photo of stacks (lower floor)

Canadian Literature & Poetry
in English

Drama

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & Handbooks

Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia Charlebois, Gaetan Information on plays, productions, performances, publications, playwrights, theatres and theatre practitioners.
The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre Benson, Eugene and L.W. Conolly, editors Documents the growth and development of Canadian drama and theatre in English and French, from the nineteenth century to the late 1980s. The book offers biographies of actors, playwrights, directors, and designers; major theaters, including nineteenth-century theaters, and companies; major plays; and numerous miscellaneous subjects such as collective theatre, design, directing, ethnic theater, musical theater, radio and television drama, and local theatre.
PN 2301 .O93 1989 Reference & Stacks
Theatre in Context Collection Alexander Street Press A comprehensive reference resource covering all aspects of the Canadian and American theatre. It includes major reference materials, together with records to plays, people, theatres, productions, production companies, as well as images, playbills, postcards, scrapbooks and other resources. Updated annually.
The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature Sugars, Cynthia, editor A comprehensive, authoritative guide to many different genres, topics, and aspects of Canadian literary history, including drama and the history of the Statford Festival.
The Cambridge Companion to Canadian Literature Kröller, Eva-Marie A comprehensive introduction to major writers, genres and topics in Canadian literature, such as drama, fiction, and poetry, Indigenous writing, autobiography, literary criticism, writing by women, urban writing, nature-writing, exploration and travel-writing, and short fiction.
The Cambridge History of Canadian Literature Howells, Coral Ann and Eva-Marie Kröller, editors A complete history of Canadian writing in English and French from its beginnings, including drama, performing communities, and contemporary Indigenous theatre.

Digital Collections

Theatre in Video Alexander Street Press Recordings of the stage work of legendary directors and actors and interviews with directors, designers, writers, and actors, including Canadian.
North American Women’s Drama Alexander Street Press 102 full-text plays by Canadian writers: Carol Bolt, Sharon Pollock, Rachel Wyatt, and others.

Bibliographies

Bibliography of Theatre History in Canada: The Beginnings through 1984 Ball, John L. et.al., editors Contains entries on theatre history, little theatre, festivals, biographies, criticism, Indigenous theatre, lighting, drama in education, young people’s theatre, theatre on radio, and television drama.
Z 8218.78 S63 2014 Reference
A Bibliography of English-Language Theatre and Drama in Canada 1800–1914 Sedgwick, Dorothy
Z 1377 .D7 S4 Reference
A Bibliography of Robertson Davies Spadoni, Carl and Judith Skelton Grant, compilers Lists Included Davies’ plays, novels, journalism, academic writing, translations, interviews, speeches, lectures, unsigned articles and editorials, films, audio recordings, and multimedia editions. Also included is a generous sampling of unsigned articles and editorials.
Z 8218.78 S63 2014 Reference

Anthologies

Major Plays of the Canadian Theatre, 1934–1984 Perkyns, Richard An anthology of Canadian plays by David French, John Herbert, Sharon Pollock, James Reaney and other playwrights, produced between 1934 and 1984.
Canada on Stage: Scenes and Monologues—A Survey of Canadian Theatre Turcott, Iris, and Keith Turnbull A survey of scenes and monologues from contemporary Canadian theatre, drawn from around fifty plays, produced between
She Speaks: Monologues for Women Thompson, Judith A collection of contemporary Canadian monologues for women, intended for auditions, study or general interest, and addressing such subjects as adolescence, body, childhood memories, identity, and others.

