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Themes in Canadian Drama and Theatre

The following six themes are a way of giving shape to the diverse range of
Canadian Drama. A seventh organizational structure has been included as an additional way of
examining Canadian Drama on a regional basis.

The Garrison Mentality


The Garrison Mentality is a term coined by Northrop Frye that
describes Canadians curious cultural attitudes.
There are three distinct attributes of the Garrison Mentality:
The individuals sense of worth comes from the group.
Like a garrison, its a defensive position looking outward.
The head office is located somewhere else.
Frye argued that Canada was settled by missionaries, traders,
and explorers; therefore, head office was either in Rome,
London, or Paris. Because head office was elsewhere, the task
of keeping records and accounts became central to the
Canadian ethos. According to Frye, the account ledger is a
central motif in Canadas early history and provides a central
principle upon which Canadian society is organized. Plays in this
theme find characters in situations that are either literal or
metaphorical garrisons.

Some samples are:


1837: The Farmers Revolt by
Rick Salutin
The Suburban Motel plays and
Better Living by George F.
Walker
One Tiger to a Hill by Sharon
Pollack
Wasps by Sally Clark
Here Lies Henry by Daniel
MacIvor and Daniel Brooks

Small-Town Canada
Some samples are:

These are plays in which the non-urban


settings implicitly shape the action,
circumstances, and values of the plot and
characters.

The Farm Show by Paul Thompson and Theatre Passe


Muraille
The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey
Waiting For The Parade by John Murrell
Billy Bishop Goes To War by John Gray
Bordertown Caf by Kelly Rebar

The Immigrant Experience


Some samples are:

These are plays that explore the diverse journeys


of characters who immigrate to Canada or who
move within its borders. The inevitable clash of
cultures and values is the result.

Mom, Dad, Im Living With a White Girl by Marty


Chan
Leaving Home by David French
Rice Boy by Sunil Kuruvilla
Amigos Blue Guitar by Joan MacLeod
Fronteras Americanas by Guillermo Verdecchia

Women in Canadian Theatre


Some samples are:
These plays explore the lives,
issues, and experiences of women
in Canadausually, but not
always, from a female playwrights
point of view.

White Biting Dog by Judith Thompson


Les Belles Soeurs by Michel Tremblay
Harlem Duet by Djanet Sears
I Claudia by Kristen Thomson
Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann-Marie
MacDonald

The First Nations Experience


Some plays are:
These plays explore the
lives of First Nations
peoples in Canada. Plays
in this theme fall into two
distinctly intriguing groups:
non-First Nations
playwrights and First
Nations playwrights.

The Great Hunger by Len Peterson


Indian and The Ecstasy of Rita Joe by George Ryga
The Rez Sisters, + Dry Lips Oughta Move To Kapuskasing, by Tomson
Highway
Almighty Voice & His Wife +The Girl Who Loved Horses by Drew Hayden
Taylor
Big Buck City by Daniel David Moses

The Land: A Terrible Beauty


Some plays are:
These are plays in which the Canadian
landscape shapes and directs the plot and
characters. Unlike the happy ending convention
in the American Dream archetype, the characters
in these plays just survive.

Wacousta! by James Reaney


Still Stands The House by Peter Colley
Mesa by Doug Curtis
Marys Wedding by Stephen Massicotte

Regional Canadian Drama


The regions and some suggested plays are as follows:

These are plays that are


written by and set in a specific
part of Canada. The themes
and issues explored in the
plays can be both specific to
that region as well as to the
rest of Canada.

Atlantic Canada
Leaving Home, Salt Water Moon, Soldiers Heart by David French
Jacobs Wake by Michael Cook
The Weekend Healer by Bryden MacDonald
Qubec
Hosanna; Albertine in Five Times by Michel Tremblay
The Children Were Dancing by Gratien Glinas
Je me souviens by Lorena Gale
Les Canadiens by Rick Salutin

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