The best Canadian playwrights of all time...

Hi all,

Today's post will be an analysis of those I feel are the 'best' Canadian playwrights of all time. Without further ado (and in no particular order)...

1. Jason Sherman. His snappy dialogue and political astuteness created a hipper, slicker playwright. His play Patience is literally my favourite play of all time - beating out works like Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. If you haven't read/seen him, do it.

2. Claudia Dey. No one makes poetry into drama more effectively than Claudia. An enviable wordsmith, a quirky sense of humour and possibly the first pin-up playwright Canada's had... The Gwendolyn Poems is a good place to start.

3. Darren O'Donnell. Eccentric, intellectual and absurdist, O'Donnell is like a perpetual caffeine trip where you do nothing but read and read and read... White Mice and Boxhead in particular are 2 of my favourites. No one can make you learn and laugh quite like DOD.

4. Judith Thompson. Judith has set the bar for writers trying to create interesting roles for actors. She finds a way to take the notion of stakes for the actor, and elevates them to the realm of the fantastical. Her list of titles is long and distinguished, but The Crackwalker is probably her most famous. With such a heightened approach, her plays can often be perceived as hit/miss, but guaranteed you'll find at least one *shocking* moment in any play of hers you pick up.

5. Daniel MacIvor. Wild Abandon is my favourite MacIvor piece. It's a perfect blend of character, humour, story and darkness. His best work is usually found in his monologue pieces, but this recent Siminovitch winner has lots of titles available with multiple characters.

That's a good start for now, but I will be keeping my eye on writers like Hannah Moscovitch to see what the future of Canadian theatre looks like... In a field that often feels like ever-deepening poverty, the shelf life of Canadian playwrights tends to be fraught with pain, and limited in the works created. Hopefully, one day we'll realize that we need to SUPPORT our talent here if we want to positively reinforce them to keep going and, dare I say it, even improve...

Bobman

So are we going to give up and die, or what?

It's shitty out.

It's snowing again, there are very few projects shooting in town, there's a global recession and most of us remember when things were better 10 years ago. Or even longer. Or longer than that even.

What does the future of the Canadian entertainment industry hold?

Are we simply a breeding ground for American productions? Have we accepted defeat when the AVERAGE Hollywood movie has a marketing budget of approx $50 million and the RECORD marketing budget for a Canadian film is approx $3 million? Do we sit back and pray that American dollars will find their way back to Canada, or do we create an industry that competes in the global marketplace by coming up with BETTER, RISKIER ideas that corporate-backed US entertainment companies aren't willing to make?

The choice is up to you, friends. But for my money, you go down fighting.

We live in a culture of defeat here in Canada. In this industry, we're too afraid. Too afraid to do something edgy. Too afraid to offend anyone. Too afraid to compete against Hollywood. Too afraid be 'impolite'. Too afraid to speak the TRUTH...

Let's stop bitching, people. Let's do something about it.

We have talent, but no infrastructure. Why aren't we creating an infrastructure? Talented actors, writers, directors and producers waste away in this country - with nobody there to pay them a living wage and make a long-term commitment to developing their talent.

How many times have you heard the story of the talented filmmaker who directs an amazing feature film, then has to wait several years to do it again? How can one continually get better at their craft when they aren't being given the opportunity to practise?

The system is broken. And it needs to be fixed. Or we will simply waste away, and Canadians won't even notice because they'll be watching Desperate Housewives...

Call me crazy. Call me idealistic. But I still believe that we can turn things around. By making smarter choices with the way we do things here, I believe we can create a vibrant entertainment industry that can accomplish great things. And hopefully, this blog will generate ideas that can HELP. I won't shy away from harsh criticism, but I will also offer solutions.

And frankly, any attention our indigenous industry can get - in ANY form - can only be a good thing.

So here's OPINION #1: Let's find a way to GENERATE ATTENTION for Canadian projects. Marketing is important. That's why Americans spend $50 million dollars a movie to do it. While we can't compete on cash, we can compete on ideas. We just have to be willing to try...

Bobman

First post...

Hi all,

So here's the plan: Create the most comprehensive blog the Canadian entertainment industry has ever seen.

Easy?

Probably not.

But in an industry desperately in need of publicity/marketing, yours truly is the man for the job. So if you're reading this, welcome. I'm going to start promoting, discussing, analyzing and synthesizing all Canadian entertainment. There might even be some gossip. So buckle up, top up your Mojito, and let's get started...

Bobman