Mavor Moore and the Teaching of Canadian Theatre History

[Anton Wagner]

Having taken three of Mavor's courses at York in 1970-72, I fail to see why CTR refused to publish your review. 
It was in Mavor's playwriting courses that I realized I was not a playwright (Mavor never suggested that himself) 
but that I could pursue the wide-open field of Canadian theatre and Canadian theatre history in which he had
and was still playing such an important part. When Dora Mavor Moore's log cabin was auctioned off by Habitat
for Humanity, I obtained an offer for a  $20,000 loan from the Estate of Herman Voaden to bid for and purchase the 
cabin and to convert it into a theatre museum. Alas, I was vastly outbid by an advertising executive who purchased 
the log cabin and incorporated it into a $1 million country home. (See my "Moore cabin's a trove of theatre history," 
"Other Voices" column, Toronto Star, March 12, 1994.)  

The Canada's Lost Plays series only covered English-Canadian drama up to Robertson Davies' 1948 Hope Deferred.
Mavor's playwriting came after that, much of it by two decades. Again, Alan Boss could have gotten in touch to
discuss this. As I suggested early on as a theatre historian, in "The Uses of Oral History in Canadian Theatre History 
Research", Canadian Oral History Association Journal, 4/1, (1979), relying only on archival research and primary
and secondary sources can often result in distorted findings. Consulting the living memory of contemporaries is
always essential. Best, Anton Wagner. 
  


>---- Original Message ----
>From: Don Rubin <drubin at YORKU.CA>
>To: CANDRAMA at LISTSERV.UNB.CA
>Sent: Mon, Feb 29, 2016, 6:43 PM
>Subject: Mavor Moore and the Teaching of Canadian Theatre History
>
>Dear Canadrama List:
>
>Over the last few weeks there has been much talk about the question of 
>when Canadian theatre history and Canadian drama courses started to be 
>taught in Canadian universities.
>
>As well, I commented about a week ago that one should use Alan Boss's 
>book on Mavor Moore with some care as there were many inaccuracies that 
>touched on Canadian theatre history. I noted that CTR had actually 
>commissioned me to write a review of the book in 2012 which I did. In 
>its wisdom, CTR decided not to publish my review at that time. When I 
>asked why, I was told that it was because I was somehow too close to the 
>subject.
>
>My response  last week was to offer to send a copy of that  review to 
>anyone interested in reading it. Many wrote to me for a copy both on and 
>off the Canadrama list.
>
>I received enough requests, in fact, that I have decided to send the 
>review out as an attachment here. It touches on both subjects -- the 
>book about Mavor Moore and the teaching of Canadian theatre history and 
>drama. If either subvject interests you, take a look. If not, nothing lost.
>
>I offer it up at this moment for the historical record.  I am happy to 
>continue the discussion in this or any other appropriate forum.
>
>Don Rubin
>York University