Dr Canadiana

This podcast is for DRE200 Canadian Theatre History students at University of Toronto, Mississauga.

In this episode topics include Kevin Kerr’s Unity 1918, why we study history, and who developed the Canadian Theatre History canon and why we should care.

There are some tech glitches that with smooth out as my editing skills sharpen over the term.

A quick explainer on an influential person.

Topics in this episode include Factory Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, and their commitment to developing Canadian playwrights. Funding, community building and mandate shifts. Please stay tuned for Part 2, a conversation with Why Not Theatre’s Ravi Jain which will be uploaded in two days. [Update: The Audio for my interview with Jain was poor so I did not post it.]

Ray listens to me podcast.

I briefly outline the life of playwright John Herbert to offer context to the play Fortune in Men’s Eyes which is the subject of the next full episode of Dr. Canadiana.

In this episode, my colleague, Dr. Cameron Crookston and I discuss John Herbert’s play The Fortune in Men’s Eyes. Topics include - how time changes language and the importance of historical context when discussing tricky words, gender and sexual identity, and John Herbert and this play’s role in the Canadian drama and theatre canon. This episode includes a discussion of violence and sexual assault; listener discretion is advised.

Topics on this episode of Dr. Canadiana include George Ryga, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, Marie Clements, The Unnatural and Accidental Women, Indigenous theatre and drama in Canada and in the Canon, Serial killer Gilbert Jordan and Canada’s Missing and Murdered. Listener discretion is advised.

Last week’s episode was delayed due to a technical issue and was “performed live” for my students on Monday, 23 November. I re-recorded it here. Topics include - The Birds by Yvette Nolan, Miss Julie: Sheh-mah by Tara Beagan, Harlem Duet by djanet sears and Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann Marie MacDonald.

The last episode of Dr Canadiana in 2020 will review and reflect on the last twelve weeks of topics.

On this bonus episode of Dr Canadiana I discuss Total Theatre and Canada’s most famous example of the genre - Robert Lepage. This podcast was researched, written and recorded for Dr Kelsey Jacbson’s DRAMA 341 Directing class at the Dan School of Drama and Music, at Queen’s University.