TMU professor presents live journalism work at Hamilton Fringe Festival

Christin el Kholy, a journalist performer in conversation with audience members at the October 22, 2022, performance of Harmed in Hamilton. A revised version of the live journalism production is part of the Hamilton Fringe Festival, running July 21 to 30, 2023. Photo credit: Aloysius Wong/stitched!
Combining journalism and immersive theatre techniques, and adopting a solidarity journalism approach, Toronto Metropolitan University professor Sonya Fatah is taking an alternate approach to journalism to explore community issues. The Creative School professor is researching and producing live journalism performances in which community members are closely involved in telling their own stories. Professor Fatah will present a revised version of her collaborative project, Harmed in Hamilton – which explores bullying in Hamilton schools – at the Hamilton Fringe Festival in July.
“Live journalism is the idea of taking long-form narrative nonfiction journalism and presenting it before a live audience,” said professor Fatah. “The form allows journalists to have a discussion with communities experiencing social, economic and political issues while having the potential of much more direct impact.”
Much like traditional journalism, live journalism starts with investigating a story idea. Professor Fatah and researchers from her lab stitched! started investigating anti-bullying policies at the school board after a student died outside a Hamilton school. As a parent of children studying in Hamilton schools, Professor Fatah also heard anecdotal accounts of troubling incidents of harm and how they were handled.
Her team’s research showed the board’s anti-bullying policies appeared to be strong, yet bullying and racism continued, leading the researchers to wonder what was happening inside schools. They interviewed students, parents, family members and teachers, discovered a wealth of epistemological research and presented their findings in the production, Harmed in Hamilton.
The research team worked with TMU performance professors Lisa Cox (acting) and Louis Laberge Cote (dance) and students to develop the first production in October 2022. In this latest version of Harmed in Hamilton, TMU alumni Annasofie Jakobsen, Samantha Alonzo, Adam Chen, and current students Rochelle Raveendran and Sarah Yeoman play crucial roles in the production, which has three acts.
In the first act, professor Fatah presents the testimonies and experiences of the interviewees – called “story sharers” instead of the traditional term “sources.” In the second and third acts, storyteller Chen dives into aspects of bullying definitions and how they impact policies. They also explore the organizations that support anti-bullying training in schools.
The final act pieces everything together by opening a discussion and engaging the audience to share their stories and feedback. Audience feedback played a crucial role in shaping the performance after its debut in fall 2022. The research team conducted additional reporting and updated the show for the 2023 performances in response to audience feedback, and professor Cox was the show’s rehearsal director.
“There were gaps in the storytelling, and one audience member pointed out that there are class issues involved,” said professor Fatah. “We didn’t go deep enough into the question of social class as we should have.”
The Fringe version of the production also includes journalism alumna Rochelle Raveendran in the new journalistic role of “community gatherer,” which will see her facilitate audience engagement throughout the show.
Beyond being an interdisciplinary and creative way to present journalism and engage audiences, professor Fatah said the research shows that live journalism works to rebuild trust between journalists, sources and audiences. She describes live journalism as a form of story presentation that has no filter between the journalist and their audience; the storyteller stands close to the audience and, in turn, is more vulnerable and authentic.
“Live journalism does a lot of things to both correct the power imbalance between the journalist and the public and also build some of that trust,” said professor Fatah.
The story of Harmed in Hamilton, including the research documents gathered, will be given to the Hamilton community after the Fringe Festival ends. Professor Fatah’s team will also offer training, so the community can continue to share their story with audiences if they choose.
Watch stitched! perform Harmed in Hamilton at the Hamilton Fringe Festival (external link) July 21-30, 2023.
Read more about stitched!
Cast and production team:
Rochelle Raveendran: Community gatherer
Lisa Cox: Rehearsal director
Sonya Fatah: Journalist performer/ storyteller
Adam Chen: Journalist performer/ storyteller
Neil Brathwaite: Saxophonist
Brooke Blackburn: Jazz guitarist
Annasofie Jakobsen: Production coordinator
Sarah Yeoman: Stage manager
Samantha Alonzo: Lighting designer
Producer: stitched! Lab
This project received support from The Creative School.