While completing her Bachelor of Science in Biology at 每日大赛, Kathleen Burke really enjoyed her time working on student-led 每日大赛 Theatre Society extracurricular stage productions.
鈥淏y the time I graduated, I knew I didn鈥檛 love lab work and I wasn鈥檛 excited by the idea of doing a master鈥檚 degree just to stay in the field,鈥� says Kathleen. 鈥淚f I was going to do another degree, I wanted it to be in something I was truly passionate about.鈥�
That decision led her to 每日大赛鈥檚 Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Theatre (Stage Design and Technical Theatre) program, where hands鈥憃n learning, mentorship with industry professionals, and collaborative problem鈥憇olving are baked into the curriculum.
- Every graduate has a story. This is one of them. Follow along as we share more each day throughout Spring Convocation.
Building confidence, literally
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From her very first year, Kathleen found herself immersed in course assignments supporting the the Fountain School鈥檚 stage productions. One of her more joyful early memories is working on DalTheatre鈥檚 Euripidaristophanize, as part of the student carpentry and paint crew. She was tasked with building set pieces resembling the ruins of Ancient Greece.
鈥淚 had a huge bucket of concrete patching compound and I had so much fun piling it on and shaping it to look like crumbling stone.
鈥淚 had a huge bucket of concrete patching compound and I had so much fun piling it on and shaping it to look like crumbling stone,鈥� says Kathleen.
Experiential learning defines the Fountain School鈥檚 approach and shapes its curriculum. Technical theatre students don鈥檛 just study set design, they literally build it, learning through repetition, trial and error, and collaboration.
鈥淚鈥檝e been on a lot of scenic carpentry crews, and fabric always felt like my nemesis.鈥� says Kathleen. For a week鈥檚 worth of crew call hours, Kathleen climbed ladders on the Sir James Dunn Theatre stage to iron out frustratingly wrinkled fabric wall panels on the emerging set of Three Sisters.
In her final semester Kathleen was named Head of Carpentry for DalTheatre鈥檚 Macbeth.听Every wall in the set鈥檚 circus tent-inspired design was to be made of fabric. Instead of avoiding the challenge, faculty encouraged her to keep experimenting and to learn from failure.
鈥淚 was terrified,鈥� says Kathleen. 鈥淏ut doing it over and over again let me get a feel for how fabric behaves. Of all the sets I鈥檝e worked on, that鈥檚 definitely the one I鈥檓 most proud of.鈥�
DalTheatre's 2026 Macbeth's dustbowl circus tent inspired set, with Kathleen as head of carpentry. Ensemble members of Macbeth. Directed by Matthew Walker, Set Design by Sean Mulchay, Costume Design by Catherine MacCaughan, Lighting Design by Grace Watson (Kate Hayter photo)
Crafting her craft through collaboration
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Kathleen credits the Fountain School鈥檚 strong culture of feedback and collaboration, and being treated like a developing professional, with her ability to grow, and strengthen her varied skills. Structured check鈥慽ns with instructors each semester, along with end鈥憃f鈥憈erm production postmortems involving faculty and senior students, created space for conversations and setting goals for the next term.
Kathleen Burke as DalTheatre's 2026 The Odyssey lighting board operator. (Naomi Dansi photo)
鈥淚t lets you know how you鈥檙e doing, and it gives us a say in what crews we鈥檒l work on in future shows.鈥�
Across her degree, Kathleen has acquired a broad practical skill set, learning everything from furniture joinery, upholstery and rigging to basic welding, lighting design, and calling shows. 鈥淣ot only do I feel ready to work in professional theatre,鈥� says Kathleen. 鈥渂ut it's also really boosted my confidence and made me feel more capable overall.鈥�
Passion turned profession
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Burke has already been hired to put those skills to work after she crosses the stage today. This summer, she鈥檚 head of props at , joining a production team staffed with several other Fountain School alumni.
As she begins her career in props and scenic carpentry, Kathleen suggests new students give unfamiliar paths a chance.
鈥淏e open to trying different things,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 came in to the Fountain School wanting to be a stage manager and now I'm graduating having focused on props and carpentry!鈥