Theatre

Canadian Theatre

Theatre in Canada is truly the expression of an open culture. It is at once classic and avant-garde, with superb renditions of the old masters and ultra modern ventures into improvisational and fringe productions. It is multi-dimensional in scope, with large English and French theatre communities throughout Canada, Aboriginal theatre groups that express not only their traditions, but also their current realities and aspirations, and groups from all regions that represent more than 100 cultural and linguistic communities. In Canada, the word theatre can definitely be used in the plural form.

Theatre has had to contend with a culture increasingly dominated by the screen. The history of Canadian theatre is the reflection of this changing reality. It has embraced the fast pace of change and over the last decades, it has truly come of its own. It has gained audiences everywhere in Canada and has now exploded on to the world stage with productions that have invaded many of the great capitals. World-class theatre events like the Atlantic Theatre Festival, the Shaw Festival, the Stratford Festival and the Festival de théâtre des Amériques are among the many venues that attract people not only from Canada, but also from all continents.

Canadian playwrights such as Michel Tremblay, Jason Sherman and Tomson Highway, theatre directors like Robert Lepage and actors-creators such as Robert Gravel have also contributed to bring Canada’s incomparable theatrical creativity and know-how to the world stage.

Theatre in Canada remains plural in nature. It is community based, it is world-class, it is traditional, it is modern, it is multi-cultural. It is Canadian.