S h u l h a, J a s o n
Toronto, Ontario
[email protected]
My name is Jason Shulha. I am a certified teacher in Ontario, and have been teaching
intermediate and senior Drama for the past 14 years in Canada and overseas. I have also had
the opportunity to teach the drama curriculum course at the faculty of education at Queen’s
University Canada.
My first passion in life is theatre. I am a Ryerson Theatre School graduate. Since
graduating I have taken every opportunity available to me to engage in theatre. Although
these opportunities are fewer than I would have liked in the past years, I have valued the
time spent in rehearsal and on stage as opportunities to reconnect with, explore, and practice
a craft that is both challenging and exhilarating.
My second passion is education. I came to education through directing. Many years
ago I was given the opportunity to direct The Good Doctor f or Hart House at the University of
Toronto. I worked with a group of talented actors and together we learned about acting, and
committed ourselves to creating characters and a story that we wanted to share with an
audience. As a company, we focused on giving voice to the humanity of each character. We
worked at finding ways to ensure that every line the actor delivered, and every movement
the actor made was an embodiment of their character as they moved through time and
space. Through theatre, we learned. We learned about ourselves, and we learned about
others. This experience lead me to believe two things. First, that I might have some skill in
facilitating expression in others; and second, if I was teacher I could get paid to do this every
day. That sounded like a great idea to me.
After 1 professional diploma, 2 undergraduate degrees, 1 masters degree, a PhD, and
14 years of teaching, I feel I have made a strong commitment to developing a deep
understanding of drama, and drama education. I have also been afforded many opportunities
to direct. I have come to deeply value the annual school show and authentic learning
experience for those who participate. I have also have had the chance to engage in some very
exciting learning regarding technique. Most significantly was my work with a Laban teacher
in New Delhi. Through my work with her I gained new insights on how to keep the body alive,
and a vocabulary for directing and acting that is immediately accessible to young people.
The last 14 years has been a rich exploration of drama, and drama education. I am
always looking for opportunities to both share and continue my exploration of drama,
education, and drama education in contexts previously unavailable to me.
Regards,