Transporting Canadian Plays to German Theatres

Canadian plays are first and foremost written for productions and audiences in Canadian theatres, but while they are 'Canadian,' they also deal with cultural issues relevant to audiences everywhere.Over the past few decades, Canadian theatre has developed into something far away from a monolith.It has become protean, i.e., it has the ability to continually change its appearance.The term 'theatre of diversity' is based on the fact that there is not just one single Canadian theatre.There are plays by Native Canadian, Afro-Canadian, East Indian, Chinese and Korean authors who are all living in Canada.'Voice' is a plural term in contemporary Canadian Theatre.It includes forms from various cultural traditions which, by accepting diverse approaches to theatrical practice, create images and sounds that defy easy categorisation.Many Canadian plays surprise by their freshness, their thematically wide variety and their unfeigned originality.The polyphony of Canada is mirrored in its theatre culture, especially in plays which tell of the ability to even out differences in a multicultural society.What is more, Canadian plays increasingly deal with subjects and problems of interest to, and directly affecting, people wherever they may be.They raise new questions about old issues which are articulated in new and exciting ways.Canadian plays no longer feel restricted by the bonds of any kind of canon.Since the 1990s, Canadian stage plays have slowly but steadily found their way into European theatres.In this process of transatlantic transfers, productions on British stages have played a prominent role, as the plays can be produced in their original language.Canadian plays in German theatres, however, are still exceptions to the rule.For a long time, their promotion in our country has been left to chance and individual activities.For example, a German theatre agent may have seen a production in Toronto, Montréal or Vancouver which instilled into him or her the wish to see a particular play staged in one of our German theatres.These days, the overall questions are how the transfer of Canadian plays can be successful and how the profile of German theatres can profit from the potential of contemporary Canadian plays.There are two Canadian organisations instrumental in the dissemination of Canadian voices for the stage: the Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) and its publishing imprint, Playwrights Canada Press.These provide printed editions and play scripts of new plays.Playscripts can make for interesting reading and lend themselves to textual analysis.But plays, in contrast to novels, are not primarily written for individual readers.Playscripts are but blueprints for stage plays.They are written for directors, designers, stage managers and actors who are to develop concepts for productions from the "modelling clay."Producing articles on the written or published text of the play is one thing, reading the play in the light of a potential theatrical production is another.Many questions will crop up in the minds of theatre people: Will the story of the (in this case Canadian) play meet with a(n) (German) audience?Can we find actors who can convincingly slip into

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