Negotiating Audiences: Confronting Social Issues in Theatre/or Young Audiences

Resume: Cet article examine les problèmes pratiques, esthétiques et idéologiques auxquels sont confrontées les troupes de théâtre qui produisent des pièces portant sur I\u27expérience vécue des jeunes et qui les présentent en milieu scolaire Si I\u27école permet I\u27accès à la culture théâtrale à des groupes d\u27enfants défavorisés, il n\u27en reste pas moins que cet accès est contrôlé par des adultes (commissions scolaires, enseignants, parents et bailleurs de fonds). À cet égard, l\u27expérience de deux troupes, Ie Catalyst Theatre d\u27Edmonton et la Company of Sirens de Toronto, montre les difficultés que soulèvent l\u27exploration de sujets comme la violence à la maison et les abus sexuels. Summary: This paper deals with the practical, aesthetic, and ideological problems facing theatre groups who choose to produce issue-based plays for young audiences in schools. In socio-economic terms, performing in schools makes theatre available to a larger cross section of young people, however, a company\u27s access to these audiences is ultimately mediated by adults (school boards, teachers, parents and funding agencies). The paper compares the experiences of two different theatre groups — Catalyst Theatre (Edmonton) and the Company of Sirens (Toronto) — whose plays for young audiences tackled issues of sexual abuse and domestic violence. The paper concludes with a consideration of the challenges and rewards of TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) more generally

Remediating the Past: Doing “Periodical Studies” in the Digital Era

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Alternative Traditions: Popular Political Theatre in Britain

This thesis examines the different tendencies found in alternative theatre movements in British theatre in the twentieth century, with a particular emphasis on the achievements of the popular political theatre companies in the period after 1968. "Alternative" and "political" are terms most commonly associated with developments in the late sixties and early seventies, but the thesis will demonstrate that there are stronger connections between the prewar and postwar periods of experimentation than are generally recognized. The broad historical framework is designed specifically to reveal the patterns and cycles which characterize the emergence and evolution of alternative theatre movements. It begins with an historical survey of the prewar period, followed by a discussion of the main issues related to the postwar movement, leading ultimately to a detailed case study of a specific theatre company. The thesis relies on historical and sociological approaches to cultural production in order to demonstrate that social, political, and economic factors account to a large extent for the kind of theatre which is produced in any given period. This is intended to redress the inability of more conventionally elitist and text-based dramatic criticism to include rich popular traditions. The study is concerned with reasons why alternative theatre companies defined themselves in opposition to mainstream theater and the form this opposition took in terms of their socialist/democratic politics, non-hierarchical modes of production, performance styles, the redefinition of theatrical venues, and the attempts to reach more broadly-based and culturally dispossessed audiences. The thesis also argues that in these oppositional tendencies can be found some of the most important developments in stage language in this century, and that alternative theatre has provided a constant source of renewal for the mainstream tradition.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD

Cataclysmic Variables in the First Year of the Zwicky Transient Facility

Using selection criteria based on amplitude, time, and color, we have identified 329 objects as known or candidate cataclysmic variables (CVs) during the first year of testing and operation of the Zwicky Transient Facility. Of these, 90 are previously confirmed CVs, 218 are strong candidates based on the shape and color of their light curves obtained during 3–562 days of observation, and the remaining 21 are possible CVs but with too few data points to be listed as good candidates. Almost half of the strong candidates are within 10 deg of the galactic plane, in contrast to most other large surveys that have avoided crowded fields. The available Gaia parallaxes are consistent with sampling the low mass transfer CVs, as predicted by population models. Our follow-up spectra have confirmed Balmer/helium emission lines in 27 objects, with four showing high-excitation He ii emission, including candidates for an AM CVn, a polar, and an intermediate polar. Our results demonstrate that a complete survey of the Galactic plane is needed to accomplish an accurate determination of the number of CVs existing in the Milky Way

Cataclysmic Variables in the First Year of the Zwicky Transient Facility

Using selection criteria based on amplitude, time, and color, we have identified 329 objects as known or candidate cataclysmic variables (CVs) during the first year of testing and operation of the Zwicky Transient Facility. Of these, 90 are previously confirmed CVs, 218 are strong candidates based on the shape and color of their light curves obtained during 3–562 days of observation, and the remaining 21 are possible CVs but with too few data points to be listed as good candidates. Almost half of the strong candidates are within 10 deg of the galactic plane, in contrast to most other large surveys that have avoided crowded fields. The available Gaia parallaxes are consistent with sampling the low mass transfer CVs, as predicted by population models. Our follow-up spectra have confirmed Balmer/helium emission lines in 27 objects, with four showing high-excitation He ii emission, including candidates for an AM CVn, a polar, and an intermediate polar. Our results demonstrate that a complete survey of the Galactic plane is needed to accomplish an accurate determination of the number of CVs existing in the Milky Way