Jewish Facets of Contemporary Canadian Drama

Canada is often referred to as a model of a country in which people of different heritage, race and religion constitute a cultural mosaic, which finds expression in its literature, music, film and drama. Stage plays, in particular, have been written by First Nations authors and playwrights with European, Asian and African backgrounds, to name but a few. Plays from the pen of Canadian authors of Jewish descent have become another facet of the polyphony of contemporary Canadian drama. This book sets out to provide information about such plays. The chapters in this volume consist of brief biographical notes, statements from the playwrights based on interviews and a Questionnaire, and comments on selected plays. The book is not a collection of critical reviews of productions. Those are left to theatre critics who have seen them. It is designed as a handbook with overviews for interested readers and theatres (or theatregoers), especially in countries outside Canada. The aim is to give insights into specifically Jewish issues as well as topics and questions that are relevant to the playwrights within their present-day Canadian contexts. In the plays, Jewish facets emerge in different ways - centrally, subliminally or through oblique references. Often, they appear also as a lens through which one can look at the condition humaine.