History, Literary Interpretation & Criticism

The Opening Act: Canadian Theatre History, 1945–1953 McNicoll, Susan Traces the beginnings of Canadian theatre to the postwar period and examines the role of numerous theatre companies in the shaping of professional theatre in Canada, including Everyman in Vancouver, New Play Society in Toronto, Canadian Repertory Theatre in Ottawa, and many more.
Canadian Theatre History: Selected Readings Rubin, Don, editor A sourcebook, including articles, essays, reviews, and biographies, contributed by critics, historians, playwrights, actors, directors and cultural commentators, which documents the development of theatre in Canada, beginning in the early nineteenth century to the late twentieth century.
English-Canadian Theatre Benson, Eugene, and L.W. Conolly A survey of the history of theatre and drama in English Canada, the dominance in the nineteenth century of foreign plays, companies and stars, and the development of an Indigenous Canadian theatre in the twentieth century.
Performing National Identities: International Perspectives on Contemporary Canadian Theatre Grace, Sherrill, and Albert-Reiner Glaap Examines the importance, reception, and the contributions of Canadian plays to the world stage, including the work of Michel Tremblay, Sharon Pollock, George F. Walker, Joan MacLeod, Tomson Highway, Marie Clements, Michel Marc Bouchard, Morris Panych, Monique Mojica, and Djanet Sears.
Staging Strangers: Theatre and Global Ethics Freeman, Barry A study of cultural difference in contemporary Canadian theatre. Theatre in Canada has long been a forum for cultural communities to celebrate their traditions, but it has now emerged as a forum for staging stories that stretch beyond local and national communities. This book onsiders the new demand this global shift is placing on theatre’s narratives and strategies.
Avant-Garde Canadian Literature: The Early Manifestations Betts, Gregory Presents a rich body of evidence to illustrate the extent to which Canadians have been producing avant-garde art since the start of the twentieth century, as mystical revolutionaries from the 1910s to the 1930s, Surrealists/Automatists from the 1920s to the 1960s, and as Canadian Vorticists from the 1920s to the 1970s.
Contemporary Canadian Theatre: New World Visions Wagner, Anton, editor An edited overview of the performing arts and their cultural and economic impact in French and English Canada in the 1980s. Includes an assessment of playwrighting, theatre production, opera and dance, radio and television drama in each province.
Establishing Our Boundaries: English-Canadian Theatre Criticism Wagner, Anton, editor Examines the cultural influence of prominent English-language theatre critics from 1829 to 1998, such as the work of B.K. Sandwell (1876–1954) the editor of Saturday Night between 1932 and 1951.
The Theatre of Form and the Production of Meaning: Contemporary Canadian Dramaturgies Knowles, Richard P. Studies the effect of dramatic forms shape social formations by analyzing a diverse range of wide range of contemporary Canadian plays, such as community plays and historical metadramas.
Setting the Stage: Montreal Theatre, 1920–1949 Whittaker, Herbert, and Jonathan Rittenhouse The history of theatrical cultures of Montreal and their part in the development of the Canadian national theatre.
Jewish Roots, Canadian Soil: Yiddish Culture in Montreal, 1904– 1945 Margolis, Rebecca Examines the contributions of performers and other artists to the Yiddish theatre and culture in Montreal in the first half of the twentieth century, with consideration to the social landscape of the city.
Whittaker’s Theatre: A Critic Looks at Stages in Canada and Thereabouts, 1944–1975 Bryden, Ronald and Boyd Neil, editors A collection of reviews written by Whittaker, a theatre critic and journalist of The Gazzette and later Globe and Mail and published between 1944 and 1975.
PN 2304 .W5 Stacks
Sharon Pollock: First Woman of Canadian Theatre Coates, Donna, editor As playwright, actor, director, teacher, mentor, theatre administrator, and critic, Sharon Pollock has played an integral role in the shaping of Canada’s national theatre tradition. This collection is comprised of new and original assessments of her work and contribution to theatre.

Indigenous Drama & Theatre

Indian Act: Residential School Plays St. Bernard, Donna-Michelle, editor A collection of works by Indigenous playwrights Drew Hayden Taylor, Tara Beagan, Curtis Peeteetuce, Yvette Nolan, and more. Seven plays by contemporary Indigenous playwrights cover the broad scope of residential school experiences.
Honouring the Strength of Indian Women: Plays, Stories, Poetry Manuel, Vera, and Coupal, Michelle, et al., editors This critical edition delivers a comprehensive collection of the works of Ktunaxa-Secwepemc writer and educator Vera Manuel, daughter of prominent Indigenous leaders Marceline Paul and George Manuel. A vibrant force in the burgeoning Indigenous theatre scene, Manuel was at the forefront of residential school writing and did groundbreaking work as a dramatherapist and healer. Long before mainstream Canada understood and discussed the impact and devastating legacy of the residential schools, Manuel wrote about it as part of her personal and community healing.
Performing Turtle Island: Indigenous Theatre on the World Stage Archibald-Barber, Jesse Rae, et al., editors This book analyzes theatre as a tool for community engagement, education, and resistance, and examines how communities in turn influence the construction of Indigenous identities through theatre.
Aboriginal Drama and Theatre Appleford, Robert Examines trickster drama, performance culture, specific plays, and historical heritage of Indigenous theatre and drama in Canada.
Pursued by a Bear: Talks, Monologues, and Tales Moses, Daniel D. Collection of essays about First-Nations Canadian playwrights and authors, which examines how Indigenous stories contribute to the Canadian collective memory.

Journals

Theatre Research in Canada University of Toronto Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies Peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal on theatre research in Canada, including theatre history. The articles are published in English and French, and the journal also includes book reviews.
Canadian Theatre Review A peer-reviewed, illustrated journal publishing playscripts, dramatic criticism, interviews, and reviews.

reviewed & updated 20 May 2021 | compiled by Agatha Barc, MI