The ABC's of Community Engagement

Abstract

Building on the writer’s experience as a theatre practitioner from the 1970s to the present, this article argues that mainstream theatre in Canada has a history of desiring community engagement, but only a vague notion of how to achieve it, while adhering to a system that undermines the possibility of accomplishing it.

Looking specifically at British Columbia small professional companies in small cities – Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops, Theatre West in Prince George, and TheatreOne in Nanaimo –  the article proposes a Model of “C Theatre” that collaborates with community, utilizes distinctive local settings, tells local stories, and transcends conventional boundaries of dramaturgy. A five-pronged Community Engagement model underpins the discussion.