Reit Mellink and Dennis Van Tillberg, artists from Holland co lead a creation workshop for Debajehmujig staff animators in soundscape and audio track creation and production for live performance. Dennis is a composer, using recorded environmental sound loops, created instruments that mimic sounds in the natural environment, wind harps, steel drums, bells, string instruments, drums, flutes, pipes and more.  Reit Mellink is well known for her site specific work with the Peer Group in Holland, the Oerel Festival in Tershcelling and multi disciplinary and storytelling festivals in Holland. She is an accomplished actor and Director working with artists developing site specific multi- disciplinary performance work.  The workshop began with an exploration of sounds found within our environment at the Centre. We moved through the Centre, tapping, pinging, vocalizing, clapping, stomping…making sounds and associating them with emotions,  moods and reflections. By the end of the first phase of the workshop, we came together in the studio with our new found object/instruments and created a symphony.

We recently hosted guests from Citizens Theatre, Glasgow Scotland for 2 weeks to continue plans and developments towards our much anticipated collaboration for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Elly Goodman and Neil Packham are part of a team at Citizens’ Learning that includes Guy Hollands (Associate Director) Martin Travers (Producer) Louise Brown (Creative Learning Officer) and Angela Smith (Education Officer).

Attendees  at a virtual performance of the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company at Harbourfront sit entranced by the live-streamed performance projected on the big screen at the Debajehmujig Creation Centre in Manitowaning.

by Michael Erskine (Originally Published in the April 17th, 2013 Edition of the Manitoulin Expositor) (Corrections Applied)

MANITOWANING—Technology is bringing a revolution to collaboration in the arts and Debajehmujig Theatre Group of Manitowaning plans to surf the leading edge of that revolution.

On Good Friday we performed our annual interpretation of The Passion of Jesus Christ for the Holy Cross Parish of Wikwemikong. This parish was established by the Jesuits over 165 years ago, and continues to play an important role in the spiritual life of the community.

What does a quiet little town under the sleepy spell of winter need? Some magic! For the first time, we hosted an award winning Ontario based illusionist at the Debajehmujig Creation Centre – Neil Croswell Magic.

The Larry E. Lewis Studio was transformed to enhance the theme of Neil’s magic show, which had a hip-hop, skateboard, street aesthetic. Pulling together a workshop on graffiti art, Josh Peltier engaged fellow animators and students to create a giant explosion of graffiti spread across the studio wall.

By the time Neil, his assistant Ashley, and our assistants Bruce, Ashley, Sunny and others had completed the lighting and stage set-up, and the hip-hop music was heard throughout the building and onto the streets of Manitowaning, we had transformed the centre so that Neil could transfix his audiences.

The holiday cabaret at Debajehmujig Storytellers is a consistent part of the rhythm of our year.  Typically, we have a show at the ruins in the summer.  In the fall, we now host The 6 Foot Festival; Land Art Food.  Since 1995, December is the time of the Holiday Cabaret. I love doing it. I think we all love doing it. It has historically within the organization been a time to honor and showcase individual artists. It is a chance for us to sing together, eat together, laugh together, and listen together (but mostly eat). It is an opportunity for us to organize all of these elements that we value so much into an evening of entertainment that reflects the spirit of the season, is both thoughtful and sometimes raucous and is ultimately… joyful . We take joy from sharing this with our community.  It is our customary rhythm to do so. This year’s holiday cabaret, entitled Spirit of the North, abided by this rhythm in every way. But while rhythm can be grounding and we all love a good beat, it is also important to stay fresh, surprise yourself and others. In Spirit of the North we challenged ourselves to play the season differently in a number of ways.