Dangerous Traditions: A Passe Muraille Anthology

David E. Kemp is chair of the Drama Department at Queen’s University
and author of The Pleasures and Treasures of the United Kingdom.

Theatre Passe Muraille was responsible, far more than any other theatre,
for redefining and reshaping the face of Canadian theatre. The theatre
outraged us when we needed to be outraged, jolted our sensibilities when
we became complacent, and made us think about things we would sooner not
explore.

This anthology of four previously unpublished plays from various
periods in the theatre’s 25-year history is divided into two parts.
Part 1 demonstrates the remarkable diversity of styles and subject
matter that has made Passe Muraille unique. The four selected plays are
Before the Guns (John Palmer), Lost Souls and Missing Persons (Sally
Clark), O.D. on Paradise (Linda Griffiths and Patrick Brymer), and
Peggy’s Song (Jim Garrand). The plays span two decades, from the late
1960s to the late 1980s, and represent the remarkable and chaotic
creativity that marked the heyday of this important and influential
theatre. Part 2 documents the theatre’s early years and includes rare
production photographs of shows and events of that era. This
documentation, and the plays themselves, are of inestimable value to
theatre historians and anyone with an interest in Canadian theatre.