First Nations Theatre [Native Canadian Theatre, Canadian Aboriginal Theatre]

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Robert Appleford (University of Alberta)

Ed. by Glen Nichols, Mount Allison University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.1.5: Indigenous Writing and Culture of North America - Canada.
Vol. editors: Joshua Bartlett (High Point University), Renate Eigenbrod (University of Manitoba), Sarah Henzi (Simon Fraser University), Padraig Kirwan (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Glen Nichols (Mount Allison University), Wendy Roy (University of Saskatchewan), Denis Salter (McGill University), Karis Shearer (University of British Columbia)

Domains

Literature Topic

Dates

Date of occurrence 1979

Places

Canada (Location)

Cultural Identities

First Nations/Indigenous Canadian

Resources

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From the early days of contact, non-First Nations people have been fascinated with the image of the indigene, and playwrights have been inspired to write plays featuring indigenous characters, histories, and mythologies. But it is only relatively recently in the history of Canada that First Nations playwrights and performers have begun to challenge dominant preconceptions about First Nations peoples.

Representation of North American indigenous peoples began with the first theatrical event ever performed in North America. Entitled Le Théâtre de Neptune (The Theatre of Neptune in New France), the play was written in 1606 by Marc Lescarbot (1570-1629?) and performed on the shores of Port Royal (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada) to celebrate the return of the outpost's founders from an

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2448 words

Citation: Appleford, Robert. "First Nations Theatre [Native Canadian Theatre, Canadian Aboriginal Theatre]". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 February 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1712, accessed 31 October 2024.]