Horton Journal of Canadian History ~ Papers
The History of Canadian Theatre
By Julie Gardiner
As long as there have been people in the region now called Canada, there has been some form of theatre present as well. Before European explorers arrived, Aboriginal peoples included such practices as storytelling, dance, incantation, and performing legends and history as part of their cultural ritual. As the area was "settled" by Europeans, this (and other) aspects of Aboriginal culture was suppressed, including even the drama that closely resembled European theatre of the time. Missionaries regarded such ritual activity as pagan, and therefore it was banned. This mindset carried through into the late 1960s. Throughout much of that time (during the entire 1800s), Aboriginal individuals were portrayed in theatre only as "drunken or stupid", or when visitors in the arts industry wished to "study these ‘exotics.’" ("Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.")
In the 1960s George Ryga, a playwright born in 1932 in Alberta, wrote and released "The Ecstasy of Rita Joe". This widely known stage-dynamic play showcased a woman, Rita Joe, who was struggling under the patriarchal order of her Aboriginal elders, as well as abuse inflicted on her by white members of the society. "The Ecstasy of Rita Joe" was successful in challenging the stereotypes of Aboriginal peoples in theatre by portraying individuals and their lives. ("Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.") The improvement of Aboriginal theatre from then on continued with James Buller’s founding of the Native Theatre School (The Centre for Indigenous Theatre) in 1974. He believed that with the right education and training, native peoples could flourish in theatre across Canada. ("The Centre for Indigenous Theatre.")
After the arrival of Europeans and long before George Ryga, the first documented Western-style drama performed in Canada was "Le Theatre Neptune en la Nouvelle France", performed at Port Royal, what is now Nova Scotia. Though there is supposition that other such plays were performed previously in the New World, this was written by Marc Lescarbot in 1606, for entertainment in celebration of the return of Samuel de Champlain and Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt. The play depicted Neptune welcoming travelers. It incorporated music, recital, choral singing, cannons, trumpets, and "Indian", mythical, and non-fiction characters. The cast of players consisted of 70-80 French and Mi'kmaq people.
Despite the oppression of Aboriginal peoples, and the laborious challenges of living that newcomers faced, theatre grew in popularity over the years, gaining sustainability as awareness and intrigue greatened. The railroad was constructed in Edmonton in 1891, subsequently causing theatre to rise with the population increase. Organizations such as the Edmonton Amateur Society and the Edmonton Operatic and Dramatic Society were formed, while similar clubs and organizations were created simultaneously across the country. In the Early 1900s, many theatres were built and re-built (mainly due to fire) to accommodate the art. Professional theatre troupes then began touring, as transportation and facilities were now at their disposal. ("Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.")
The Empress Theatre, built in Fort Macleod, Alberta, during its growth period of 1910, is an example of one such establishment that has survived the evolution of theatre for almost a century. On Main Street since its creation, Empress Theatre "has served as a vaudeville house, concert hall, lecture hall, live theatre, and finally as a moving picture theatre." Throughout the decades, travelling troupes have frequented the theatre, while community drama groups have also put productions on there. ("Historic Empress Theatre.")
The society accredited with being "a breeding ground for many of the artists who laid the foundation for the modern Canadian theatre" is the Dominion Drama Festival (1932-1978). This bilingual festival was founded by Lord Blessborogh, as a competition for the region’s finest actors, directors, writers, designers, and so on. It was held in various cities over the years, with the first five being in Ottawa and there being a pause for the duration of World War II. After the war, the festival evolved into a more truly Canadian atmosphere, with such changes made as Canadian, rather than foreign, judges, and feature length productions rather than only one-act plays. Accusations of biased judging lead to the end of the Dominion Drama Festival (DDF) in 1969. ("Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.")
One year after DDF’s creation, the Banff School of Fine Arts was founded in the centre of Banff, Alberta. The intention was for this experimental, arts-oriented school to be theatre related and aimed at community drama leaders. "The school's initial year was attended by 130 students paying $1 each. During the one-month term, 17 plays were rehearsed in the local school hall." In 1969 the school opened its beautiful educational complex with glowing endorsements by local playwrights George Ryga and Tom Hendry. ("Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.")
The Manitoba Theatre Centre, along with the Citadel Theatre and Theatre Calgary in Alberta, revitalized and "started the boom in post-war theatre in the prairies," opening in 1958, 1965, and 1968 respectively. In the Maritimes, however, Neptune Theatre in Halifax became the centre of the Atlantic theatre community. Opening its doors in 1963, and named after the aforementioned play "Le Theatre Neptune en la Nouvelle France", Neptune Theatre was the first to adopt a year-round (52-week) schedule of employment for technicians and performers. It remains a vital sector of the creative community today.
