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Canadian Anthologies
See also: Canadian Plays
TheatreBooks stocks plays in English from around the world and, of course, all
plays published in Canada. We stock and sell plays from Samuel French Ltd., Dramatists Play Service
and Dramatic Publishing Co., and the leading play publishers
in Great Britain. We carry books on all aspects of theatre production, as well
as opera and dance.
If you don't find the title or playwright you are looking for, please stop by the
store and ask, or contact us at action@theatrebooks.com,
by phone at 416.922.7175, toll-free at 1.800.361.3414 or by fax at 416.922.0739.
 The Mill
Theatrefront
Conceived by Daryl Cloran and Matthew MacFadzean for Toronto's Theatrefront, The Mill is a unique theatrical endeavour comprised of four plays written by four of Canada's most celebrated playwrights, all exlporing the dark secrets held by the town of Brody, and the mill which many believe is haunted. The plays are by Damien Atkins, Tara Beagan, Matthew MacFadzean and Hanna Moscovitch.
 Tonight at the Tarragon
Kamal Al-Solaylee
A collection of six plays that originated in or received their English-language premiere at Toronto's Tarragon theatre. Selected and edited by theatre critic and scholar, Kamal Al-Solaylee, these plays capture the theatre's essence during a transitional phase in its history. The plays are Half Life by John Mighton, Rune Arlidge by Michael Healey, The Optimists by Morwyn Brebner, I, Claudia by Kristen Thomson, Motel Helene by Serge Boucher, and It's All True by Jason Sherman. Softcover, 482 pp. $29.95.
 Generation Nexxt
Cairn A. Moore
An anthology of scenes for young women, written specifically for this collection by sixteen female playwrights, including Yvette Nolan, Sharon Bajer, and Maureen Hunter. Softcover, 128 pp. $16.95.
 Grassroots
Various
A collection of full length plays premiered by Ontario community theatres. Includes: $38 000 For A Friendly Place by Kristin Shepherd, Hamish by Michael Grant, Never Such Innocence Again by J. Michael Fay, Staff Room by Joan Burrows, and A Year in Edna's Kitchen by Sandy Conrad. Softcover, 380 pp. $29.95.
 Afrika, Solo
Various playwrights
Three outstanding plays by some of Canada's best playwrights. All three are solo shows, autobiographical in nature, that deal with, among other things, the struggle of what it means to be an African in diaspora.
Includes: Afrika Solo by Djanet Sears, Come Good Rain by George Seremba, and Je me souviens by Lorena Gale. Softcover, 128 pp. $25.00.
 Give Voice
Edited by Rita Shelton Deverell
Ten twenty minute plays from the Obsidian Theatre Company playwrights unit. Created between 2006 and 2009 these vibrant plays explore the themes of families, relationships, and social issues. Softcover, 238 pp. $19.95.
 Rites of Passage
Chris Craddock & David S. Craig
Three plays from Roseneath Theatre: Smokescreen, Napalm the Magnificent, and Wrecked. Softcover, 132 pp. $19.95.
 Sprouts!
An Anthology of Plays
Mieko Ouchi & Caroline Howarth
What does it mean to be a kid today? This collection of culturally diverse short plays, gathered from eight years of Concrete Theatre's groundbreaking Sprouts New Play Festival for Kids, brings us stories from the rich cultural tapestry of Canada, exploring both the challenges and the joys of growing up. Featuring the work of well known and up-and-coming Alberta writers, this anthology is suitable for professionals, students, and young performers alike and is excellent for use in the classroom. Softcover, 347 pp. $24.95.
 The Taxi Project
PEN Canada
Based on the lives and writings of four members of PEN Canada's writers-in-exile program, The TAXI Project provides a glimpse into what it means to be forced to leave your homeland to start your life anew. Softcover, 62 pp. $14.95.
 Festival Voices
Wayne Fairhead & Jane Gardner
Since its inception, students and teachers from across Ontario have been writing new, original plays to showcase their talents at the Sears Ontario Drama Festival, the province's largest and most prestigious student theatre festival. Collected here are eight of the best from the past ten years. Softcover, 291 pp. $25.00.
