Half Man, Half Beast: Making a Life in Canadian Theatre

Ian Burns Maclennan is an assistant professor of theatre arts at
Thorneloe College, Laurentian University.

Maurice Podbrey, former artistic director of Montreal’s Centaur
Theatre, wrote this book in order to share his understanding of the
creative process with his peers. His reminiscences of his life in
theatre begin with his childhood in South Africa, move on to his
training and career in England, and conclude with his theatrical
achievements in Canada.

As artistic director of the Centaur, Podbrey was instrumental in
keeping English-speaking theatre alive in Montreal. Under his careful
stewardship in the 1970s and 1980s, the theatre not only held its own
but was also one of the few arts organizations in Quebec that attempted
to bridge the two solitudes by producing such plays as David
Fennario’s Balconville. Podbrey’s book, which includes a
comprehensive listing of Centaur productions from 1969 to 1997 (the year
in which he retired), illuminates a specific time and place in
Canada’s theatrical history.