A Pageant of Political Ghosts: VideoCabaret’s Performance Archive

In this online feature, Laura Levin and Carly Maga peer into the photo archive of VideoCabaret, one of Canada’s most celebrated and prolific political theatre companies. VideoCabaret’s work, which spans five decades, has been almost entirely devoted to the theatrical presentation, and scrutiny, of Canadian political figures. The images included not only highlight their unique aesthetic approach—a dazzling mix of media art, clown show, and political cabaret—but also reveal the tremendous contributions this company has made to modeling a form of art-making that can engage directly and energetically with political culture.