Canadian Play Revivals

Mon Feb 9 18:56:35 EST 2009

My January 11 posting re the revivals of Canadian plays generated the
half-a-dozen absorbing responses from across the country below that suggest
there is room for yet more discussion on the topic.

When I applied to the Canada Council Explorations Programme in 1974 to research
the Canadas Lost Plays series, I had the precedent of the Americas Lost Plays
series edited in 20 volumes under the general editorship of Barrett H. Clark.
Published by Princeton University Press in 1940-41, the Americas Lost Plays
series had the support of the Rockefeller Foundation and was published under
the auspices of the Dramatists Guild of the Authors League of America. Indiana
University Press republished the 20 volumes 1963-65 and added a 21st volume,
edited by Walter J. Meserve. Meserve favourable reviewed the Canadas Lost
Plays series (Any attempt to make a people aware of their heritage may be
construed as an act of absolute idealism...) in Theatre Research in Canada 5:2
(Fall 1984).

If I remember correctly, the Canada Council provided $5,000 in research funding
for the Canadas Lost Plays series which resulted in the publication of four
volumes by Canadian Theatre Review Publications during 1978-82: The Nineteenth
Century (Richard Plant, co-editor), Women Pioneers, The Developing Mosaic and
Colonial Quebec. Other volumes had also been conceptualized (war plays, labour
plays, etc.) but government cutbacks to universities forced CTR Publications to
cease its book publishing at York University and the series came to an end.

The aim of the Canadas Lost Plays series was to suggest a history of primarily
English-Canadian drama and to reconnect both academic studies and live theatre
production with this cultural history. CANDRAMA subscribers provided the
following responses for this initial discussion:

Date:  Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:51:48 -0500
From:  David Eden <david.eden at utoronto.ca>
To:  awagner at YORKU.CA
Subject:  Re: Revivals of Canadian Plays

Dear Anton:

I was very interested in your list of productions. At first I thought it was
only about Herman Voaden revivals!

I directed revivals of two Reaney plays in the past decade. Although not as old
as Voaden or Ringwood's plays, it was interested to revive a play like "The
Easter Egg", first performed in 1962 and not produced since 1970. My production
was at the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, U of T, Sept. 2002. I
subsequently took the production, at my own expense, to the Grand Theatre in
London for a three-night run. This was so that James Reaney could see the play,
since he could not come to Toronto due to illness. I heard many comments from
colleagues and others that they had not expected the play to be so funny.

In November of 2006 I directed the 1960 version of "The Killdeer" for the Hart
House Drama Society at the George Ignatieff Theatre. Although working with an
undergraduate cast, I was able to discover many interesting facets to this
play, which remains one of my favourites of all of Reaney's work. I set the
first act in 1946 and the second and third acts in 1952. This really is a
fascinatingly dark and comic work, all set in Stratford Ont. I went to
Stratford to look at some of the locations for the play, the court house and
the jail in particular. I often wish some professional company would take an
interest in these two plays and give them the "dusting-off" that they deserve.
There are marvellous roles for actors in both these plays, and great challenges
for a director. Anyway, that is my contribution. Yours, David Eden, University
of Toronto.

Quoting "Andre G. Bourassa" <bourassa.andre_g at uqam.ca>:

 Bonjour Anton,
Le théâtre québécois est-il aussi visé par la question. On pourrait la refiler à
la liste Quâtre, où il y a plus de 600 membres, don  probablement 1/4 sont
québécois.  Je ne tiens pas de répertoire à ce sujet, mais je sais qu'on a joué
un Quesnel à Toronto et qu'on en a tiré un disque long jeu vers les  années 70
et que le groupe de recherche de Bernard Andrès en a repris un autre dans les
années 90. On a repris Tit-coq au Théâtre de l'iÎle entre 1976 et 1979 (alors
que j'enseignais à Ottawa, et qu'on l'a repris au Théâtre Denise-Pelletier au
tournant des années 80/90,  qu'on a repris les Fridolinades vers le même
moment.
On a maintes fois repris des uvres plus récentes, comme La Charge de l'orignal
épormyable de Claude Gauvreau, moins souvent Les Oranges sont vertes du même
auteur. Bien des fois certaines pièces de Bouchard, Chaurette et Dubois.

