Our short-term Artist-in-Residence

Hannah Foulger is serving in a short-term arts residency, for the months of April, May, and June, 2021. Here’s an overview of what she has in mind:

These next three months are a period of research and creation. What I’ve been discovering since my last residency at saint ben’s is an interest in the histories of trauma, as it relates to sick and disabled women. In 2020, my documentary play about the Grandview Training school for Girls in Cambridge, Ontario called  The View From Here was read at Femfest. The script is made up of transcriptions of interviews from survivors, community members, and people who lived in the building following the closure of the school, including my family. 

Over my residence, I will be working on a new play set in an asylum in the early 1900s. What this residency really affords me is the time to dig into the history of asylums, seizure treatments and things of that variety in order to build a foundation for this project, which builds on my work on the nature of institutional trauma.

I’m really excited to share what I’ve been working on since my residency for the church a few years ago, starting on April 20 with an online reading of my play for young audiences called Sagitarria: The Rise of Annazus. The play follows a young girl doing a video seizure study at the hospital who dreams up a fantasy story where she is the hero to cope with her fear. 

This play is family friendly, but it does include discussion of seizures and hospitalization. I’m very excited that my cast of readers are all people who live with seizures of different varieties and causes, who come to the play with a wealth of experience in the topic. We will be joined by foley artist/comedian Abby Falvo, an able-bodied ally, who will be doing some live foley sounds to go along with the reading.