Canada's contemporary theatre reflects a rich diversity of regional and cultural identities. Since the late 1960s, there has been a concerted effort to develop the voice of the 'Canadian playwright', which is reflected in the nationally focused programming of many of the country's theatres. Within this 'Canadian voice' are a plurality of perspectives - that of the First Nations, new immigrants, French Canadians, sexual minorities, etc. - and a multitude of theatre companies have been created to specifically service and support these voices.
William Grant Glassco, was a Canadian theatre director, producer, translator and founder of Toronto's Tarragon Theatre.
Diane Flacks is a Canadian comedic actress, screenwriter and playwright.
Alisa Palmer is a Canadian theatre director and playwright. She was the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre from 1993 to 2001. Palmer is currently the artistic director of the English section of the National Theatre School of Canada.
The National Theatre School of Canada is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants awarded by the Government of Canada and cultural ministries in each province, with added financial support from private and corporate donors. It has offered incomparable training to actors, directors, playwrights, set and costume designers and production specialists to work in professional theatre.
Urjo Kareda was an Estonian-born Canadian theatre and music critic, dramaturge and stage director.
Wajdi Mouawad, OC, is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, actor, and director. He is known in Canadian and French theatre for politically engaged works such as the acclaimed play Incendies (2003). His works often revolve around family trauma, war, and the betrayal of youth. Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris.
Touchstone Theatre is a professional theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1976 by a group of University of British Columbia theatre graduates. Touchstone's focus is on the development and production of Canadian works. Since 2016, the Artistic Director has been Roy Surette, who previously held the position in the 1990s. Former Artistic Directors are Ian Fenwick, Gordon McCall, John Cooper and Katrina Dunn, who served in that position from 1997 to 2016.
Nightwood Theatre is Canada's oldest professional women's theatre and is based in Toronto. It was founded in 1979 by Cynthia Grant, Kim Renders, Mary Vingoe, and Maureen White and was originally a collective. Though it was not the founders' original intention, Nightwood Theatre has become known for producing feminist works. Some of Nightwood's most famous productions include This is For You, Anna (1983) and Good Night Desdemona (1988). Nightwood hosts several annual events including FemCab, the Hysteria Festival, and Groundswell Festival which features readings from participants of Nightwood's Write from the Hip playwright development program.
Hannah Moscovitch is a Canadian playwright who rose to national prominence in the 2000s. She is best known for her plays East of Berlin, This Is War, "Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story", and Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, for which she received the 2021 Governor General's Award for English-language drama.
Incendies is a 2003 play by Wajdi Mouawad. The play was translated into English as Scorched by Linda Gaboriau and was published in 2005 by Playwrights Canada Press.
Playwrights Canada Press is a Canadian publishing house founded in 1984 by the Playwrights Guild of Canada. It was incorporated in 2000 as an independent company.
The Ends of the Earth is a 1992 play by the Canadian playwright Morris Panych. It tells the story of two men, Frank and Walker, each of whom is convinced that the other is following him. Despite their best efforts at running away from each other, the two men repeatedly find themselves in the same places.
Daryl Cloran is a Canadian theatre director and, currently, the artistic director of the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta. Formally the artistic director of Western Canada Theatre, in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, he took over as the artistic director of Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, AB, Canada, succeeding Bob Baker, in September 2016.
Michael Levine is a Canadian set designer. He is best known for his work in opera, including the scenic design for the Canadian Opera Company's 2006 production of Wagner's Ring Cycle, directed by Atom Egoyan. Levine has also designed productions for Theatre Passe Muraille, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Vienna State Opera, English National Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Dutch National Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House, and the National Theatre.
Morwyn Brebner is a Welsh playwright, television writer and producer, best known as creator and producer of the television series Rookie Blue and Saving Hope.
Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes is a 2020 play written by Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch. It is the winner of the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for English-language drama. The play was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2021.
Salt-Water Moon is a Canadian theatrical play by David French, first staged by Tarragon Theatre in 1984. It is the third in his Mercer Plays series, following Leaving Home (1972) and Of the Fields, Lately (1973), and preceding 1949 (1988) and Soldier’s Heart (2001).
Micheline Chevrier is a bilingual Canadian theatre director, artistic director, dramaturge, mentor and teacher in Montreal.
