Drama

Theatre is a form of art that involves collaboration between practitioners – directors, designers, actors, and technicians – who present a real or imagined event in a space that is designated for performance. Usually the space is a stage, and theatre usually involves live actors. A theatrical performance often begins with the work of a playwright, who creates a world that practitioners translate from the page to the stage, and, in so doing, allows the audience to gain an understanding of aspects of human experience. Theatre is an elastic form of art that can accommodate diverse content presented in a range of styles. The plays published in English in Canada in 2018 provide evidence of the elasticity of theatre. All the plays are engaging, and some are meant to be an entertaining escape from the pressures of life. Some of the plays give voice to experiences that are infrequently represented in mainstream culture, and, in a related dramaturgical impulse, some of the scripts present moments in Canadian history that are not part of the mainstream historical account. Taken collectively, this year's plays attest to the diversity and health of theatre in Canada.

Formulaic comedy has a long history dating back to roughly 200 BCE with the plays written by the Roman playwright Plautus. The longevity of the genre attests to its appeal to audiences – it requires very little thinking and tends to signal outcomes so that nothing comes as a surprise. As easy as it is to dismiss plays in the genre, they often speak to human insecurities. By the end of a formulaic comedy, any discord between characters has been resolved, so these sorts of plays are pleasurable to watch because all ends happily. The implied message is that none of us needs to be burdened by insecurities.

Joan Burrows's Gloria's Guy is a utopian play that is set on the cusp of summer and autumn in a lakeside resort. The setting is a boathouse that has a view of a lake. Most of the characters, now in their late thirties, grew up in Woodsville, the town near the resort. The characters have known each other since high school; some have remained close friends, and others have drifted apart. They have gathered at the resort for the wedding of the daughter of the owner of the resort, who was part of the cohort from high school. Most of the group now live in cities, where they enjoy success in their careers. By coming to the resort, the characters in Gloria's Guy have left the constraints imposed on their daily lives within an urban setting and come to a locale that offers a measure of freedom.

The play focuses on a group of women who have decided to come a bit early for the wedding and stay in the boathouse, located at a remove from the main buildings of the resort and the town where they grew up. They plan a "girls' night" of wine, catching up, and gossip. As it turns out, not all the girls – really, women – can attend. With the vacancy, one of the women, Peggy, fills the empty slot by bringing her mother, Jessie McConnell, who had been a teacher at the local high school attended by the characters. She not only taught them but had a first-hand, adult view of their interactions, which included the romance of Guy and Gloria, who were the idealized couple within the culture of a small-town high school. The seeming perfection of the relationship ended on prom night because Guy failed to arrive to take Gloria out. On the biggest night of the year – at least within the context of high school – Gloria was alone because she had been betrayed by her beau. The pair never spoke in the intervening years.

When the play opens, Guy has returned from Los Angeles, where he was a successful attorney, and now works at the resort, which is owned by his brother. The reason for his return is a mystery. Gloria is one of the "girls" coming for the weekend. The central line of the plot is Jessie – known to the characters...