Theatre Alberta is thrilled to announce a series of webinars online via Zoom related to the reopening of theatres. We are very excited to have a number of special guests joining us to facilitate learning opportunities and pivotal discussions as we move forward in the creation and development of art. These webinars are intended to address both technical challenges and also philosophical questions of equity and process, as we investigate the new theatre world we want to have when the venues reopen. The first workshop in this series is:

Hazard Assessment and Planning to Reopen Theatres with Janet Sellery 

Thursday, July 23 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm MT 

We all long to return to our theatres and, at this point in history, effective health and safety protocols will be essential in successfully reopening. Hazard Assessment is a powerful tool we can use to identify and assess hazards related to COVID-19, then plan appropriate controls and precautions. Reopening plans must be customized to reflect your unique needs, challenges and opportunities. We’ll review relevant resources and what to consider as you move forward.

Janet Sellery is one of Canada’s leading experts in health and safety and the arts. She started her career in stage management and moved into health and safety after a critical injury involving an actor. Janet pioneered the health and safety program at the Stratford Festival, Canada’s largest repertory theatre, and one of her favourite projects was working as the Health & Safety Manager for the Opening, Closing and Victory Ceremonies at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Janet was a Co-Founder of the Canadian Event Safety Summit (2016-2018) and is now Chair, Event Safety Alliance Canada, http://esacanada.ca. Janet is an active volunteer with the Ontario Ministry of Labour Live Performance Health & Safety Advisory Committee and the Event Safety Alliance (U.S.) Advisory Council. She was also a contributor to the Health and Safety in the Theatre section of Theatre Alberta’s Safe Stages (March 2007).

Janet is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School and certified as both a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) and a Certified Health and Safety Consultant (CHSC).

She has been awarded the Jack McAllister Award (Ryerson University, 2019), the Ron Epp Memorial Award for Professional Achievement (Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology, 2012) and Canada’s Safety Manager of the Year (Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine, 2007). Her work as a Health & Safety Consultant (Sellery Health + Safety – selleryhealthandsafety.com) focuses on customizing programs, training, and resources to reflect the constantly evolving and unique demands of the arts, entertainment and live events community. Janet is committed to “setting the stage for people to create their best work”.

Future instalments of the Webinars for a New World series will focus on topics such as inclusive design, approaches to anti-racist practices, and conflict resolution. Information for these webinars will be released very soon.

These webinars are open to all, but you must register to receive a Zoom link. We are asking folks to Pay-What-You-Can to attend.