Artistic Associate of Newfoundland theatre company Artistic Fraud, Robert Chafe, is a noted Newfoundland playwright whose work has been seen in Canada, The United Kingdom, and Australia. His plays Tempting Providence and Butler’s Marsh have been short listed for the Governor General’s Litterary Award for English Drama. His next play Oil and Water which will premiere in February 2011, is based on a true account of shipwrecked African American sailor / veteran Lanier W. Phillips and his experiences in St Lawrence, Newfoundland.
Chafe is also Artistic Associate for traveling Canadian Contemporary English Language Theatre Festival Magnetic North. Through his work with Magnetic North, Chafe travels across the country seeing many high-calibre productions of new works, while engaging with playwrights. He believes that Canadian theatre content is slowly evolving.
Do you think Canadian playwright’s subject matter and Canadian theatre in general, is actually changing?
Daniel Brooks, da da Camera, Daniel MacIvor
Robert Chafe: “I think Canadian theatre is always changing. I think the change sometimes happens very very quickly, because sometimes a single artist can radically change how people view their work, and how people from the outside view the work of the country. Dare I say Daniel MacIvor did that when he exploded onto the scene in the mid 1990's with his work, with Daniel Brooks. And then da da camera became known.
"MacIvor radically changed how emerging artists were regarded for their work in Canada. Go to any audition panel in this country and you will be sitting through countless Daniel MacIvor pieces. And that shows the influence that he has had. But outside of that, generally, I think the change happens much more slowly. Canadian theatre is in an evolution. I don’t know if I can really put my finger on what that change is, but I can outline a change that I would like to see happen."
Diversity in Canadian Theatre, Djanet Seers, Harlem Duet
Robert Chafe: "At Magnetic North, there is something industry types talk about when they get together time and time again, when it comes to a change in Canadian theatre. I think it is something that we will see progress hopefully sooner, rather than later, over the next 10 to 20 years.
"If you go to Toronto and look at what is on stage. It is not representative of our populus. I think there is a great desire among the community across the country generally to see more diversity represented onstage, and more diverse voices represented onstage. So that’s my hope for Canadian theatre …
That is starting to happen. I think of Djanet Sears and Harlem Duet at The Stratford Shakespeare Festival…
Robert Chafe: “ Yes, that's right. And there are so many fantastic companies in Toronto and Vancouver specifically, home grown companies that are doing their work, that are responding to that. So yes, it is starting to happen. But we have a long way to go, and I look forward to the day that our theatre is a reflection of our true Canadian identity."
What other Canadian playwrights do you like?
Robert Chafe: “Well, besides Joan (MacLeod) and Daniel (MacIvor) there’s also Morris Panych, Brad Fraser and (adult puppeteer) Ronnie Burkett..
All the bad boys playwrights ….
Robert Chafe: “They shake things up. And I think it is a good thing for audiences not to get too relaxed…
Artistic Fraud, Oil and Water, Jillian Keiley, Lanier W. Phillips
Are you working on another play?
Robert Chafe: “Jill and I are working on a brand new piece for Artistic Fraud It’s a true story about a young African American soldier‘s (Lanier Phillips) encounter with a town in Newfoundland when he was shipwrecked there in 1942. It’s an amazing story I cannot wait to tell.”
Robert Chafe’s latest play Oil and Water directed by Jillian Keiley premieres at LSPU Hall St John’s Newfoundland Feb 9 – 20 2011.
Coral Andrews - Coral Andrews is an independent media professional who has been writing in Canada for over 30 years.
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