The Canadian art community was caught up in a nationalist fever back in 1970, when Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre was established. And for good reason – almost all theatre produced in Canada at that time were classical or modern European plays. The Tarragon not only staged new theatrical works by Canadians, but also established a playwriting program. Dramatists were granted a creative partnership with the theatre that produced their works – the type of partnership that continues to this day.
Artistic director Richard Rose feels that developing plays in-house is a unique advantage for the Tarragon Theatre. He describes the playwriting program as “the heartbeat of our theatre.”
“The play is the hardest thing to do,” he says. “Our playwrights have the biggest challenge in terms of coming up with material, so you simply have to invest in it. Our audience is interested in coming to see a play that will speak about their lives.”
