Book
The opening act : Canadian theatre history, 1945-1953 / Susan McNicoll.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781553801139 (pbk.) :
- Physical Description: 327 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
- Publisher: Vancouver : Ronsdale Press, 2012.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Actors > Canada > History > 20th century. Canadian drama > History and criticism. Theater > Canada > History > 20th century. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | 792.0971 McNi | 31681002666915 | NONFICPBK | Available | - |
- Book News
McNicoll, a historian and writer in Canada, challenges the notion that professional Canadian theatre began in 1953 with the founding of the Stratford Festival and shows how it actually originated just after World War II. She draws on interviews with actors to trace its history from 1945 to 1953, arranging her discussion of specific companies regionally. She details those such as Everyman Theatre, Totem Theatre and Theatre Under the Stars, the Little Theatre Movement and Dominion Drama Festival, Jupiter Theatre, New Play Society, Ottawa Stage Society and Canadian Repertory Theatre, Hart House and Straw Hat Players, International Players, Peterborough Summer Theatre, and Niagara Falls Summer Theatre, Ontario summer theatres, English and French Quebec theatre, and Earle Grey Players and the Stratford Festival. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) - Litdistco
The conventional opinion is that professional Canadian theatre began in 1953 with the founding of the Stratford Festival. But Susan McNicoll asks how this could be, when the majority of those taking the stage at Stratford were professional Canadian actors. To answer this question, McNicoll delves into the period to show how in fact Canadian professional theatre began just after World War Two when a host of theatre people decided that Canada needed its own professional theatre groups. Drawing on personal interviews with many of the actors and directors active in the period after the war, McNicoll explores the role of such companies as Everyman in Vancouver, New Play Society in Toronto, Canadian Repertory Theatre in Ottawa, ThŽâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal, and many more. In 1953, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival ultimately showed the world that Canada was ready for centre stage but the real birth of professional theatre happened in the years leading up to it. The volume includes over 50 photos of scenes from plays of the time, and selections from McNicoll's interviews with such luminaries as Christopher Plummer, Joy Coghill, Amelia Hall and Herbert Whittaker.
- SCB Distributors
The conventional opinion is that professional Canadian theatre began in 1953 with the founding of the Stratford Festival. But Susan McNicoll asks how this could be, when the majority of those taking the stage at Stratford were professional Canadian actors. To answer this question, McNicoll delves into the period to show how in fact Canadian professional theatre began just after World War Two when a host of theatre people decided that Canada needed its own professional theatre groups. Drawing on personal interviews with many of the actors and directors active in the period after the war, McNicoll explores the role of such companies as Everyman in Vancouver, New Play Society in Toronto, Canadian Repertory Theatre in Ottawa, ThŽâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal, and many more. In 1953, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival ultimately showed the world that Canada was ready for centre stage but the real birth of professional theatre happened in the years leading up to it. The volume includes over 50 photos of scenes from plays of the time, and selections from McNicoll's interviews with such luminaries as Christopher Plummer, Joy Coghill, Amelia Hall and Herbert Whittaker.