 Anthology of Quebec Women's Plays
Volume III (1997-2009)
Louise H. Forsyth
Louise H. Forsyth brings to English Canada some of the best plays by women that Quebec has to offer, in translation from the original French. Covering a diverse range of subject matter, these plays are being published in English for the first time. Softcover, 509 pp. $29.95.
Love + Relasianships: A Collection of Contemporary Asian-Canadian Drama
Edited by Nina Lee Aquino
 Volume 1: This anthology includes Yellow Fever (S.A. Shiomi), Bachelor-Man (Winston Christopher Kam), Maggie's Last Dance (Marty Chan), Mother Tongue (Betty Quan), Noran Bang: The Yellow Room (M.J. Kang), and The Plum Tree (Mitch Miyagawa). Softcover, 279 pp. $29.95.
 Volume 2: This second volume contains Yes Yoko Solo (Jean Yoon), Tiger of Malaya (Hiro Kanagawa), Miss Orient[ed] (Nina Lee Aquino & Nadine Villasin), China Doll (Marjorie Chan), Banana Boys (Leon Aureus), and Paper Series (David Yee). Softcover, 307 pp. $29.95.
Canada and the Theatre of War: Volume II - Contemporary Wars
Donna Coates & Sherrill Grace
These are the stories that Canadians must remember. They are not simply the reassuring stories about war and forgiveness and family, but also the terrible tales of human tragedy. Included are: Game of Patience by Abla Farhoud, A Line in the Sand by Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef, The Monument by Colleen Wagner, Palace at the End by Judith Thompson, Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad, and Man Out of Joint by Sharon Pollock. Softcover, 323 pp. $29.95.
 Outspoken
Susan G. Cole
Touching on gender, sexuality, family, pop culture, and history, these pieces range from the hilarious to the poignant, the sexy to the sincere, the truthful to the tongue-in-cheek. The scenes and monologues found in this collection reflect personal, political, and cultural complexities like the Canadian lesbian community. Softcover, 163 pp. $19.95.
 Things That Go Bump Volume I: Plays for Young Adults
Edited by Kit Brennan
This volume contains five recent Canadian plays for young audiences. In This World, Offensive Fouls, Learning the Game, To Be Frank, and Binti's Journey are about real and current issues. Teachers and theatre professionals looking for new work for young adults will find the scripts current and refreshing examples of good writing and good scene work. Softcover, 200 pp. $24.95.
 Summerworks: Great Plays from the Indie Theatre Festival
Edited by Michael Rubenfeld
This terrific anthology from one of Canada's most cutting-edge theatre festivals includes Matador Love and Our Father by Morwyn Brebner; Richardthesecond by Matthew MacFadzean; Little Dragon by Keira Loughran; The Unforgetting by Alan Dilworth; and Any Night by Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn. Softcover, $25.00.
 A Certain William: Adapting Shakespeare in Francophone Canada
Leanore Lieblein
This collection of plays by some of francophone Canada's most distinguished playwrights chronicles their fraught and changing relationship with Shakespeare. These plays emerge from a context in which language is intricately tied to both personal and political identity, both claiming and contesting the authority of England's -- and English Canada's -- bard. Lyrical, farcical or playful, deeply ironic or intensely tragic, they engage Shakespeare with anger and with love in their quest for nationhood, human dignity, social justice, and artistic agency. Softcover, 331 pp. $35.00.
 5 Hot Plays
Edited by Dave Carley
5 Hot Plays is a combustible mix of new work from five of Canada's top emerging playwrights. High-definition snapshots of an exciting demographic, the plays are perfect production fare for schools, festivals, actors seeking scenes and monologues, and theatres wanting to produce something edgy and vital. $25.00.
- Talk Thirty To Me by Oonagh Duncan
A raw and funny look at a diverse group of 29-year-olds who are united by one pending horror - they are about to hit the Big 3-0.