Supported originally by Tom Patterson (Stratford Festival founder), and the Canada Council, the theatre’s first performance was of George Bernard Shaw’s "Barbara". The first "writer-in-residence" (writer from within the region of the theatre), Jack Gray, set the company’s decree in its opening years:
"The Neptune Theatre is an attempt to establish a fully professional regional theatre presenting plays in repertory...its repertory season will include the best plays of the past in balance with new plays, Canadian wherever possible, but new."
("Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.")
The National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, has performed plays in both English and French since 1970, thereby achieving the national mandate. In has housed resident theatre companies for adult and young audiences, while also creating work in-house. The National Arts Centre, like Neptune Theatre (though perhaps on a larger scale, given the higher population of their location), is still strong, if not gaining strength, in today’s society, proof that creativity has equal place in the world as technology. ("National Arts Centre.")
Theatre has the capability of being a socially effective medium. During the first wave of the 19th-century feminism and women’s reform movement in Canada, the first wave of women’s drama occurred simultaneously. "At the time, a variety of women wrote and staged plays that grew out of their commitment to the political, ideological and social context of the movement." Collaborations by groups of suffragists in Manitoba, British Colombia and Alberta "critiqued" gender-based roles in society with their ‘Mock Parliament’ form of theatre. These parodies reversed the roles of men and women in society, displaying the strength of women and the movement, while straying from the traditional, moderate protest tactics of the upper and middle class. (Bird, Kym.)
While the mock parliaments served a political and social function, they also acted as a forum for women to be playwrights in some sense. Like in many other careers and pastimes in Canadian history, women overcame certain barriers in order to participate in their creative pursuits. Into the late 1880s, there were no "women of colour" whose writing had been nationally produced or published, despite their talent. (DiCenzo, Maria.) This discrimination correlates with the censorship impressed upon the theatre and its members. Church authorities condemned the players in theatre and forbade congregations to attend, particularly those plays by women. Sarah Bernhardt was one such target of their censorship in 1880, though you needn’t look that far back in history. Currently it is the objection to any homosexual content in theatre that is rampant. ("Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.")
While controversy has remained a common link in theatre, the art and industry has branched into many styles since its creation. Musical theatre has become quite common and enjoyed across the country, incorporating aspects of song, dance, dialogue, and staging. Meanwhile, artists have taken the "traditional" form of portraying their story with dialogue to new levels, using movement, transitions, speech techniques and technical support to captivate their audiences and convey a truth. This experimental evolution has come form the foundation work laid by previous Canadian artists and their trials. "The Ecstasy of Rita Joe" and "Le Theatre Neptune en la Nouvelle France" are only two plays on the list of those that have shaped Canadian theatre. ("Canadian Actors Online.")
One result of this experimental process is the theatrical style of "collective creation". Collectives are controlled by a group of performers, sometimes accompanied by a director, stage manager or other assistant(s), that compose their own piece of theatre as an ensemble. Collectives were extremely popular in the 1960’s and 1970s, incorporating a type of free, improvisational method that was appreciated during that timeframe. The style of a collective is highly developmental in its nature and still used today in drama classes, workshops and festivals around the country. Dalhousie University in Halifax offers such collective workshops to students enrolled in the Nova Scotia High School Drama Festival, while Concordia University in Montreal offers classes based on collective creation in their academic theatre programs. ("Concordia University.")
Evolving from storytelling in a public forum to elaborate shows on stage in front of a sold-out audience, theatre has been shaped by those who participate in it, just as those same people are influenced by their experiences working in this art form and medium. Shakespeare, for example, has been imported into the Canadian theatre training and performance culture, being an instrumental force behind skill development and entertainment. It has also been interpreted in a number of ways, both traditional and contemporary. Street theatre has been devised to reach audiences of other genres, oftentimes delivering social messages. Individuals of diverse backgrounds, ages, lifestyles, beliefs and inspirations share theatre as a common passion. Canada has fostered all of this, as well as fostered some of the most well respected individuals and organizations in the industry, while raising talented individuals to carry on the legacy and expand possibilities in the future.
Bibliography:
Bird, Kym. "Performing Politics: Propaganda, Parody and a Women’ Parliament."
www.vl-theatre.com
"Canadian Actors Online." www.canadianactor.com/plays.html
"Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia." www.canadiantheatre.com
"Concordia University." www.concordia.ca
DiCenzo, Maria. "Theatre History in Canada."
www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/TRIC/bin/get.cgi?directory=vol12_2/&filename=Dicenzo.htm
"Historic Empress Theatre." www.empresstheatre.ab.ca
"National Arts Centre." www.nac-can.ca
"The Centre for Indigenous Training." www.interlog.com/~cit/history.htm
