Developing Canadian Theatre
Since its inception, Passe Muraille has demonstrated its commitment to cultivating Canadian voices by mentoring and providing space and support to emerging theatre artists and fledgling theatre companies, in order that they may create on their own artistic terms. In 1973, Thompson started a production-oriented "seed-show" programme. During his term, Clarke Rogers started a script-oriented New Works programme and most recently, current Artistic Director Andy McKim opened the theatre's doors to anyone with new ideas for Passe Muraille's new Five-minute Pitch programme.
Many successful alternative theatre companies developed within Passe Muraille's walls. Buddies in Bad Times, which is committed to supporting LBGT voices, the feminist Nightwood Theatre, Newfoundland's CODCO, Necessary Angel Company and the Blyth Summer Festival, amongst many others, all had their beginnings with TPM.
Many of the country's most respected performers, writers and theatre artists, including Eric Peterson, David Fox, Mary Walsh, Rick Salutin and Linda Griffiths, consider Passe Muraille their starting point. Artists such as Ann Marie MacDonald, Michael Ondaatje, Maria Campbell and Timothy Findley have all gone on to create original works that are considered Canadian classics.
Read more about this topic: Theatre Passe Muraille
Famous quotes containing the words developing, canadian and/or theatre:
“It makes little sense to spend a month teaching decimal fractions to fourth-grade pupils when they can be taught in a week, and better understood and retained, by sixth-grade students. Child-centeredness does not mean lack of rigor or standards; it does mean finding the best match between curricula and children’s developing interests and abilities.”
—David Elkind (20th century)
“We’re definite in Nova Scotia—’bout things like ships ... and fish, the best in the world.”
—John Rhodes Sturdy, Canadian screenwriter. Richard Rossen. Joyce Cartwright (Ella Raines)
“The theatre is supremely fitted to say: “Behold! These things are.” Yet most dramatists employ it to say: “This moral truth can be learned from beholding this action.””
—Thornton Wilder (1897–1975)