This week we hear from the next generation of Canadian (?) directors.
Each is emerging from some of the most competitive directing programs in the country. Each has been given relatively the same instructions: What are your hopes for the theatre and your own work ?
I am struck by the fact that each finds hope or interest in non-English based theatre. Ted Witzel elaborates on his connection to German theatre, Jon Lachlan Stewart is an Albertan interested in bridging the divide between Anglophone and Francophone theatre, and Andreja Kovac as an immigrant from Slovenia considers the experience of other immigrants theatre-makers.
This to my mind is a welcome and healthy evolution to our craft. Many of our institutions have been based on English models. If we would like to progress from a provincial outpost to an international cultural centre, directors with a broad range of cultural influences is a great step in the that direction.
Michael Wheeler
Editor-in-Chief: #CdnCult Times
