eth century, much of the folklore of university life
centered on such things as pep rallies, athletic rival-
ries, student pranks—the focus over the years of
hundreds of lighthearted films as diverse asGood
News(1947) andAnimal House(1978). Coming as it
did so near the end of the millennium, the A&M
bonfire disaster seemed to signal an end of inno-
cence for such activities—an end of an era in cam-
pus life.
Further Reading
Elliott, Janet, and Kevin Moran. “Three New Law-
suits Filed Against A&M; Students Build Bonfire
Off-Campus.”Houston Chronicle, November 17,
2001, p. 33.
Tang, Irwin A.The Texas Aggie Bonfire: Tradition and
Tragedy at Texas A&M. Austin: It Works, 2000.
Thomas Du Bose
See also Columbine massacre; Football; Natural
disasters; Scandals; Sports.
Theater in Canada
Definition Significant stage presentations across
Canada
The state of Canadian theater during the 1990’s was
greatly influenced by the countr y’s economic shifts: from
dire in the early 1990’s to robust, following an injection of
funds by the Minister of Canadian Heritage amounting to
$25 million for 1997-1998 and each of the following four
years.
The search for national identity influenced the de-
velopment of theater in Canada during the 1990’s. A
variety of theatrical forms and multicultural works
characterized the decade’s theater.
First Nations Theater Compelling voices from the
Canadian indigenous community concentrated on
First Nations identity during the 1990’s. Marie
Clements, of Metis heritage, produced many works
during the decade—such asAge of Iron(pr. 1993),
Now Look What You Made Me Do(pr. 1995)—as did
Yvette Nolan, withBlade(pr. 1990),Job’s Wife(pr.
1992),Child(pr. 1996), andAnnie Mae’s Movement
(pr. 1998). Ian Ross, a Metis-Ojibwa playwright, re-
ceived both the John Hirsch Award for Most Prom-
ising Manitoba Writer in 1996 and the James Buller
Award in 1999. His playfareWel(pr. 1996) won the
Governor General’s Award. Drew Hayden Taylor’s
Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock(pr. 1989) won the Chal-
mers Award, andOnly Drunks and Children Tell the
Truth(pr. 1996) won the Dora Mavor Moore Award.
Tomson Highway received an induction into the Or-
der of Canada in 1994, and his playThe Rez Sisters(pr.
1986), which was premiered by Théâtre Populaire
du Québec in 1993, earned for him the Dora Mavor
Moore Award.Black Theater The concern with national identity
also permeated black initiatives, which had been tra-
ditionally ignored during the 1990’s unless man-
aged by white francophones. The dramatic works of
individual dramatists contributed significantly to
furthering black theater development. In 1990,
Djanet Sears’sAfrika Solo(pr. 1987) was the first play
published in Canada by a person of African descent.
Sears also received the Governor General’s Award
forHarlem Duet(pr. 1997) in 1998 and achieved fur-
ther acclaim by receiving four Dora Mavor Moore
Awards. Another important work, Andrew Moodie’s
Riot(pr. 1995)—a play that responded to the 1992 ri-
ots in Los Angeles that followed the acquittal of four
police officers charged with the beating of black mo-
torist Rodney King—premiered at the Factory Thea-
tre and won the Chalmers Award.Women and Theater The 1990’s heralded greater
recognition for women in Canadian theater. Sharon
Pollock founded the Garry Theatre in Calgary
(1992-1997) to produce populist plays for the com-
munity. Many female dramatists also received public
commendation for their contribution to Canada
dramaturgy during the decade—Ann-Marie Mac-
Donald, Joan MacLeod, and Judith Thomson
among them. Notable women involved in theater
production included scenographers such as Teresa
Przybylski, lighting designers such as Jennifer Tip-
ton, and production and costume designers such as
Mary Kerr, who designed the 1994 opening and clos-
ing ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games in
Victoria. Actresses such as Frances Hyland and Clare
Coulter performed in Canadian premieres. Hyland
starred in the premiere of George F. Walker’sEscape
from Happinessin 1992 and was honored in 1994 with
a Toronto Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Coulter headlined in the Canadian premiere of
Wallace Shawn’sThe Designated Mournerat the Tarra-
gon Theatre in 1997.850 Theater in Canada The Nineties in America