- Offensive Shadows by Paul Dunn
What happens when the two sleeping couples in A Midsummer Night's Dream wake up? Find out in this clever and sexy play.
- In Full Light by Daniel Karasik
A haunting play that takes us to a street of frustrated desires and fractured relationships.
- The Russian Play by Hannah Moscovitch
The bittersweet story of a flower shop girl who falls in love with a gravedigger - but love does not run smoothly in Stalinist Russia.
- Spain by Michael Rubenfeld
Finds two buddies testing the limits of their platonic relationship, and discovering the pitfalls of indecision.
 Alone, On Stage: Solo Plays for Men
DD Kugler & Brian Quirt
Each of these six scripts represents - uniquely - a pinnacle in meeting the distinct challenges of the solo performance form. Scripts that rise above perceived limits of the solo performance to examine the surrounding human society. The six plays included are: Alphonse (Wajdi Mouawad), Beuys Buoys Boys (Ken Garnhum), Fronteras Americanas (Guillermo Verdecchia), Here Lies Henry (Daniel MacIvor), Property (DD Kugler/Marc Diamond), Tinka's New Dress (Ronnie Burkett). Softcover, 237 pp. $27.00.
 Ontario Playwrights: Eight Short Plays Selected by Theatre Ontario
Ontario Playwrights: Eight Short Plays Selected by Theatre Ontario
Eight one-act plays for readers, students, actors and theatres selected by Theatre Ontario. $ 29.95
- As Night to the Day by Dan Ebbs
Forty-year-old Michael returns home to help his mother who is struggling with memory loss. Over the course of a morning, Michael sees her through the eyes of another and learns that there’s a side to her he didn’t know.
- Bedtime Stories by Diana Kolpak
Four women from fairy tales - Cinderella, the Witch who held Rapunzel hostage, the Queen who outsmarts Rumpelstiltskin and Bluebeard’s wife - each tell the story from their own point of view. A unique look at the way women are treated in classic tales.
- Health Class by David S. Craig and Robert Morgan
Two teachers prepare a sex ed presentation for male high school students. Through their discussions, their own experiences, fears and doubts about sexuality, masculinity and gender come to the fore, engaging the audience and asking us to look at our own opinions and beliefs when it comes to sex.
- Hide and Seek by Drew Carnwath
The unresolved disappearance of one of their childhood friends causes three women to continually return to that day. Beautifully lyrical and hauntingly poetic, Hide and Seek reminds us about those who are left behind.
- The Malaysia Hotel by Laurie Fyffe
In the middle of Bangkok, the rundown Malaysia is a traveller’s hotel with a long history. There, on her last night in Thailand, Kris, a Canadian English teacher, is confronted by Molyka, a young Cambodian refugee who makes a strange and seemingly impossible request.
- My Narrator by Norm Foster
Imagine what would happen if that little voice inside your head—the one that tells you how to behave and what choices to make—suddenly took on a life of its own? For Lacy and Miles, love is what happens, and with hilarious results.
- Stroke Static by Lindsay Price
Suffering from dementia, Russ is taken from the present to the past and back again in a split second. A sobering look at the loss of control that accompanies this disease from the inside.
- The Work of Art by Victoria Dawe
Neighbours Frank and Annie assemble a found object sculpture in Frank’s backyard and in the meantime discuss life, love and everything in between. At the end of the day, could it be that what they’re looking for has been next door all along?
 The Alberta Advantage: An Anthology of Plays
Edited by Anne Nothof
The Alberta Advantage is not mountains, badlands, oil or wheat, but the creative cultural diversity of Canada's western province. This selection of plays highlights political conundrums and community history, the unique customs of small towns and large cities, the end-game scenarios of prarie philosophers and the Wonderland dreams of intellectuals and loners. Softcover, 602 pp. $55.00.
 Anthology of Quebec Women's Plays
Edited by Louise H. Forsyth
In this anthology, Louise H. Forsyth brings to English Canada some of the best plays by women that Quebec has to offer, in translation from the original french. Covering a diverse range of subject matter, many of these plays are being published in english for the first time. Softcover, 378 pp. $50.00.
