George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Agenda
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Registration
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Tough Case Performance
11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Q&A with Cast
11:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Lunch and Contest Entry
12:10 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Contest Draw
12:15 p.m. – 12:230 p.m.
Remarks and Instructions for the Remainder of the Day
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Groups 1-4: Campus Tour
Groups 5-8: Faculty-led Break-out Groups
1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Groups 5-8: Campus Tour
Groups 1-4: Faculty-led Break-out Groups
2:00 p.m.
Conference Concludes
About the Conference
This one-day Social Justice Conference will help Grade 11 and 12 students gain an understanding of social and restorative justice in the hope of encouraging them to engage in civic activities in their communities and help make a difference.
A reading of the stage play Tough Case written by David S. Craig, will open the conference. This gritty, fast-moving drama depicts the resolution of a crime through restorative justice practices. Described as a ‘court room drama without the courtroom’, it engages the audience from the first line.
Following the reading, students will have the opportunity to engage with the performers through a Q&A.
Participants will enjoy a pizza lunch before breaking into smaller groups to reflect on the play and take part in a guided tour of the St. James Campus.
About the Play
Tough Case Performance Synopsis
The stage performance of Tough Case deals with restorative justice – a concept and practice that brings the victim and the perpetrator of a crime together. It also brings all of those impacted, either directly or indirectly, to address responsibility, the needs of the victim, and actions that can repair the harms.
Beginning with the trashing of a senior’s apartment by a gang, we follow the emotional aftermath of the vandalism with the truculent but scared teen who’s charged, his talkative mother, the fearful senior, her outraged son and the restorative justice worker, who has a personal understanding of the teen’s background and brings the other characters together.
Tough Case was commissioned by Jennifer Llewellyn, Director, Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Community University Research Association in 2009. First produced in March 2011, it was written by David S. Craig and directed by Richard Greenblatt.
The performance of Tough Case is produced by Roseneath Theatre, a company that creates and produces original plays for youth and family audiences. Visit Roseneath.ca for more information.
The Cast of ‘Tough Case’
Daren A. Herbert (Tom Ross)
Daren (he/him) is a Bermudian Canadian artist whose love for acting continues to grow. He was an ensemble lead on Amazon's Pretty Hard Cases and a recurring actor on hit Netflix series' Kim's Convenience and Designated Survivor. He is a multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award winner, a two-time Toronto Theatre Critics Award winner, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award winner and an NAACP Theatre Award Nominee. Daren also received the prestigious Earl Cameron Award, recognizing his achievements in theatre, film and television, from the Bermuda Arts Council in 2022.
Daren is one of the founding members of the Gracemoon Arts Company. For over a decade, he has been studying with an ensemble of artists, under the mentorship of Michèle Lonsdale•Smith. Daren serves as a member of the Sheridan College Music Theatre Performance PAC and is a past board member of the Musical Stage Co. He earned his MFA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine and a BFA in Theatre Arts from The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia.
Marcia Johnson (Grace Ross)
Marcia Johnson was born in Jamaica and has lived in or near Tkaronto (Toronto) since the age of six. Her acting career began in touring children’s theatre. In addition to acting, she also writes plays and operas, narrates and directs audiobooks, works as a dramaturg and teaches playwriting workshops. Marcia’s play Serving Elizabeth is available on STRATFEST@HOME. The podcast version, in which she performs, is available on PlayMe Podcast by Expect Theatre and CBC Radio. A Fairy’s Request, Marcia’s new play, will be presented at the Port Hope 10-Minute Play Festival on August 8. The play will have five outdoor performances.
Khadijah Salawu (Marjorie Timbrell)
Khadijah Salawu is an actor, producer, and writer based in Toronto. With play at the center of her work, Khadijah creates using improv, movement and poetry in collaboration with others to weave myth and factual across space and time. Khadijah brings her love for imagination and storytelling to young people as an artist-educator at Soulpepper Theatre, tdsbCREATES and St. James Town Community Arts.
Select artistic credits include: Learn To Swim (2021 TIFF Selection), FreeUp! Emancipation Day Special *2020/2021 (CBC GEM, *2021 Canadian Screen Award Nominee for Best Performing Arts Program), and Ordinary Girl In A Tiara (CW/Crave).
Benjamin Thomas (Dane Timbrell)
Benjamin Thomas (he/him) is a Toronto-based actor, theatre artist, and educator with a passion for working with young people. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (2019) and holds a BA from York University, specializing in English and Community-Engaged Theatre.
Benjamin has worked with theatres across the country, most recently performing in the Three Ships Collective’s production of A Christmas Carol. His screen work includes appearances on Murdoch Mysteries (CBC) and the upcoming feature film Trust Me, I’m a Doctor (currently in post-production).
As an arts educator, Benjamin has led workshops and programs in schools and communities across Ontario, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories, often focusing on projects with Indigenous youth and underserved communities. His teaching is rooted in building confidence, creativity, and connection through storytelling and ensemble work.
Amaka Umeh (Nessa MacCallum)
Amaka Umeh is an award-winning performing artist of Igbo & Ikwerre (Nigerian) descent with a shameless love of puns and a super sweet tooth. While exploring the potential for transformative truth through imagination, and wrestling with the limitations of the English language as a vehicle for understanding, their work centers on unearthing forgotten narratives and reanimating suppressed voices.
Selected credits: Narnia (Bad Hats/Soulpepper); A Strange Loop (Soulpepper/Crow's/Musical Stage/TO Live); Three Sisters (Obsidian/Soulpepper); Hamlet, Death and the King's Horseman (Stratford Festival); Sizwe Banzi is Dead (Soulpepper); Fall On Your Knees (Canadian premiere tour); The Wolves (Howland/Crow's).
Film/TV: Interview With The Vampire (AMC); The Strangers' Case (CBC Gem). Audiobook: Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi (ECW Press). Training: Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre; Factory Theatre Mechanicals; Randolph College. Awards: Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Theatre Performance (2025, 2024, 2023, 2019); Stratford Festival Peter Donaldson Award (2023); BBPA Harry Jerome President's Award (2022).
About the Faculty of Community Services and Interdisciplinary Studies
George Brown Polytechnic’s Faculty of Community Services and Interdisciplinary Studies brings together a diverse range of programs dedicated to building strong, more inclusive communities. Grounded in social justice and anti-oppressive approaches, our programs combine academic learning with applied, hands-on experience to support student success and prepare graduates for meaningful, community-focused pathways and careers.