The Oral Stage

This book examines the relationship between orality and Franco-Ontarian theatre and more specifically the way in which oral practices (such as traditional story-telling) have been adapted and transformed by Franco-Ontarian playwrights actors and directors to produce a specific poetics of performance that evolved exclusively within Franco-Ontarian society between its theatre's genesis in 1970 to 2000. The corpus is drawn from those plays written and/or performed which exhibit characteristics of oral culture as defined by the works of such scolars as Mercia Eliade Arnold van Gennep Richard Turner Walter Ong Richard Bauman and others. Written in English the book also provides a sound introduction to this important facet of French-Canadian literature that may otherwise be overlooked.