Setting the Stage: Montreal Theatre, 1920-1949 [Hardcover]

Herbert Whittaker (Author), Jonathan Rittenhouse (Author, Editor), Christopher Plummer (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

"Setting the Stage" is the story of Montreal's theatrical cultures and their part in the development of Canadian theatre - a story that only Herbert Whittaker, Canada's first and foremost theatre critic, can tell. Before his long and distinguished career with the Globe and Mail, Whittaker had already had three careers in Montreal - as stage designer, theatre director, and critic for the Montreal Gazette. In "Setting the Stage" Whittaker recreates the vibrancy of the Montreal theatre scene in the 1930s and 40s and gives vivid portraits of important Canadian actors, directors, and producers. He highlights the enriching interaction and tensions between francophone and anglophone artists and companies at a time when both English and French artists were struggling to establish a professional theatre. In Montreal Whittaker witnessed the early careers of actors such as Christopher Plummer, Gratien Gelinas, John Colicos, Jean Gascon, Denise Pelletier, and Amelia Hall. He worked in close collaboration with many pioneers of the Little Theatre Movement, the Dominion Drama Festival, and Canadian theatre in general, such as Martha Allan, Charles Rittenhouse, and Pierre Dagenais. His involvement with Dagenais' L'Equipe allows him to report on the early days of francophone theatre in Montreal and the cross-fertilization between Martha Allan's Montreal Repertory Theatre and actor-directors such as Dagenais, Gratien Gelinas, and Yvette Brind'Amour. He also gives us glimpses of the early theatrical spaces in the city that no longer exist, as well as some, such as the Salle de Gesu and the Monument-National, that have survived. This engaging memoir of exciting times is prefaced by a personal tribute from Christopher Plummer and set in context through an introduction, chronology, and bibliography by Jonathan Rittenhouse. Illustrated with a selection of Whittaker's stage and costume designs as well as photographs, "Setting the Stage" provides a captivating visual record of the period and is a must for everyone interested in Canadian theatre, Canadian arts, culture, and Montreal. Herbert Whittaker was theatre critic at the Montreal Gazette from 1935 to 1949 and at the Globe and Mail from 1949 to 1975. He now lives in Toronto where he most recently staged the North American premier of Tom Stoppard's "The Invention of Love". He is the founding chairman of the Canadian Theatre Critics Asssociation and is the author of five previous books. Jonathan Rittenhouse is professor of theatre at Bishop's University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For all of us young writers and actors, he helped lay the ground rules, he was there when we needed him ... Whittaker had nothing tangible to endorse when he began. He had to get behind a whole country largely Calvinist in its indifference to things artistic and convince it that within its boundaries such a thing as art actually could exist ... I don't think there is anyone who has done more to free our country of its old prejudices toward homegrown talent than Herbert Whittaker." Christopher Plummer, from the Preface. "Herbert Whittaker was Montreal's quintessential man of theatre." William Weintraub in City Unique: Montreal Days and Nights in the 1940s and ‘50s. "Setting the Stage is a rich and valuable work in which readers will discover forgotten or unknown chapters of Quebec and Canadian theatre. Whittaker introduces us to forgotten theatre companies and organizations and bears witness to the vitality of a particularly fertile period." Jean-Marc Larrue, Theatre Department, Collège de Valleyfield. "an interesting book on a major figure in Canadian theatre." Anton Wagner, Anton Wagner Productions.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 298 pages
• Publisher: Mcgill Queens Univ Pr (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773520023
• ISBN-13: 978-0773520028
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,060,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative, engagin, painstaking theatrical history., April 6, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Setting the Stage: Montreal Theatre, 1920-1949 (Hardcover)

Setting The Stage: Montreal Theatre 1920-1949 surveys Montreal's theatrical cultures and the part they played in the development of Canadian theatre. In this meticulous history Herbert Whittaker (one of Canada's foremost theatre critics) recreates the vibrancy of the Montreal theatre scene in the 1930s and 1940s, offering vivid portraits of actors, directors, producers, and highlighting the enriching interaction and tensions between francophone and anglophone artists at a time when both were struggling to establish a professional theatre presence. Setting The Stage is an informative, engaging, painstaking contribution to Canada's theatrical history and a highly recommended addition to academic and professional theatre reference collections.