Street Theater (Canada)

From the raucous parades at protests, to quiet, ritual gatherings, to public performances of unearthed stories that work to heal communities or help stall the privatization of health care, street theater in Canada exists in many forms and brings together a diverse group of people. It spans the country from small rural communities to large urban centers, addressing the many cultures and conflicts of Canada.

[Page 510]In the 1990s and 2000s, street theater became an increasingly popular mode of political expression. Arising in moments of transition, street performances create visions of what society might be and develops challenges to the status quo. The street provides an opportunity to address the relationship between people and authority, for this is where political drama plays out. The “street” is not necessarily literally a street but can be any public, accessible space. In community centers, homeless shelters, union halls, and on farms, people can tell forgotten, local stories and make their voices heard. Street theater addresses injustice and expresses opportunities for different ways of living.

Canada's street theater can be traced to early agitprop pieces such as Eight Men Speak, which was performed to protest the imprisonment and attempted murder of Communist Party leader Tim Buck in 1933. And later, as elsewhere, the 1960s and 1970s were a particularly fruitful time in experimental performance. This was partly because of several reasons: (a) a growing national identity, (b) English-speaking Canada was no longer culturally dependent on Britain, (c) Quebec asserted its sovereignty through growing nationalization, and (d) the inspiration of radical performance elsewhere in the world (especially Workers' theaters in Germany, Britain, the USSR, and the United States).

Latin American popular theater, and other forms of radical pedagogy and protest, greatly influenced Canadian street theater. The writings of both Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal helped develop political intervention methods that were performative, engaged, and engaging; these writings were a revitalization of the political environment where a seasoned activist or a 5-year-old child could learn, participate, and laugh. These influences from other countries were prominent but were adapted to respond to local contexts and concerns.

Street theater in Canada continues to grow and expand, experimenting with new forms and re-enacting the old. From direct action pieces to longer term community engagement, it works to bring provocation and nuance into politics, with puppets, marching bands, and parades, as well as drama, engaging the tensions and power dynamics of the many different people living in this country. In the following concentrated examination of Canadian street theater, the examples illustrate particular genres, ways of working, and best practices, and they reflect a range of regions and interests.