New Voices 2023 celebrates Performance Acting
New Voices, a festival of original work by the School of Performance Acting graduates, returns in February for its 18th year. The three-day festival features six pieces created and produced by the graduating acting cohort each night. This year, the festival will take place from February 15 to 17, featuring various twenty-minute performances according to each night’s particular genre or theme.
Rehearsal Photo from MUM by Ali Farhadi, co-directed by Kiara-Kumail and Ali Farhadi. Photo by Niall Durcan. Pictured: Kiara-Kumail, Landon Nesbitt, Manon Bourgeois, Elena Milo
Manon Bourgeois is a fourth-year Performance Acting student who co-produces and performs in the event. She has been contributing to multiple areas of the preparation process, from communicating with members of the faculty and production teams to creating content for marketing purposes, all while rehearsing for the two pieces she will be performing in MUM and Rationality is Dead.
“It will be a stressful and busy time, but that’s also when things get the most exciting,” said Bourgeois. “As actors and artists, we are taught to take on different responsibilities and manage a busy schedule. Learning to juggle all my tasks was a tool that serves me most in taking on the producer role.”
Bourgeois is no stranger to balancing various creative tasks. As well as being an actor, she is also a multidisciplinary artist who is passionate about video editing, writing, and painting. She works as the marketing agent for Théâtre français de Toronto, gaining experience working in the performance industry; an experience that is helping prepare her to produce the New Voices festival.
Rehearsal Photo from MUM by Ali Farhadi, co-directed by Kiara-Kumail and Ali Farhadi. Photo by Niall Durcan. Pictured: Landon Nesbitt, Elena Milo
Fourth-year acting students Josh Palmer and Jeff Clement are also tasked with balancing both producing and acting tasks for the festival. Together they are co-producers of Dennys: An Improvised Musical.
“The show is an improvised musical,” Clement explained. “Every night will feature new, never-before-performed songs and scenes, made up on the spot, about all of the fun and wacky people who might be in a Denny’s restaurant all day.”
Rehearsal Photo from MUM by Ali Farhadi, co-directed by Kiara-Kumail and Ali Farhadi. Photo by Niall Durcan. Pictured: Landon Nesbitt, Manon Bourgeois, Elena Milo
Trust in fellow performers is a must to put on an improvised show, both actors acknowledge. They credit the Performance Acting program for allowing them to build relationships with other students in order to cohesively produce and perform a show.
“I wouldn’t want to go on stage with an unscripted piece with anyone I don’t trust with my life,” Palmer stated. “I’m thankful to the Performance Acting program for letting me get to know all my fellow performers so well. Working with the same group of people for four years builds deep bonds and a great sense of trust.”
Palmer and Clement have been working with the other actors in the musical to prepare for the delicate balance performing an improvised piece requires.
“You have to make sure you’re comfortable and confident, but don’t want to over-rehearse and run the risk of making your content stale,” explained Clement. “We’re trying to discover what (if any) elements of our show we want to have pre-set, what genre conventions we want to play with, and how we can make sure we’re supporting each other.”
Clement is looking forward to sharing the stage with friends he has made throughout the program.
“I always look forward to embarrassing myself in front of a group of people, especially if I can force my friends to embarrass themselves along with me,” he joked.
New Voices has been a part of the Performance Acting program for almost two decades. This year, the festival will test a new structure and evolve the roles throughout the preparation process.
“We are all working hard to make sure these shows and the festival run smoothly,” Bourgeois commented. “We look forward to performing for audiences and seeing where the student pieces go, even beyond the New Voices festival!”
New Voices runs from February 15 through 17. Visit the School of Performance website (opens in new window) and social media (external link, opens in new window) for more information about the upcoming Winter 2023 performances. 
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