“The purely literary play, composed for the library, is … like a ship built for the harbour …[Underlying sincerity], together with the richness of material which lies at the hand of every Canadian playwright, makes it not only on obvious duty, but a great privilege as well, for Hart House Theatre, as often as possible, to produce plays by Canadian authors”—Vincent Massey, 1927

This year’s 10th Annual U of T Drama Festival at Hart House Theatre intends to honour Massey’s mandate.

The festival, organized by the University of Toronto Drama Coalition and the Hart House Theatre, was started anew in 1992. It has been both a showcase for student productions and a chance to receive invaluable professional feedback. This year’s professional adjudicator, William Webster, has a vibrant 30-year history in the arts. His experiences include founding the Soulpepper Theatre Company, being an active member of the board of the Actors’ Fund of Canada, performing 14 seasons at the Stratford Festival and the recent role of Sagot in CanStage’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

This year’s awards, to be given on the closing night of the festival, are for best production, direction, performance, technical achievement and original script (this last particularly poignant, as this is the first year in which all shows are original student-written plays). The winner of the best production award will go on to compete in the first-ever U of T/York University Double Bill February 8-9 at George Ignatieff Theatre.

This U of T theatrical tradition dates back to 1936, when the University of Toronto Drama Committee, led by Charles Delafield, organized a similar U of T Drama Festival. The committee was created during the Depression to establish support for student theatre. The festival continued throughout the Depression and in the 1940s was joined by the Joint University Theatre Festival, allowing competing universities to showcase their talents. Both festivals ran until the 1960s, when student interest in such events waned.

In 1992 then-student Trevor Rines created the U of T Drama Coalition, which resurrected the U of T Drama Festival that same year. The coalition consists of representatives from several U of T drama clubs and organizations and individuals with interests in the arts. The coalition, which also organizes the University Double Bill, creates communication between different drama companies that might otherwise have little contact.

They make props, sets, and costumes available for different companies, as well as announce their shows.

This year’s competitors are the Erindale Drama Club, Hart House Drama Society, Scarborough Campus Drama Society, St. Michael’s College Dramatic Society, Stage Blue Productions, Trinity College Dramatic Society and Victoria College Drama Society.

U of T Drama Festival
Wednesday, January 23 to Saturday, January 26
$8 for students, seniors, and U of T Faculty
$10 for non-students
Festival passes for all four nights are $30 for non-students, $25 for students
For more information: Hart House Box Office (416) 978-8668
www.harthousetheatre.ca or www.UofTDramaCoalition.itgo.com