Culture Brief

The McGill Drama Festival runs this week until April 9th, showcasing seven plays over ten days at Players Theatre. The plays are entirely student-produced, relying on writers, directors, and performers from the McGill community.

The university has no fine arts programs in playwriting or directing, but according to festival coordinator Dane Stewart, there is no shortage of students willing to become involved in theatre. His call for written submissions to the festival in October yielded 27 plays, and over 100 students came out to audition for them. Stewart suggests that McGill’s lack of programs isn’t as much of a disadvantage as one might assume. “That’s kind of what’s spurred all of the student-run theatre around campus,” he says, adding that McGill has more student-run theatre than most schools. The festival contributes original productions to McGill’s theater secene, as well as the chance for the typical audience member to take in three plays instead of one. With no thematic link between the plays on any given night, the festival-goer’s experience is rather like that of the TV watcher who changes channels every half hour. The possibilities for comparing and contrasting the plays, however, are endless.