This resource is slated for revision in 2025, budget permitting. It was written through a colonial lens. Use discretion when offering this course and make adaptations. Please share any suggestions, recommendations, or ways that you have adapted this resource with us using the Feedback button for consideration in the updated version.
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Major movements in Canadian theatre history will allow students to analyze and use script work and improvisation in the development of theatre for political and entertainment purposes. Students will synthesize their knowledge in a culminating activity in which they will use the dramatic forms learned throughout the course to communicate their vision of Canadian culture and identity.
Students examine the idea of a “Canadian identity” through theatre, questioning who defines it, what voices are centered, and how theatre has both shaped and reflected national narratives.
Students trace the development of Canadian theatre, from early colonial works to the establishment of professional companies, learning how historical, political, and social contexts influenced theatrical practices.
Students read, perform, and analyze plays by Canadian playwrights, exploring themes, stylistic choices, and the ways these works engage with Canadian culture, geography, and society.
Students critically interrogate Canadian theatre through an anti-colonial lens, examining how Indigenous voices have been silenced, appropriated, or resisted within the canon, while engaging with works that disrupt colonial narratives. Students will consider the ethical implications of including Indigenous voices in "Canadian" Theatre and what that means for Indigenous sovereignty.
Students engage with theatre that amplifies diverse perspectives—including Indigenous, Black, immigrant, queer, and other historically marginalized voices—reflecting the plurality of lived experiences on Turtle Island today.
Students collaboratively create and present an original performance (devised theatre, scene anthology, or multimedia piece) that responds to the question: “Whose stories are told in Canadian theatre, and whose are missing?”
Stage 1: Research & Analysis
Each student selects a Canadian play/playwright or theatre company (mainstream or marginalized) to investigate, connecting to course units.
Stage 2: Performance Creation
In small groups, students curate excerpts, adaptations, or original writing into a short performance that stages multiple perspectives on Canadian identity and theatre.
Stage 3: Critical Reflection
Students write an individual artist’s statement or program note that explains their artistic choices, the voices represented, and how their work responds to the complexities of Canadian theatre on Turtle Island.