 Canada and the Theatre of War
Edited by Dona Coates & Sherrill Grace
About the world of live theatre and dramatic literature, Canada and the Theatre of War is a collection of stage plays by some of Canada's leading playwrights. Varying in setting and themes, they all address the timeless issues of memory, history, trauma, and identity. This collection features reminders of the ease with which conflict permeates national and cultural boundaries, and the terrible pesistence of ghosts. Softcover, 492 pp. $49.95.
 Three on the Boards
Edited by Kit Brennan
These seven plays from writers across the country paint a dark and mainly urban picture of Canada in the first decade of this new millenium. They are Curtsy by Brian Drader, In the Yichud Room by Joel Fishbane, Suicide Notes by Kenneth T. Williams, Canada House by J. Karol Korczynski, Starter Home by Katherine Koller, Three Dogs Barking by Frank Barry, and Purity Test by Scott Sharplin. Softcover, 311 pp. $22.95.
 Perfectly Abnormal: Seven Gay Plays
Edited by
Sky Gilbert
These plays include random musings on gay life, or anachronistic views of gay history, or impossible Utopian fantasies, or hilarious nonsense. This collection contains a diverse range of style as well: prose that verges on poetry, inaccurate histories, and bizarre, seemingly fictional detail that nevertheless resonates with the realities of queer life. Softcover, 236 pages, B/W photographs.
 Two Hands Clapping
Kit Brennan
A goldmine for actors seeking two-person plays, Two Hands Clapping features full-length, one act, and short scripts for two actors, as well as in-depth interviews with playwrights. The playwrights are Canadian and include established writers, as well as voices that are just beginning to make their mark in Canadian theatre. Plays include: Afterglow by Peter Boychuk, Lola Shuffles the Cards by Kit Brennan. Jane's Thumb by Kelley Jo Burke, 3... 2... 1 by Nathan Cuckow and Chris Craddock, The Dinner Party by Rose Cullis, The House Wife by Ruth Lawrence and Sherry White, Poochwater by Mike McPhaden, and The File by Greg Nelson. Softcover, 330 pp. $24.95.
Anthology of Quebec Women's Plays in English Translation
Volume 1 (1966-1986)
Louise H. Forsyth
Louise H. Forsyth brings to English Canada some of the best plays by women that Quebec has to offer, in translation from the original French. Covering a diverse range of subject matter, many of these plays are being published in English for the first time. Softcover, 570 pp. $44.00.
 Lesbian Plays: Coming of Age in Canada
Rosalind Kerr
Black Friday by Alec Butler; Growing Up Suites
I and II; Object/Subject of Desire by Shawna Dempsey and Lorri
Millan; Dykes
and Dolls by
Lisa Lowe; Karla and Grif by Vivienne Laxdal; A
Fertile Imagination by Susan G. Cole; Difference of
Latitude by Lisa Walter; Swollen Tongues by Kathleen
Oliver; Life and a Lover by Natalie Meisner; Random
Acts by Diane Flacks; Smudge by Alex Bulmer
and Privilege by Corrina Hodgson. Softcover, 522 pp. $46.00.
 Modern Jewish Plays
Jason Sherman
Masada by Arthur Milner; The Murder of Isaac by
Motti Lerner; The
Trials of John Demjanjuk: A Holocaust Cabaret by Jonothan
Garfinkel; Hand
in Hand by Simon Block; Shooting Magda (The Palestinian
Girl) by Joshua
Sobol and Reading Hebron by Jason Sherman. Softcover,
366 pp. $30.00.
 Nextfest Anthology II: Plays from the Syncrude Next Generation Arts Festival
Steve Pirot, editor
This collection contains five captivating plays chosen from the past five
years of the festival Nextfest. Timely, provocative, witty, uncanny,
and illuminating, these plays highlight innovative talents that will
leave you breathless. Softcover, 218 pp. $18.95.
 Beyond the Pale
Edited by Yvette Nolan
Excerpts and scenes of dramatic writing from First Nations writers and writers
of colour. Softcover, 142 pp. $19.95.
