Interacton between English Canadian Theatre and French Canadian Thatre in 1980's

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 16520183
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: ヨーロッパ語系文学
• Research Institution: Meiji University
• Principal Investigator: OBATA Yoshikazu Meiji University, School of Political science and Economics, Professor, 政治経済学部, 教授 (30191969)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SATO Ayako Meiji Gakuin University, Centre for Liberal Arts, Professor, 教養教育センター, 教授 (70139468)
• Project Period (FY): 2004 – 2005
• Keywords: Canadian Theatre / Identity / Quebec / Michel Tremblay / Michel Marc Bouchard / Tomson Highway / 1980's / multiculturism

Research Abstract

As the identity is one of the most important themes in Quebec Theatre, the influence of French Canadian Theatre on English Canadian Theatre is obvious, particularly in 1980's, when many social minorities are coming out. For example, Tomson Highway, an aboriginal dramatist, describes the tragicomedy of Indian women by using aboriginal Cree language in his the rez sisters (1988) like Michel Tremlay's Belles-soeurs.(1965). What's more, English Canada needs to involve Quebec as well as other minor cultures to maintain the multiculturism.
On the other hand, French Canadian Theatre doesn't need to refer to English Canadian Theatre in 1980's when it wants to investigate a new language and to innovate its form in order to adapt to a new age, because it is its own quest for the identity that matters. We can suppose that it is why Quebec Theatre tend to be specular or retrospective like Michel Trmblay's Albertine en cinq temps (1983) or Michel Marc Bouchard's Muses orphelines (1988).