Co-edited by Department of Drama faculty, Dr. Selena Couture and Dr. Melissa Poll (Kansas State University), Performance Matters Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026), "Re-Assembling: CTR 199–200" reflects on and celebrates the 50th anniversary of "Canadian Theatre Review," expanding on discussions of what constitutes a “Canadian” theatre history, the voices that were muted in its forging, and the road ahead.
2026 Lee Playwriting Prize for New Canadian Plays has been awarded to Jean-Michel Cliche for his play "Ifrit".
The University of Alberta Drama Department is pleased to announce that Brad Fraser has been chosen as the 2026 Lee Playwright in Residence.
Playwright and actor Jessy Ardern (BFA Acting 2016) has re-written the classic French drama of unrequited love, hidden identity and a 17th century writer with a large nose and sharp wit.
“Very early on in my career I learned that you need to find people who are really smart artists and you let them be the smart people they are. They bring their magic with them. And it lifts stuff up!”
Congratulations to Drama Alumnus Brian Webb (BFA Acting, 1973) on his induction into the Dance Collection Danse 2025 Hall of Fame. Dance Collection Danse is the national, Toronto-based, non-profit charitable corporation dedicated to Canadian dance history. The ceremony took place Nov. 9 in Winnipeg.
April Viczko has received the Award for Outstanding Achievement from the International Organisation of Scenographers Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT).
Join us in congratulating Selena Couture on receiving the 2025 Henry Marshall Tory Chair award.
BFA Acting ('21) Alumnus Maxwell Hanic has received an inaugural Gerda Hnatyshyn Launch Grant of $10,000 from the Hnatyshyn Foundation. Max's practice is in the discipline of Contemporary Dance. "Max is forever grateful to the incredible teachers he has had, most notably his first dance teachers Lin Snelling and Marie Nychka."
“If we go back in the historical record, we have many societies where dress is interchangeable between genders, or how they construct genders,” says Robert Shannon, associate professor of Theatre Design in the Department of Drama. "Fashion tends to start with something that’s functional."
2025 Lee Playwriting Prize for New Canadian Plays has been awarded to Ken Beatty for his play War Artist.
Most people who study theatre at college or university won't become famous. But many will go on to use their skills in other careers. Melanie Dreyer-Lude is a drama professor at the University of Alberta. She has a new book out called The Adaptable Degree. It delves into what theatre students do after they graduate.