Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Radio Drama
If there is one thing for which radio (especially CBC and Radio-Canada ) can be thanked by theatre, it is that since the start, it has kept Canadian theatre artists working and paid (when they were often not paid one thin dime in their theatre work). It can also be thanked for walking hand in hand with the earliest theatres in the land towards creating a national drama.
The first Canadian play to be broadcast in this country was The Rosary (author unknown), out of Moncton's CNRA in 1925. In 1927, an anthology-series (including some Canadian works) appeared at Vancouver's CNRV and lasted four years. The first series of made-in-Canada radio plays were 24 works on Canadian history written by Merrill Denison for CN Radio (the precursor to CBC) and broadcast 1931-32. In 1936 the CBC was officially born and its commitment to home-grown drama was unfailing. Not only was drama broadcast nationally, but regional studios were producing works by authors of their own. Too, the radio was exposing all Canadians to works that would become mainstays of the nation's theatre (ie: Still Stands the House ).
Andrew Allan was appointed CBC's national drama supervisor in 1943, and a Golden Age began. His Stage series featured Canadian drama alongside the classics. That same year CBC Wednesday Night was born and also featured some Canadian drama. Producer Esse Ljungh also became a champion of Canadian writers (and got the to adapt, as well, a wide variety of works). Writers who worked at the CBC included Len Peterson , Mavor Moore , W.O. Mitchell and Lister Sinclair .
Meanwhile, in French-language radio, serials were extremely popular from the début of the first one L'Auberge des chercheurs d'or on CKAC, Montreal 1935-38. From the beginning of the 40s to the beginning of the 60s, there were 10-15 serials a day on Quebec radio. There was also comedy, drama and episodic and historical drama written by writers already involved or who would be involved in theatre like Marcel Dubé , Jacques Languirand , Marie-Claire Blais and Félix Leclerc . Actual plays were never as popular in French as were the serials and with the coming of television, drama faded on francophone radio.
When TV arrived, audiences began to turn off their radios. But things did not obviously slow down at CBC radio until the mid-60s. However, drama struggles on in both French and English radio. Series come and go but until they are all gone shows like Stereo Theatre, Vanishing Point, Morningside, Sunday Matinee and Théâtre de lundi will continue to employ actors and writers.
However, with each cutback at CBC/Radio-Canada, the life of radio drama is pushed further towards euthanasia with regional drama offices closing each time.
Canadian writers, across the country - like Pan Bouyoucas , Rachel Wyatt , Colleen Curran and Djanet Sears - still do find work in the field. Some even make some noise doing so. Mark Leiren-Young 's Dim Sum Diaries proved to be such a work.
Readings: English-Canadian Theatre, Eugene Benson and LW Conolly, 1987, Oxford University Press, Toronto
Source: The Radio Drama Productions of Esse W. Ljungh (Thesis), Sharon Blanchard, September, 1981
(Additional information provided by Anton Wagner)
Last updated 2009-07-21
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The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia web site was originally conceived and developed in 1996 by Gaetan Charlebois—theatre critic, playwright, and actor.
