International Women Stage Directors

Canada

Canada Gordon McCall As the second-largest landmass country in the world and defined as the largest country in the Western Hemisphere, Canada is a nation made up of ten provinces and three territories with a population of thirty-four million citizens. Spread across its vast expanse, Canada’s bilingual regional and independent theatre scene serves as a connective tissue of the nation’s social, cultural, and political identity. In addition to the formation of an ever-increasing number of English and French language theatre companies beginning in the 1970s, the national theatre scene experienced significant growth in the number of important women directors, such as Brigitte Haentjens, Jackie Maxwell, Jillian Keiley, Diane Roberts, and Sarah Stanley. It is directors like these, inspired by a new age of gender equality and led by their passionate artistic imaginations and theatrical visions, who have brought a new sense of urgency and vibrancy to Canada’s national theatre scene. Women’s Rights: Historical Context As far back as the late nineteenth century, Canadian women fought for their rights, often against great odds but always with courage, tenacity, and imagination. The right to vote, the right to equal pay for equal work, and the right to freedom from violence are just some of the seminal issues that have engaged the hearts and minds of women nationwide. The first political engagement on the road to equality for Canadian women, the battle for the right to vote, was ignited by a visionary who wouldn’t take no for an answer, Dr. Emily Howard Stowe (1831–1903). Seeking the same provincial and federal electoral rights as men, Stowe fought for women’s rights until her death. In 1916 Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan became the first provinces to pass legislation allowing women to vote. By 1919 Canadian women had won the right to vote in federal elections . However, it was not until 1940, with Quebec implementing its provincial right to vote for women, that suffrage was finally established in its entirety on both a federal and provincial level. The struggle for equality continued on other fronts. Even though women had been granted the right to vote in federal elections and to hold seats in the House of Commons , it was not until 1929 with the famous Persons Case that women were considered “persons” and awarded equal rights. This case came about when five Alberta women campaigned to have a woman named to the Senate the previous year but were denied because “women were not included among the ‘persons’ eligible for Senate appointments under Section 24 of the British North America Act (1867)” (Parks Canada). Suffrage and equality in the eyes of the law were not the only issues requiring dedicated and courageous action by and on behalf of women. Women struggled to have laws and legislation enacted that would protect them from physical and emotional violence. The 1970s saw the opening of Canada’s first rape crisis centers as well as shelters and transitional housing for abused women. On another front, Canadian women continue to be engaged in attempting to gain equality in the workplace. As of 1978, pay equity has been a part of the Canadian Human Rights Act. However, women continue to find a gender pay gap, due in part to “discriminatory attitudes toward women and the jobs they have traditionally held, attitudes that have become ingrained in the economic system” (CHRC). Early Women Directors In the spirit of women seeking a better quality of life, one woman stands at the forefront of the development of Canadian theatre and its everlasting contribution to the lives of Canadians.1 That woman is Dora Mavor Moore (1888–1979), often called the founder of professional theatre in Canada. Moore was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but immigrated to Canada at the age of four. As a teenager she attended the University of Toronto, where her father served as a professor of political economy. Perhaps it was in her role as Rosalind in a University of Toronto production of As You Like It that the seeds were sown for Moore’s later connection to Canada’s Stratford Festival. Following her graduation Moore studied at the Margaret Eaton School of Literature and Expression in Toronto. From there she earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London and in 1912 became the academy’s first Canadian graduate (Leonard). Her journey to RADA was part of a growing tradition of Canadian actors leaving the Great White North to apprentice...