Setting the stage : Montreal theatre, 1920-1949 / Herbert Whittaker ; edited by Jonathan Rittenhouse.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Whittaker, Herbert, 1910-

Contributor:

Rittenhouse, Jonathan, 1953-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Theater--Quebec (Province)--Montreal--History--20th century.

Theater.

Performing arts--Quebec (Province)--Montreal.

Performing arts.

Physical Description:

298 p., [12] p. of plates : ill. (chiefly col.), ports. ; 21 cm.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Ithaca [N.Y.] : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In Montreal Whittaker witnessed the early careers of actors such as Christopher Plummer, Gratien Gélinas, John Colicos, Jean Gascon, Denise Pelletier, and Amelia Hall. He worked in close collaboration with many pioneers of the Little Theatre Movement, the Dominion Drama Festival, and Canadian theatre in general, such as Martha Allan, Charles Rittenhouse, and Pierre Dagenais. His involvement with Dagenais' L'Equipe allows him to report on the early days of francophone theatre in Montreal and the cross-fertilization between Martha Allan's Montreal Repertory Theatre and actor-directors such as Dagenais, Gratien Gélinas, and Yvette Brind'Amour. He also gives us glimpses of the early theatrical spaces in the city that no longer exist, as well as some, such as the Salle de Gésu and the Monument-National, that have survived. This engaging memoir of exciting times is prefaced by a personal tribute from Christopher Plummer and set in context through an introduction, chronology, and bibliography by Jonathan Rittenhouse. Illustrated with a selection of Whittaker's stage and costume designs as well as photographs, Setting the Stage provides a captivating visual record of the period and is a must for everyone interested in Canadian theatre, Canadian arts, culture, and Montreal.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Story So Far

Beginnings: Hamlet Launches Three Careers

The Church and the Stage Meet

Searching for a Role

The Montreal Repertory Theatre

MRT to Guy Street and Moyse Hall

Our Fair-Weather Theatre

Riding off in all Directions

The Critic, Retrospective

Le Rideau Se Lève

Afterword: A Contextual Commentary

Chronology of Montreal Theatre 1920–1949

Notes

Selected Bibliography of Articles and Books Pertaining to Theatre in Montreal, 1920–1949

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [259]-273) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85837-8

9786612858376

0-7735-6815-8

OCLC:

741349739