Tessa Mendel

BA Theatre 1988, MA Adult Education (in progress at MSVU)

When Tessa began her undergraduate studies at Dalhousie, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to study. "It is hard being young and not knowing what you want to do," Tessa notes." There are so many choices, sometimes it seems arbitrary." Tessa says that the ability to take some time to make up your mind is one of the valuable things about a BA. "You can explore different options until you find what’s right for you."

In the end, Tessa pursued a degree in theatre. She knew it was a tough program. Very quickly, however, she "felt completely at home," and notes that the support she received from faculty really helped. Tessa chose to specialize in directing within the theatre program because "it seemed to combine intellectual, emotional and creative parts and it also involved working with people."

She finds that studying theatre at university can be useful in many ways. For instance, it teaches you communication and public presentation skills. Beyond the specifics of the theatre major, however, Tessa says that a BA in general "enlarges your mind and your way of thinking about the world" and that it "helps you formulate your thinking before making decisions." Tessa believes this is an important skill to have these days because, more and more, work has to be self-created. "You need to be able to come up with ideas and create something out of them. A BA gives a person the ability to see oneself in different contexts or situations."

Tessa has put her theatre skills to work in diverse ways. She has worked as both assistant director and director in places like the Tarragon Theatre and Canadian Stage Company.

Tessa has also worked in popular theatre – theatre advocated by the Brazilian Augusto Boal with a focus on personal empowerment and social change. She once ran a theatre company in low-income neighbourhoods for the Toronto Public Housing Commission.

"It involved training youth from the housing projects," Tessa explains. "They would research problems and issues in the neighbourhood and we would create a play around that for kids. The play would involve the audience to try and solve the problems in the play, for instance related to drugs or violence."

Tessa’s diverse experiences in theatre coalesced when she decided to establish a centre herself — the Women’s Theatre and Creativity Centre in Halifax. Tessa’s vision for the centre was one that would combine personal and social forms of creative expression. "In our culture," Tessa explains, "we see our personal beings and our social beings as very separate. I wanted to put these together." Tessa also hoped to span the worlds of popular and professional theatre through the centres various activities.

One of the centre’s first productions was Home at Last, a play about Canadian war brides. "It was a play about women’s experience that used both professional and non-professional actors. That way of building bridges is an important aspect of the work."

Tessa is still involved with the centre although it is now run by a steering committee. Twelve years after finishing her BA, Tessa is now pursuing a graduate degree in education. "I wanted to take some time to reflect upon my involvement in theatre and creativity," Tessa notes. And she still finds time for directing. Bitter Rose, a one-woman play that explores the struggle between family obligations and artistic expression, recently played at the DuMaurier Theatre in Halifax.