 J'ai par ailleurs déjà abordé la question par une autre biais, celui de pièces
où on trouve des poètes et dramaturges comme personnages:   «Quand les poètes
deviennent personnages» (Chaurette, Garneau,  Marchessault), Lettres
québécoises, n° 26, été 1982, p. 46-48.  Cordialement,  André G. Bourassa,
 colesupérieure de theatre,  UQÀM

Date:  Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:02:14 -0500 From:  "Andre G. Bourassa"
<bourassa.andre_g at uqam.ca>
Cher Anton,
Comme tu sais, le milieu professionnel, contrairement aux programmes "drama" du
milieu universitaire, n'est guère porté vers l'approche muséale des textes
anciens. Il ne3 l'est même pas du tout, sauf quand les pièces anciennes ont
gardé un souffle de vie capable de conquérir les auditoires actuels. Sauf aussi
quand il peut se permettre d"adapter les textes, comme cela s'est fait à
quelques reprises au Québec avec Aurore et Séraphin. J'aurais très bien vu
reprendre Cocktail d'Yvette Ollivier Mercier-Gouin, mais avec un frin d'ironie,
sur un ton rose fané . Il y a des auteurs canadiens anglais qui ont fait
carrière sur Broadway au tournant des XIXe et XXe siècles, Je pense à Tremayne
et à cet autre de Nouvelle-Écosse dont j'oublie le nom. Peut-être que certaines
de leurs uvres ont fait là-bas l'objet de reprises. Amitiés, André.  P.S. Il y
a eu une reprise de Bousille de Gélinas et de Polichinelle de Lomer Mercier
Gouin, des pièces qui n'ont guère vieilli.

Date:  Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:34:57 -0500 Subject:  Re: Canadian revivals
Quoting walsha at uwindsor.ca:

Dear Anton:
Tell Bill to check out past seasons at the Shaw Festival.  I know that they have
done Criminals in Love, Blood Relations and Waiting for the Parade in recent
years.  Charlottetown did Salt-water Moon, directed by David French last summer
or the one before.  And, of course, there was Soulpepper's production of Leaving
Home last summer, which also toured out west somewhere.  And I seem to remember
that Factory Theatre has done a number of George F. Walker's plays in recent
years.  And Stratford did Les Belles Soeurs a number of years ago.

Not sure if you want University Productions, but the U of Windsor has done a
number of Canadian plays over the years.  Another place to check, of course, is
Blythe. Hope this helps. Lionel Walsh, Director, School of Dramatic Art,
University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON  N9B  3P4  Canada
 www.uwindsor.ca/drama  519/253-3000, ext. 2805; Fax: 519-971-3629

Date:  Sun, 11 Jan 2009 11:48:17 -0800 From:  page at sfu.ca
To:  awagner at YORKU.CA Subject:  Re: Revivals of Canadian Plays

Birthright was not done in Canada in its time, so was never in the canon, but I
think should be recorded:

May 2003: Joan Bryans directs Canadian premiere of Birthright, by Constance
Lindsay Skinner, at Jericho Arts Centre, Vancouver (the play, set in B.C., was
written in 1905 and premiered in Chicago in 1912). - Malcolm

Date:  Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:09:43 -0400 From:  Greg Doran <Gdoran at upei.ca>
I have one to add to the list:
March 17 - 19, 2005: Greg Doran directs the University of Prince Edward Island
production of Gwen Pharis Ringwood's Still Stands the House.

I found the list that you circulated very interesting, for it supports my belief
that we study our plays more than we see them produced. Sincerely, Dr. Greg
Doran, PhD, Coordinator of Theatre Studies, Department of English, University
of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3
Office: 902-566-6013; Fax: 902-566-0363

Date: 	Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:35:07 -0600
From: 	Moira Day <moira.day at usask.ca>
To: 	awagner at yorku.ca
Subject: Re: Murder Pattern production
Hi Anton,

I didn't realize you were also collecting articles on productions. The
student paper did an article on our production of Murder Pattern and
included a production photo. It can be found on page B4 at
http://thesheaf.com/pdf100/Sheaf2008-11-27web_B.pdf