An early history of what was a vibrant Canadian movement.

‘Two Years of the Workers’ Theatre in Canada’ by R. Gordon from New Theatre. Vol. 3 No. 5. April, 1934.

IN reviewing the activities and growth of the Workers’ Theatre in Canada, it is first necessary to deal briefly with the professional theatre (or lack of professional theatre) in this country. This is necessary in order to be able to estimate what difficulties the workers’ theatre has, insofar as it must not only develop a workers’ theatre, but has as its task to introduce modern theatrical forms in its plays as well. I will deal later with the attempts the workers’ theatre has made in this regard.

It can be quite clearly stated that Canada has no professional companies playing all season, such as there are in the United States and in the European countries. The theatre houses in existence bring down stock companies that play for a month or two and then due to lack of interest in them are forced to close. But for the most part, road companies are brought down. These stay for a week and go on. In Toronto, for instance, most of the theatres are shut tight and I dare say that the same is the case in other cities throughout the country.

There is, however, a “Little Theatre Movement,” a movement of amateur dramatic organizations who put on various one-act plays and a good deal of Shakespeare, etc. Such “Little Theatres” exist throughout the country and it is on this field that the workers’ theatre has not done sufficient work to draw them closer to us and show them the value of a really vital theatre. Only when the ban was placed on “Eight Men Speak” did the Workers’ Theatre circularize some of these “Little Theatres” with protest resolutions. In the future, this will be followed up.

Organizations and Growth

IN March 1932, the first Workers’ Theatre group of the Progressive Arts Club was organized in Toronto. At the very beginning the work, with the elements in the group, was very difficult due to the unclarity that existed as to the role of the workers’ theatre and the type of plays it should do. However, with the drawing in of more politically developed members, veloped members, the Workers Theatre started work on “agit-prop” sketches and became active in the various campaigns that were carried on at that time by the workers of Toronto.

Since that time, groups have definitely been established in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, London, Windsor, Winnipeg and Vancouver,–groups that are taking an active part in the struggles of the workers and are determined to develop a strong workers’ theatre in Canada. Over 100 connections have been established throughout the country with various groups. These are given leadership as well as assistance by our executive which supplies plays, educational materials, etc., and have been drawn into the first International Workers’ Theatre and “Masses” Ten-Day Campaign that is being conducted from March 15th to 25th.

It is impossible in this article to deal in detail with all the valuable dramatic contributions the Workers’ Theatre has made to the struggles of the workers in Canada. Let us consider just a few of them.

Some Achievements

WHEN Nick Zynchuk, an unemployed worker, was shot during an eviction in Montreal last year by a policeman, the workers’ theatre in that city reacted very quickly by writing a mass recitation on this vicious attack of the ruling class and by performing it at the funeral of the murdered worker. We can definitely say that this mass recitation is the best one so far produced and written in Canada and has brought to hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the country the necessity for organization against such police terror. Zynchuk, through Zynchuk, through this mass recitation, becomes a fighting symbol for the working class of Canada.

During last summer two tours were undertaken by the Workers’ Theatre, one by the Toronto group and the other one by the Windsor group. Both of these tours brought results not only in the organization of groups in the places visited but, what is of still more importance, brought call to struggle to the workers in these localities. While on one tour the members of the Workers’ Theatre participated in a strike that was in progress during that time. Workers were convinced that we were not only “actors” who were something different them, but on the contrary, came from them, prepared to picture their struggles. This is important to mention because in Canada, there are a great many misconceptions and misunderstandings as to the role to the role of the workers’ theatre.

We can overcome this misunderstanding only by active participation in the struggles of the workers and prove our role to them,–that we are a theatre of the workers.

Now we come to the most recent and greatest achievement so far of the workers’ theatre–the production of the full-length play “Eight Men Speak,” written, produced and performed for the first time in this country. On Dec. 4, 1933, 1500 workers, university students and other interested people packed the Standard Theatre to capacity to witness the first full-length performance of the workers’ theatre.

It is significant to note that out of the cast of 40 people taking part in this play, at least half of them had never been on a platform before, not even to make a speech. But not one forgot a line, not one forgot his character but played consistently throughout the performance. These people were workers convinced that the play Eight Men Speak was of great importance to the working class of Canada because it exposed the attempt to murder Tim Buck, workers’ leader serving five years under Section 98 and because it called Section 98 and because it called upon the workers to give their answer to the government on this attempt.

The workers of Toronto gave their gave their answer by filling this theatre to capacity, gave such a strong answer that the Ontario government was afraid of the sentiment this play aroused and placed a ban on it in the Province of Ontario. Throughout the whole length and breadth of the country, dramatic groups are asking for this play and the workers’ theatre is preparing to print this popular play in pamphlet form.

Of course, the play, as a first attempt, has many shortcomings: the scenes were choppy in places, some of the parts were not well developed, the theatre rented was not equipped well enough with lighting, etc., to enable us to make the play as powerful as is might be. However, with these drawbacks, we can say that the workers’ theatre has attempted to bring to the theatre a fresh and progressive note and has shown that it is capable of introducing a more modern stage technique in its plays. It is evident from the response to the performance that the workers want more of such theatre.

Some Shortcomings

THE workers’ theatre however, has some serious shortcomings which must be overcome. The question of study, artistic, technical, and theoretic, has been neglected. There has been no unification of the groups throughout the country with a central body to coordinate, advise and lead them on the basis of their collective experience. For this reason the workers’ theatre the opportunity to participate in the National Workers’ Theatre Festival at Chicago in April. Here, with our main groups in attendance, we hope from the exchange of discussion and opinions to get a clearer conception of problems, artistic and organizational, so that we can truly be a mighty weapon in the workers and farmers struggle against capitalism.

The New Theater continued Workers Theater. Workers Theater began in New York City in 1931 as the publication of The Workers Laboratory Theater collective, an agitprop group associated with Workers International Relief, becoming the League of Workers Theaters, section of the International Union of Revolutionary Theater of the Comintern. The rough production values of the first years were replaced by a color magazine as it became primarily associated with the New Theater. It contains a wealth of left cultural history and ideas. Published roughly monthly were Workers Theater from April 1931-July/Aug 1933, New Theater from Sept/Oct 1933-November 1937, New Theater and Film from April and March of 1937, (only two issues).

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/workers-theatre/v1n05-[not-v3]-apr-1934-New-Theatre.pdf