 Brave New Play Rites
Bryan Wade
This is a collection of short one-act plays written by students in the Creative
Writing Program at the University of British Columbia and produced at the annual
public festival, Brave New Play Rites. These plays have been chosen from the
hundreds of plays that have been produced over the festival's history and represent
a wide variety of dramatic approaches -- from the conventional to the experimental.
This volume will provide students, as well as general readers of drama, with
a useful tool for dramatic study and enjoyment. Softcover, 317 pp. $25.00.
 Instant Applause: Twenty-Nine Very Short Complete Plays
A collection of twenty-nine complete plays lasting no longer than ten to
fifteen minutes each. An anthology of first-class writing, easily adaptable
for a number of theatrical needs and experiences. Whether reading for
pleasure, for the classroom, or looking for the perfect short piece to
do as a stage
production, this anthology can accomodate all your short play needs.
Softcover, 239 pp. $25.00.
 Breakout
Brian Drader
In this anthology of plays by young emerging playwrights, five
new voices tackle themes of forgiveness, teen suicide, self-image,
cultural assimilation, and rum running
on the prairies. The Good Daughter by Ginny Collins (1M, 3F); Pyg by
Rose Condo (1W); To Forgive, Divine by Joseph Aragon (1M, 2W); Pact by
David Ferber (2M, 3W); Shades of Brown by Primrose Madayag Knazan (3W).
Softcover, 285 pp. $19.95.
 Voice of Her Own
Various playwrights
This collection of Canadian plays in monologue form contains I,
Claudia by Kristen Thomson, Dying to be Thin by Linda Carson, Je
me souviens by Lorena Gale, Alien Creatures by Linda Griffiths,
and Getting it Straight by Sharon Pollock. Softcover, 142 pp.
$25.00.
 The West of All Possible Worlds: Six Contemporary Canadian Plays
Moira Day
These plays are representative of the rich, multi-faceted and diverse
voices of Western Canadian playwrights from Manitoba, Saskatchewan
and Alberta. Noble
Savage, Savage Noble, Bob Armstrong, 3M; The Invalids, George Hunka,
2M,
1W; Saddles in the Rain, Pam Bustin, 1M, 4W; Ka'ma'mo'pi cik / The
Gathering
(The Calling Lakes Community Play), Rachael Van Fossen & Darrel Wildcat; Letters
in Wartime, Kenneth Brown & Stephen Scriver, 1M, 1W; Einstein's
Gift, Vern Thiessen, 9M, 3W & Extras. Softcover, 488 pp. $45.00.
 Shakin'
the Stage
Plays by Paul Dunn, Adam Pettle, Sean Reycraft, and Kate Rigg
Theatre Direct Canada
"Provocative drama for young adult audiences."An important collection
that offers a powerful tool for young actors, high school drama classes and professional
theatre artists who want to explore the authentic voices and stories of young
artists.
Mom's the Word
Various
Getting together to share their experiences, six women performers struck upon
the idea to write about what they were going through as mothers trying to maintain
their careers, their individual identities, and their relationships with their
partners. The result is an evening of hilarious stories, bittersweet monologues,
poetic reflections and revelatory anecdotes. F-6 110 pp. $15.95.
Adventures for Big Girls:
7 Radio Plays
Edited by Ann Jansen
A collection of stories about women heroes - including Isabelle Eberhardt, the desert
adventurer; Anna Swan, a giant in P.T. Barnum's gallery; and Wallis Simpson, mistress
and wife to an ex-King. The plays are written by 6 extraordinary Canadian women playwrights,
namely - Banuta Rubess, Mary Vingoe, Carol Bolt, Peggy Thompson, Beverely Cooper,
and Linda Griffiths. Softcover, $17.95.
Canadian Mosaic: Volumes One & Two
Edited by Aviva Ravel
Ravel's goal with these two volumes was to present a tapestry of Canadian theatrical
voices. Designed for use in the classroom, as well as simply for reading, each play
is followed by a glossary, a biography of the playwright, and details of the production
history. In addition, the playwright & the editor provide brief questions about
each work, designed to spark discussion in a group setting. Softcover, $22.99 each.
