Hot Thespian Action!:
Ten Premiere Plays from Walterdale Playhouse

About the Book

In Hot Thespian Action! Robin Whittaker argues that new plays can thrive in amateur theatres, which have freedoms unavailable to professionalized companies. And he proves it with 10 relevant, engaging playscripts originally produced by one of Canada’s longest-running theatres, Edmonton’s acclaimed Walterdale Theatre Associates.

This collection challenges notions that amateur theatre is solely a phenomenon of the pre-professional past. Whittaker makes an important contribution to Canadian theatre studies with the first North American anthology in 80 years to collect plays first produced by a nonprofessionalized theatre company.

Plays by • Brad Fraser • Mary Glenfield • Warren Graves • Gordon Pengilly • Barbara Sapergia & Geoffrey Ursell • Trevor Schmidt • Jonathan Seinen • Scott Sharplin • Mark Stubbings • Wilfred Watson

About the Author

Robin C. Whittaker has written extensively on theatre in Canada and has taught, directed, and dramaturged at universities across the country. A former Artistic Director of Walterdale Playhouse, he holds a PhD in Theatre Studies from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in Drama from the University of Alberta.

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Copyright: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.

MARC

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Select a Chapter

Download Front Matter

DownloadGeneral Introduction

The Plays

Download  The Canadian Fact (1967)
 by Wilfred Watson

Download Chief Shaking Spear Rides Again or The Taming of the Sioux (1974)
 by Warren Graves

Download Mutants (1981)
 by Brad Fraser

Download  Swipe (1981)
 by Gordon Pengilly

Download The Tenth Negative Pig (1983)
 by Barbara Sapergia and Geoffrey Ursell

Download The Three Sillies (1983)
 by Mary Glenfield

Download Just (1999)
 by Trevor Schmidt

Download The Beaver Effect (2002)
 by Mark Stubbings

Download [ice land] (2003)
 by Jonathan Seinen

Download The Trial of Salomé (2007)
 by Scott Sharplin

DownloadAppendix I: New Plays Premiered by Walterdale Theatre Associates

DownloadAppendix II: Music

DownloadNotes

DownloadBibliography

An Interview with Robin C. Whittaker

Click to Play the Video