A history of Bastion Theatre
Date
1975
Authors
Barber, Irene Teresa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This M.A. Thesis describes the activities of Victoria's Bastion Theatre Company from its inception in 1963 up to May 1975. It recounts some of the successes and failures the company h as experienced and endeavours to point out the financial and production problems encountered over the twelve years of its existence.
Primary source material was obtained from Bastion's company files; theatre programmes, director 's reports, newspaper reviews and photographs were taken from twenty-five scrapbooks compiled by Founding Director Peter Mannering from 1963 to 1975; and additional material came from articles in the Victoria Daily Times, the Daily Colonist, the Victorian and the Vancouver Sun. The writer also had personal interviews with administrative and technical staff of Bastion Company and the McPherson Playhouse in addition to local actors and theatre patrons.
The thesis has b een divide~ into two parts: Part I, in narrative form, is a general discussion of the company's achievements; Part II documents all the productions season by season.
The narrative section begins with an account of Bastion's formation and its first year of studio productions in a small church hall. From March, 1965 onwards, productions were mounted in the newly refurbished McPherson Playhouse: a description is included of the theatre's origin in 1913, its metamorphosis into Victoria's civic theatre in February 1965, and its opening programmes.
A discussion follows of Bastion's progress from 1965 to 1975 within the areas of adult mainstage performances, children's plays, the studio company and the touring company. The main emphasis is on adult mainstage productions: for purposes of comparison, these have been grouped in three or four-year periods under the categories of musical comedies, comedies and farces, Canadian plays, classical and serious plays. Children's plays receive prominence in the final section of the narrative.
As the thesis is mainly concerned with financial problems and production standards, there has been no attempt at play analysis except in the case of new Canadian works. Brief biographies of some Bastion personnel are included as their names arise and mention is given to some former students of the company's theatre school who eventually achieved professional status.
Organization of the theatre school and touring company follows the pattern set by Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1958: with no innovations to record, discussion of these activities has been kept to a minimum.
Conclusions drawn at different stages in the company ' s development are included at the appropriate time in the narrative. Bastion's plans for the 1975-76 season are described in the final section.
Part II is a summary of all Bastion productions. Season by season , plays performed by the adult, children's and studio companies are documented: under each, the author, director, designer and cast are listed, followed by attendance and financial figures and ending with excerpts from newspaper reviews. The latter were chosen to throw light on the production as a whole rather than on individual performances.
Attendance and financial totals appear at the end of each season and overall statistics from 1965 to 1975 are shown in Appendix A. A selection of photographs appears in Appendix B.
The company's most successful development has been made in the field of children's theatre. These productions have provided opportunities for artists and writers within this region, thus creating that vital link with the community which is Bastion's primary aim.