Understanding Aboriginal Arts in Canada Today, Reaction Paper Example

Native theater in Canada has generally reflected the societal acceptance of these individuals throughout the history of the country. While Canadian natives were typically outcast from certain aspects of Canadian culture throughout various parts of history, there is a high interest in preserving the native culture in modern times. Therefore, native Canadian theater is a response to the need for the native cultures to be more highly understood. Native playwrights are able to present the plight of their people in theatrical format, as this allows the audience to gain a firsthand understanding of the importance of the cultural history in addition to the negative impact that this repression has had on these groups of individuals.

Once the majority of Canadians recognized that the native population was underrepresented on many fronts, many organizations collaborated to determine ways that their voices could be heard. An example of this was the establishment of Native Theatre School which was founded by James H. Buller in 1974. This organization held the vision that native people would be able to change Canada by presenting their messages through the medium of theater. This program was redesigned in 1994 in a manner that would provide native Canadians with the training necessary to become successful in theater. While organizations such as this have made small strides in increasing the prevalence of native Canadians in theater, it is clear that these efforts have allowed the numbers of Canadian playwrights to rise over the years. Ultimately, it appears that since the majority of Canadians supported the messages that these playwrights would present and that institutions were established to provide native Canadians with training, there is a greater acceptance of art produced by these individuals. It is likely that this acceptance and appreciation will continue to rise as the years go on and more native Canadian playwrights demonstrate their worth in the world of theater.

Works Cited

Canada Council. (n.d.). Understanding Aboriginal Arts in Canada Today. Retrieved from http://canadacouncil.ca/~/media/files/research%20-            %20en/understanding%20aboriginal%20arts%20in%20canada%20today%20a%20knowledge%20and%20literature%20review/understanding%20aboriginal%20arts%20in%20canada%20today.pdf