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UniliversiV Micixjfllrns International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 1323850 TOWARD A NATIONAL THEATRE: THE CANADA COUNCIL, 1957-1982 Hankins, Dilys Rosiland, M.A. The American University, 1984 © 1984 by Hankins, Dilys Rosiland All rights reserved UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed In the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V 1. Glossy photographs or pages. 2. Colored Illustrations, paper or print ______ 3. Photographs with dark background _____ 4. Illustrations are poor copy_______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy. 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page. 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages ________ 8. Print exceeds margin requirements______ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost In sp in e_______ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print. 11. Page(s) ? q lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s) ____________ seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages num bered . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled p a g e s _______ 15. Dissertation contains pages with print at a slant, filmed as received __________ 16. Other__________________________________________________________________________ UMI TOWARD A NATIONAL THEATRE; THE CANADA COUNCIL, 1957-1982 by Dilys R. Hankins submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the American University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree 0 f Master of Arts 1 n Arts Management Signatures of Committee; Chairman: L Dean of the Collegy 1984 The American University Washington, D.C. 20016 THE AMERICAN UNIVERS ITY LIBRARY (ç) COPYRIGHT BY DILYS R, HANKINS 1984 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TOWARD A NATIONAL THEATRE; THE CANADA COUNCIL, 1957-1902 BY Dilys R. Hankins ABSTRACT The following study explores the efforts of the Canada Council to develop a national theatre in Canada during the years 1957 to 1982. It demonstrates that the Council's conceptual understanding of the term 'national theatre' evolved through three distinct stages, each of which was articulated into specific new policies. The implementation of these policies defined, to a certain extent, the manner in which a national theatre was to develop. 11 PREFACE Next to religion, the theatre has always been the greatest corporate expression of a nation's culture. We have always fought against a state church in Canada--and always will--and I don't want a state-dominated propaganda theatre, but I don't believe we'll ever have a national theatre and a Canadian drama unless our national government takes some responsibility.^ The original intent of the following study was to provide a general overview of the Canada Council's influence and effect upon theatrical activity in Canada during the years 1957 to 1982. However, as research progressed, some important and somewhat startling discoveries were made that greatly altered the focus of this study: 1. Throughout most of its history, Canada has been unable to claim a national theatre of its own, while foreign theatrical traditions and influences have competed for dominance. 2. The desire among Canadians to create a national theatre has persisted throughout much of Canada's theatrical past, both before and after the formation of the Canada Council in 1957. 3. An examination of the Canada Council's activities in the field of theatre over a twenty-five year period Ipreda Watson, "Reconstruction and the Arts: Can We Have a National Theatre?" Saturday Night, 25 November 1944, p. 38. Ill indicates that the issue of a national theatre was of considerable concern to the Council, and became, in a sense, a continuous 'theme' throughout its history. A logical outcome of these discoveries was to conduct an examination of the Canada Council's efforts to develop a national theatre, a particularly relevant topic given the present nationalistic climate in Canada, where efforts to promote a Canadian cultural identity are widespread. Hence the following study will explore the efforts of the Canada Council to develop a national theatre in Canada during the years 1957 to 1982 and will examine the evolution of Canada Council policies specifically related to its goal of developing a national theatre. It will limit its investigation to theatre in English Canada; French- Canadian theatre developed independently as an indigenous theatrical expression distinct from English-Canadian theatre, and is, therefore, beyond the scope of this study. Organization Chapters One and Two establish the historical context for the creation of the Canada Council and the issue of a national theatre. Chapter One traces the federal government's support to the arts prior to the formation of the Canada Council, the rationale behind the establishment of federal cultural agencies, and the events which culminated in the creation of the Canada Council. Chapter Two presents a brief history of Canadian theatre up to 1957, i V examining such topics as foreign theatrical influences, the amateur theatre movement, early Canadian drama, and the issue of a national theatre. Chapter Three then discusses the formation of the Canada Council, its mandate, structure, early policies and funding procedures. Chapter Four examines the Canada Council's influence upon the development of a national theatre during the years 1957 to 1982. Research Problems Efforts to conduct research into the Canada Council's development of a national theatre are seriously hampered by the poor quality and inaccessibility of material resources. Within the field of Canadian theatre, no comprehensive history exists anywhere. Original sources are scattered throughout the country in numerous libraries and archives, many of which are still in the process of acquiring, sorting, and cataloguing materials. These difficulties are approximately equivalent to those encountered in conducting research on the Canada Council itself. Other than the Council's annual reports and the occasional speech by a Council director or chairman, there is very little accessible original documentation of Council policies with regard to theatre. Furthermore, files on the Council's client organizations are held strictly confiden­ tial, as are the minutes of Council and Advisory Arts Panel meetings. This necessitates the arduous task of locating various other sources such as arts periodicals, newspapers. theses and the few scholarly works which address, on a more general level, issues related to federal arts support and Canadian culture. There are in existence, however, a few excellent sources which were invaluable to the following study. These include: 1. The Report of the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, more commonly known as the Massey Report, published in 1951; 2. A 1965 Ph.D. dissertation entitled "The Canada Council for the Encouragement of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Its Origins, Formation, Operation, and Influence Upon Theatre in Canada, 1957-1963," by Walter Whittaker; 3. A 1972 Ph.D. dissertation by David Gustafson entitled "The Canadian Regional Theatre Movement"; and 4. Canadian Theatre Review, a quarterly publication which explores important issues and events in Canadian theatre, both past and present. Special appreciation is expressed to Dr. Davidson Dunton, Fellow of the Institute for Canadian Studies, Carleton University, for his encouragement and guidance during the more difficult periods of research, and for his insightful knowledge of and enthusiasm for Canada's cultural past. V i TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ..................................................... iii LIST OF T A B L E S ................................................ ix Chapter I. FEDERAL ARTS SUPPORT: PRE-CANADA COUNCIL .... 1 The Massey Report ............................... 1 Federal Cultural Agencies ................... 5 Recommendations of the Massey Commission . 7 The Massey Report on Theatre ................... 9 II. THEATRE IN CANADA: PRE-CANADA COUNCIL .......... 13 General Characteristics ........................ 13 Foreign Theatrical Influences ................. 14 The Rise of the Amateur T h e a t r e .............