Canadian Theatre Review

This issue of Canadian Theatre Review was inspired by the Future Prairie Theatre project, an arts sector initiative funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and other sector partners, designed to offer space to rethink and reimagine the future of theatre in our unique eco-region of the Canadian Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba). Born out of the tumult of the global pandemic, our team (Afolabi, Brubaker, and Nolan) created a community-centered research project which leveraged both community consultation and a Strategic Foresight process with Jessica Thornton and Heather Russek of Creative Futures Studio. Collectively, we scanned our horizons for emerging signals and trends and built out several possible scenarios of what we imagine will happen in our region by 2040 based on these signals. Our ultimate goal was to understand potential pathways towards a preferred version of our future—one where we can take action today that will impact tomorrow. The results were fascinating, and we knew we wanted to open up the aperture in this conversation on a national level, hence this issue.

Our volume features articles from Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon. Our contributors are artists, academics, and thought leaders on a continuum of age and years of practice. The articles explore different aspects of the theatre and the arts sector, from working conditions and governance, to what stories are being told by whom, to the profound changes in the medium and performance culture. The essays in this issue speak to the past, the present, and most importantly, the future.

When asked to reflect on futurity and theatre in the Canadian context, our contributors responded in a variety of ways: some with caution and skepticism; others with excitement and appetite. Given that we work in an imaginative industry, one would think that a task like this would be simple, an extension of what we do all the time: imagining possibilities. However, while it seems that humans are comfortable thinking about the past and the present, the question of 'How do we move beyond the here and now?' opens a Pandora's box. Understandably. How do we read, comprehend, and interpret the signals and trends around us? What are the changes that will drive the future? What will be the impacts of the climate crisis? The shifting tides of our political landscape? How will we come to terms with the social reckoning of long-held inequities and oppression? And what role will technology play?

These changes that we are all experiencing range from mild tremors to massive tectonic shifts. Some within the scope of our control, others completely outside it. In his book From What Is to What If, Rob Hopkins invites us to "unleash the power of imagination to create the future we want." As theatre-makers and artists, we are imaginaries. In this CTR issue, David Maggs points out that as artists, we are in the unique position of being able to affect behaviour through our cultural production—working on the levels of 'being' to re-author the world. Indeed, our imaginations are the seeds and will impact what we grow in our theatre landscape. Similarly, Winnipeg-based artist Debbie Patterson speaks to the power of navigating barriers and how radical innovation is possible when we include disabled voices on Canadian stages.

Next, some of our writers troubled-up our interest in imagining/reimagining a future, arguing that any ideas of futurity are inevitably and critically rooted in its past. Atlantic coast writer Kailin Wright and Yukon-based Laurel Parry noted that the futures in their regions are specific to their geographical character and resistant to dominant urban narratives. They reflect on the complexities of what imagining may even mean in this vast notion of Canada. Carol Greyeyes from Saskatchewan looks back at four decades of change in the theatre landscape and psyche, arguing that hope persists and bright futures are ahead as we work towards anti-elitism, equality, and decentralization. Likewise, playwright and actor Marica Johnson retraces the challenges of being a young Black artist over the last several decades and projects a more inclusive future for IBPOC writers, performers, and stories.

Alternative models to our current approaches are proposed amid profound uncertainty and upheaval. Robin Sokoloski acknowledges that while getting people to think collectively about the future is challenging, collaborative and creative frameworks activate the collective imagination. Jessica Thorton and Heather Russek outline how Strategic Foresight in the Future Prairie Theatre project generated potential for agency and hope. Micheline Chevrier offers insight into how "ever-evolving, shape-shifting feminist structures" can disrupt patriarchal thinking and encourages us to welcome disorientation as a way to see and think differently. Adrienne Wong longs for a radical plurality and muses on [End Page 5] how technology can help us extend our senses, but warns of its existing and oppressive biases. She offers that theatre is something audiences must "do, not simply observe."

Decolonizing the existing power structures by disrupting current governance models is a strong theme. Michelle Olson speaks to the painful work of decolonization and how it has been co-opted and commodified. Within the context of the creative process, Michelle Thrush proposes a decolonizing approach to the rehearsal process, while Yvette Nolan and Joel Berbaum underscore the necessity for reciprocity and relatedness by centering community through their wâhkôhtowin project. In our interview with Simon Mallet of the Rozsa Foundation, Mallet offers ways to rethink the hierarchies of current board structures and examples of shared community collaborations.

A number of our writers argue we must embrace unexpected bedfellows, developing new allies for the purpose of survival. Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster speaks to the intersection and integration of business scholarship and theatre; Owais Lightwala rallies us to tap into bigger visions and creativity through artificial intelligence (AI); Kairan (Billy) Guo and Fangzheng (Nick) Wang collaborate with AI on playwriting for a multi-lingual Fringe performance, leaning into it as a futuristic framework for creation. Ian Garrett tempers AI enthusiasm by connecting contemporary agriculture and eco-scenography, challenging "the trend of relentless speed and consumption" to centre a sustainable and symbiotic relationship with our environment and technology.

Finally, we're pleased to include the full script of O'kosi, conceived of by Michelle Thrush; created by Michelle Thrush, Caleigh Crow, Alanna Onespot, Garret C. Smith, Harley Bastien, Janine Owl Child, and Neil Fleming. 'O'kosi' is the Blackfoot word for autumn—when families would traditionally gather together and prepare for winter. This time-travelling story spans over 200 years, from 1877 and the signing of Treaty 7 to dispatches from a post-apocalyptic future in 2077, and explores the many ways Indigenous people are attempting to heal their families from the repercussions of what was passed down, as parents, and as sons and daughters.

The breadth of thinking and responses leaves us with one clear observation—none of us will confidently know the future of our theatre sector. This issue is a reminder that we have a horizon that we can look to, interpret, anticipate, and navigate. We can shape our responses and move towards a preferred future. We can also understand it as a parallax—with the diversity of positions we all hold here in this country. As a collective, we have the capacity to reimagine and work towards such a collective vision of new possibilities. [End Page 6]