The Mummers Troupe, The Canada Council, and the Production of Theatre History
Abstract
A close examination of the history of the Mummers Troupe raises questions about the nature of the theatre "company" as a central but problematic signifier in the narration of Canadian theatre history. An analysis of the conflicts between the Mummers' institutional history, as recorded through its dealings with the Canada Council, and its internal history of ideological conflict and personal rivalry, suggests that the Canada Council was unable to develop a policy that could support an activist and locally engaged model of theatrical structures. Insofar as its struggle to survive within the Canada Council's terms of containment exposes deeper crises in Canadian culture, the Mummers Troupe may be the typifying expression of Canadian theatre in the 1970s. Un examen de l'histoire de la Mummers Troupe pose des questions à propos du rôle de cette «compagnie» de théâtre comme signifiant central--mais non pas problématique--dans l'histoire du théâtre canadien. L'analyse de l'opposition de l'histoire institutionnelle de la Mummers Troupe (leurs relations avec le Conseil des Arts du Canada) et des disputes idéologiques et personnelles internes, suggère l'incapacité de concilier la politique du Conseil avec l'activisme des institutions théâtrales. Comme exemple de lutte contre la rigidité des règles du Conseil, le cas de la Mummers Troupe est caractéristique d'une crise dans la culture canadienne, et l'expression typique de la scène pendant les années 70.Downloads
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