Volume One includes Just A Kommedia by Nika Rylski; Path With
No Moccasins by Shirley Cheechoo; Tale of A Mask by Terry Watada; Dance
Like A Butterfly by Aviva Ravel; Going Down The River by Kevin Longfield;
and No Man's Land by Rahul Varma.
Volume Two includes Beautiful Deeds/ De Beaux Gestes By Marie-Lynn Hamond;Like
The Sun by Veralynn Warkentin; "Mom, Dad, I'm Living With A White Girl"
by Marty Chan; Gently Down The Stream by Aviva Ravel; The House of
Hermitage Road by Dirk McLean; and The Golden Door by W. Ray Towle.
Making Waves: Three Radio Plays
Emil Sher
Includes Mourning Dove (inspired by the story of Robert Latimer), Denial
Is A River, and Past Imperfect. Softcover, $18.99.
 Modern Canadian Plays, Volumes One & Two
Fourth Edition
Edited by Jerry Wasserman
This two-volume set has long been a staple of high-school and university drama classes.
Wasserman's introduction to the history of English-Canadian theatre is the best I
have ever read, and his wide knowledge of the field, and of other critical works,
allows him to sketch a complex and fascinating portrait. In addition, the pieces
in each collection showcase many important voices in English-Canadian theatre, and
are all worthy of study as pieces of literature, as well as dramatic works.
Volume One (1967-1987) includes The Ecstasy of Rita
Joe by George Ryga;
Fortune & Men's Eyes by John Herbert; Les Belles-Soeurs by
Michel Tremblay; Leaving Home by David French; 1837: The Farmer's
Revolt by
Rick Salutin & Theatre Passe Muraille; The St. Nicholas Hotel by
James Reaney (part 2 of his "Donnellys" trilogy); Zastrozzi by
George Walker; Billy Bishop Goes To War by John Gray with Eric Peterson; Balconville
by David Fennario; Doc by Sharon Pollock; Drag Queens On Trial by
Sky Gilbert; and Occupation of Heather Rose by Wendy Lill. $39.95.
Volume Two (1987-1997) includes Bordertown Café by Kelly
Rebar;
Polygraph by Robert Lepage & Marie Brassard; Moo by Sally
Clark;
The Orphan Muses by Michel Marc Bouchard; 7 Stories by Morris
Panych;
Dry Lips Oughta Move To Kapuskasing by Tomson Highway; Amigo's Blue
Guitar
by Joan MacLeod; Lion In The Streets by Judith Thompson; Never Swim
Alone
by Daniel MacIvor; Fronteras Americanas by Guillermo Verdecchia; Harlem
Duet by Djanet Sears; Problem Child by George Walker. $34.95.
Showing West: Three Praire Docu-dramas
Edited by Diane Bessai & Don Kerr
Includes The West Show by Theatre Passe Muraille, Far As The Eye Can See
by Rudy Wiebe and Theatre Passe Muraille, and Medicare! by Rex Deverell.
Softcover, $8.95.
Take Five: The Morningside Dramas
Edited by Dave Carley Morningside, CBC Radio's flagship program, marked an
era for this country. Across the country, people tuned in to find the news, listen
to interviews, and to hear stories from Canadian lives and imaginations. This collection
brings together some of the best dramas from the 1990-1991 season, including Timothy
Findley's Chekhov adaptations, and Richardo Keens-Douglas' tall tales from his native
Grenada. Softcover, $16.95. Limited quantities available.
 Along Human Lines
A volume of three plays tied to the theme of the refugee: Come Good Rain by George Seremba (originally from Uganda); Ann Lambert's Parallel Lines;
and Carmen Aguirre's Que Pasa with La Raza, eh? SC $18.95.
 A Map of the Senses
Rory Runnells, ed.
Celebrates 20 years of playwriting in Manitoba. $24.95.
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