the experiences of leaders from organizations of all sizes.
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EB02: "All the Currents of a Heady Fight" Part Two - Innovations in Staging Violence
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 3:30pm - 5:00pm NST
Salon A/B, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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How can we stage Shakespeare’s moments of violence in ways that are safe, respectful, and affecting in education and community programs when we have limited time and training? This session will call upon our extraordinary STA culture of creativity and innovation, providing an opportunity for participants to collaborate in real time to create dynamic, highly theatrical solutions and powerful storytelling.
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XB02: "By, Sea, By Sea, (By Sea)" - in conversation with three ocean-adjacent companies
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 3:30pm - 5:00pm NST
Salon C/D, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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Join three Shakespeare by the Sea companies in conversation about the influence of the ocean to their work.
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Dine-Around Dinners
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 6:00pm -8:00pm
Downtown St. John's, Newfoundland
Performance: Becoming Othello: A Black Girl's Journey (Harlem Shakespeare, New York, US)
Thursday January 8, 2026 - 8:30pm NST
LSPU Hall
BECOMING OTHELLO: A Black Girl's Journey is a critically acclaimed, personal, poignant and powerful story of perseverance, tragedy, triumph—and ultimately unconditional love. Directed by Tina Packer, this one woman theatrical drama is a victory story about making it against all odds. Through rhyme, meter, soulful songs, and lyrical language, the show chronicles the life of classical actress, Debra Ann Byrd; her trials and triumphs; and her gender-flipped journey on the road to becoming Shakespeare’s noble flawed general Othello.
Question Salad Hosted by Sean Hagerty (The Curtain, NJ-USA)
10:00pm -11:00pm
Biv'ver Lounge, Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
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