Theatre Without Borders

Ian C. Nelson is librarian emeritus and former assistant director of
libraries at the University of Saskatchewan Library. He is also
dramaturge for the Festival de la Dramaturgie des Prairies.

Two of Robert Astle’s creations—Heart of a Dog (1990) and his second
solo show, The Hats of Mr. Zenobe (1996)—have been acclaimed
nationally and internationally. Playwright-in-residence at Centaur
Theatre 2002–03, he is currently teaching playwriting at the National
Theatre School. Theatre Without Borders, his first nonfiction work, only
adds to his considerable reputation. The book documents a panoply of
physical theatre, commedia dell’arte, puppetry, mime, mask theatre,
and that curious hybrid, clown. His subjects find their artistic home in
Canada but frequently have trained abroad, returned, established
themselves, and effectively transcended the borders of nation and
theatre genre with their art.

A chapter is dedicated to each of nine companies or individuals,
ranging from Jest In Time in Halifax to Axis Theatre in Vancouver and
from Yves Dagenais (creator of Omer Veilleux, a political clown for
adults: “I open my mouth [and] the audience invents their own text”)
to the renowned puppeteer Ronnie Burkett. Included in each study are
short descriptions of the company’s or artist’s origins and of the
development of their specific kind of theatre, an assessment of their
work, and an in-depth interview covering a whole range of artistic
questions. With regard to inspiration and formal training, we frequently
find mention of the Йcole Jacques Lecoq in Paris and the erstwhile
Canadian Mime Theatre at Niagara-on-the-Lake. Almost all note the
importance of the Local Initiatives Program of subsidies during the
Trudeau era in enabling them to become established, and the current
difficulty in finding and financing adequately trained personnel for the
intense and lengthy development work their type of theatre demands.

Astle does these exceptional nonmainstream theatrical efforts a great
service with the publication of this attractive documentary study of
their work. The book’s layout and design are exquisite, and the
high-quality production photos translate the physical intensity of a
number of legendary productions, including The Overcoat, Chekhov’s
Shorts, The Number 14, and The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine. Astle even
includes lists of company contacts and training programs. The detailed
chronologies are alone worth the price of the volume.