Setting the stage

About this book

"Herbert Whittaker begin his work in Montreal, where he 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's I'Equipe allows him to report on the early days of francophone theatre in Montreal and the cross-formalization between Allan's Montreal Repertory Theatre and actor-directors such as Dagenais, Gelinas, and Yvette Brind Amour. In recounting his experiences he offers a glimpse of early theatrical spaces in the city that no longer exist, as well as some, such as the Salle du Gesu and the Montreal-National, that have survived."--BOOK JACKET.