Canadian Theatre Review

Canadian Theatre Review
Title	Canadian Theatre Review
Frequency	Quarterly
Category	Theatre
Publisher	University of Toronto Press
Firstdate	1972
Country	Canada
Language	English

Canadian Theatre Review

Canadian Theatre Review is a Canadian quarterly magazine dedicated to contemporary theatre practice, criticism, and scholarship. It bridges professional theatre companies and academic institutions such as the University of Toronto, York University, and the University of British Columbia, publishing playwrights, directors, and scholars who engage with productions at venues like the Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, and Centaur Theatre. The journal situates Canadian work alongside international currents evident in exchanges with practitioners from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Comédie-Française, and the National Theatre (UK).

History

Founded in 1972 amid debates at the Canadian Centennial and the rise of cultural institutions like the Canada Council for the Arts, the magazine emerged during the expansion of companies including Tarragon Theatre, Centaur Theatre, and Factory Theatre. Early issues documented tours by ensembles such as Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and visiting directors linked with Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski. Editorial stewardship has passed through figures associated with University of Toronto Press, the Canadian Actors' Equity Association, and arts administrators connected to the National Arts Centre. The journal chronicled landmark events: the evolution of Fringe Festivals across Edinburgh Festival Fringe models, responses to policy changes at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and dialogues around works presented at festivals including the Magnetic North Theatre Festival.

Editorial Profile and Format

The editorial board has traditionally combined editors drawn from academic departments—such as the Department of Drama, University of Toronto and the School of Performance Studies, York University—with practitioners affiliated with companies like Tarragon Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre Company. Each issue follows a mixed-format template: feature essays, playtexts, interviews, performance reviews, and visual documentation. Regular sections mirror practices found in peer publications such as Theatre Journal, TDR (journal), and Theatre Research International. The magazine adheres to a quarterly cadence and collaborates with institutions including the Canada Council for the Arts and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for themed issues and special projects.

Content and Thematic Focus

Content ranges from production criticism of staged works at venues like Centaur Theatre and the Stratford Festival to theoretical interventions engaging with figures such as Bertolt Brecht, Antonin Artaud, Ariane Mnouchkine, and contemporary practitioners including Robert Lepage and Wajdi Mouawad. The journal addresses regional networks spanning Toronto and Vancouver to Montreal and Halifax, while situating Canadian practice within transnational frameworks involving the Royal Court Theatre, Propeller (theatre company), and touring circuits to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Recurring topics include dramaturgy, playwriting, scenography, and actor training with reference to institutions like the National Theatre School of Canada, the Canadian Stage Company, and conservatories influenced by methodologies from Stanislavski, Grotowski, and Michael Chekhov.

Contributors and Notable Issues

Contributors have included playwrights, directors, and scholars connected to prominent works and institutions: playwrights such as Michel Tremblay, Hugh MacLennan, and David French; directors linked to Robert Lepage and Richard Monette; critics and academics associated with George F. Walker studies and analyses of companies like Factory Theatre and Tarragon Theatre. Notable issues have focused on topics including bilingual theatre and francophone practice in contexts like Quebec, Indigenous performance linked to artists such as Tomson Highway and institutions like the Native Earth Performing Arts, adaptations of classical repertoire referencing Shakespeare, and the impact of policy shifts at the Canada Council for the Arts. Special issues have curated responses to landmark seasons at the Stratford Festival and retrospectives on influential practitioners such as Wole Soyinka in global contexts.

Reception and Influence

The magazine is cited in academic syllabi across departments at University of British Columbia, McGill University, and University of Toronto, and reviewed in outlets alongside Canadian Theatre Review peers such as Canadian Literature and Theatre Research in Canada. Its influence extends to programming at venues like Soulpepper Theatre Company, Centaur Theatre, and Tarragon Theatre, and to policy discussions involving the Canada Council for the Arts and municipal arts councils in Toronto and Montreal. Scholars reference the journal in monographs on Canadian drama, comparative studies involving the Royal Shakespeare Company, and analyses of festival cultures at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the SummerWorks Performance Festival.

Indexing and Availability

The magazine is distributed through academic channels tied to the University of Toronto Press and is indexed in databases used by libraries at institutions including McMaster University, Queen's University, and the University of Alberta. Archival holdings appear in special collections at university libraries and cultural archives associated with the National Arts Centre Library and the Library and Archives Canada. Back issues are consulted by researchers studying productions at the Stratford Festival, trends in bilingual theatre in Quebec, and the careers of artists such as Robert Lepage, Michel Tremblay, and Tomson Highway.

Category:Canadian theatre Category:Performing arts magazines