Theatre in Windsor

[GLEN NICHOLS]

> Date:          Fri, 23 Aug 1996 22:20:35 -0400
> Reply-to:      Walter Cassidy <wcassidy at CHASS.UTORONTO.CA>
.  Detriot has some info on the French etc
> put would this be considered Canadian Theatre history?  At the time the
> lines or Nations where not drawn and the Windsor-Detroit area were very
> close too eachother in relation to culture before the borders were
> drawn.

I was afraid you were going to metaphorize this relationship to that
of Canada and the US as a whole. Fortunately your question took a
somewhat more interesting turn.
Isn't it true though that any "border" (spatial or temporal) is
always only an arbitrary demarcation without, necessarily, any actual
regard for cultural realities that may be "divided".
 One could find innumerable examples
of cultural contiguity across particular geo-political (or
historical) "borders"; your example of Windsor/Detroit combines both
in a sense and once again broaches the question of what is
"Canadian".
The question, however,  needs to be
tempered in light of the historical progression in the region. Before
the late 18thC this was all "Indian Territory", having been
previously held by the French. As far as I know there were no
fortifications in the area before the Seven Years War (I'm ready for
correction on that one, but certainly the fur trade had, formally at
least, kept the British farther to the north and west).  Thus it
seems perfectly reasonable that evidence now found in Detroit would
shed light on "Canadian" theatre since such evidence would
necessarily predate concepts of either Canada OR America, as we know
them.

As a corollary to this query, and one that has been niggling me, I have a
 question to put to
the group even though it is without answer, and is indeed a Pandora's
box.  I would like to survey what definitions people use in defining
"Canadian".  Whether for choosing course texts, for critiquing
productions, or in discussions etc, what are the parameters you use
to identify Canadian plays?  Have your limits changed over the
years? do they change as the circumstances you use them in change?  I
think it would be interesting to compile and compare the various
approaches we use...

Anyway, I throw that out to you....
Glen