CREATING THE CANADIAN STAGE COMPANY:AN ANALYSIS OF THE MERGER OF TORONTO FREE THEATRE AND CENTRESTAGE COMPANY A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Graduate Shidies of University of Guelph by ANDREW CHRISTOPHER TRACY In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts August, 1998 O Andrew Christopher Tracy, 1998 National Libraiy Bibliothèque nationale I*I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellingtorr Ottawa ON K1A ON4 OttawaON K1AON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimes reproduced without the author' s ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT CREATING THE CANADIAN STAGE COWANY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE MERGER OF TORONTO FREE THEATRE AND CENTRESTAGE COMPANY Andrew Christopher Tracy Advisor: University of Guelph, 1 998 Professor Alan Filewod This thesis analyses and historicizes the dominant economic and cultural forces, and corporate and personal dispositions, that propeiied Toronto Free Theatre and CentreStage Company to wards their strategic merger and foundation of the Canadian Stage Company. Based in the field of cultural production, the study is influenced by the analytical tools of Pierre Bourdieu, and concentrates on the companies' muhial dispositions of culturai and economic growth acting as the driving force behind the creation of Canadian Stage. The murual struggies, serategies and ideologies of Toronto Free and CentreStage are explored in relation to the establishment of mandates, artistic and corporate leaders and structures. These work to unifv their dissimilar cultures with the goal of creating the major Canadian non-prof3 theatre company. Also examined is the role of the board of directors, who consolidated cultural hegemony and acculturation of corporate over artistic cultures ttnough the forced completion of the integration process. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The patient guidance, fkiendly insights, contributions, and constructive abuse of my advisors, Professon Alan Filewod and Ann Wilson made this project both challenging and rewarding for me personally and academicaily. 1 owe a great deal to Professors Michael Keefer, Ric Knowles, Harry Lane and Am Winfor their inspiration and expansion of my theoretical base in the pst year. 1 drew inspiration and discipline fkom my students in 3 50- 1000 (Introduction to Theatre) and 04-260 (Communication Skills) as well as my colleagues m this programme, Sheena Albanes, Marilyn Babineau, Greg Hill, Arnelia Steinbring, and Janos Sagi 1 thank David and Joan Black, Edgar Dobie, Bill Glassco, Katie Hermant- Peter Herrndorf, Jim Leech, Cathy McKeehan, Lynn Osmond, and Guy Spning, for the generous use of their the, recollections and hospw. Thanks also to the staff of the Archival Collections, University of Guelph Library for their interest, help and permission to access restricted materials. Th& are due to my parents, Elwood and Elizabeth, for the obvious and the notable; Alvin Shaw for recognising something of worth; and Buddy Pennington for his lessons in determination, Foremost, thanks is not suffcient for my de,Ellen, for her long hours of editing, perfect ly timed disuactions and unrelent ing support, generosity and understanding during my research and Wrifing process. Dedicated to the colo@I mernories of my gran&arents, Carl und Betty Woodley and John and Elsu Tracy. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF FIGURES AND TABLES.................................................................................... V ME"ïEloDOLOGY: POSmONS AND THE EI!WORY OF DISPOSITIONS .................. 1 CONCEPTWALTOOLS DEFINED................................................................................................ 2 PRE-HISTORIES:POS~ONS AMI D~SPOS~~IONS...................................................................... 5 Centrestage Company......................................................................................................... 8 Toronto Free Theatre ................. ,. ................................................................................. 18 -: -: STAKES AM) mTS................-...........................0................... 24 CANADIANTHEATRE: A CRITICALMAS s ............................. ,., ......................................... 30 CONVERGENCEOF MARGINS................................................................................................. 35 BIGGERIS BETTER................................................................................................................ -36 -: -: IMPULSES AND AMBITIONS ............................................................. 42 CULTURALLEADERSHIP AND THECASE OF uC~~~~~~~" ............................................. 43 ECQNOMICS: A C~CALCONCERN ...................................................................................... 50 No VACANCY:PLMB~oNs TOWARDS ART CWS ............................................................ 56 INTERESTED AND INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE ................................................................60 BUT WAS IT HUMBLE PIE? ................................................................................................. 66 INTERNALC ULTURAL TENSIONS.......................................................................................... -69 HELD TOGETHERWm BUBBLE Gm AND BAILNG Wm.................................................... 72 RE~PONSLBUITYTAKEN ........................................................................................................ 77 CONCLUSION: ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE MAINSTAGE............................................ 85 TABLE OF FIGURES AND TABLES TABLE1 : TORONTOFREE THEATREGROWTH BEXWEEN 198183 AND I 985186 ........................................ 22 TABLE2: CANADACorna FUNDING Gm TO MEDIUM-SIZED THEATRES l98O/8 1- l989/90 (IN THOUSANDS).................................................................................................................................. 39 Figure 1 :Canada Council Funding as Compared to the National Inflation Rate: 1980i80- PREFACE The Canadian Stage Company, in reality, masks discordance. It is the product of a merger between Toronto Free Theatre and Centrestage Company, two distinct artistic cultures and supporthg structures comprishg four performance spaces-the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre, the Theatre Downstairs and Theatre Upstairs at 26 Berkeley Street and High Park, the site for Toronto Free's "Dream in High Park." Ten years &er this merger, the nibnc of founding the Canadian Stage Company, vague on the practicalities of impiementhg the ideals, continues to deheate the founding cultures, purporiing to represent everythiag fkom "mainstream" regional programming to "aitemative" new play development and fke summer Shakespeare in the park. This study began as an aoalysis of the reflected hierarchicd, ideo logical and institutional considenitions of the Canadian Stage Company's diverse architectural, social and theatrical contexts. (With such a range in styles and employment of its spaces, Canadian Stage remains for me a site of untapped theoretical and analyticai possibilities.) However, as 1 attended Canadian Stage productions in ts various spaces as a graduate teaching assistant in 1997,I discovered 1 shared with many of my students and colleagues the immediate impression and feeling of alienation and discornfort at the Bluma Appel Theatre, in opposition with exciternent and ease at 26 Berkeley Street. As I began my prebhry research, delvuig into archival materiais, reviews and, most influentidy, attending more performances at each space (save High Park), my attention was once again drawn to the cornplex opposition of styles in the physical spaces and the theatres' programming- Curiosity+nce dem'bed as my "honest puzziement"-established my need to know why my reception of the Canadian Stage Company varied so, and how these spaces came under the control of one company. The simple answer-that Centrestage Company and Toronto Free Theatre had merged their resources under the name 'The Canadian Stage Companyw-fàiled to satisfy me. It instead created more cornplex questions: What made the distinctions between Centrestage and Toronto Free so apparent, even ten years followiog their merger? What idmlogical and theatncal impetus would draw two such distinct companies together? How was the resuiting cdtuddiversity managed in relation to its audience, its artists and fimding agencies? To analyse the company and the merger creating it, I have used these questions to establish a discursive approach, baseci in the field of cultural production which is influenced by the writing of the French theorist Pierre Bourdieu as my methodological foundation It is my intention in this thesis to analyse and historicize the forces which led Centrestage Company and Toronto Free Theatre to mage their