“If Only They’d Stop Waiting”: Staging Western Canadian Drama In Central Europe

The best of contemporary theatre in Western Canada presents stories of the historical, cultural, and ethnic diversity of the region while taking a critical stand against the traditional stereotypes of “prairie realism and cowboy iconography” which contributed to the creation of its social, as well as artistic awareness. Western Canadian playwrights reflect in their works the wide multicultural spectrum of their region, without writing mere “ethnic theatre” with limited readability and appeal. This is documented by several instances of producing Western Canadian drama “out of its context” – specifically in Central Europe. In the Czech Republic, it was the productions of Brad Fraser’s Kill Me Now by theatres in Ostrava and Mladá Boleslav in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and the production of Vern Thiessen’s play Lenin’s Embalmers by a Liberec theatre which premiered in December 2017. The article discusses the productions of Western Canadian plays by Czech theatres, with special focus on the dramaturgical decisions and theatrical presentations concerned, as well as on the critical and audience response the productions have received, with the aim to demonstrate that Western Canadian drama presents not only a valuable source for cultural and theatrological study, but also inspiring material for meaningful stage productions in Czech – and potentially European – theatres.