加拿大是一个比较年轻的国家,它的戏剧只有二百多年的历史,一般以18世纪为其上限。当然,如果我们往前追溯,也可以将加拿大的戏剧演出史一直推溯到古代爱斯基摩人的宗教礼仪,因为这些宗教礼仪带有十分鲜明的戏剧表演色彩。此外,太平洋沿岸的舞蹈也对加拿大戏剧表演产生过影响。自18世纪以来,加拿大戏剧一直走着一条艰难的道路。一方面,它要抵制强邻美国的影响。因为美国无论在政治经济还是在文化艺术上都是一个超级大国,在戏剧方面尤为活跃。另一方面,它又要摆脱英、法戏剧传统的影响。因为从历史的角度来看,大多数加拿大人毕竟只是英、法的移民,传统的影响是根深蒂固的。只有摆脱上述两方面的影响,加拿大才能形成具有自身特点的戏剧艺术。这一艰难的历程竟历时一个多世纪,直到二十世纪初期,或者更准确地说是第一次世界大战以后,才出现了转机。从此以后,加拿大戏剧出现了很好的 Canada is a relatively young country. Its drama has only two hundred years of history. It is generally capped at the 18th century. Of course, if we look back, we can trace the history of Canadian theater productions back to the religious practices of ancient Eskimos because of their distinctive dramatic performance. In addition, the Pacific coast dance also had an impact on Canadian theater performances. Canadian theater has been on a difficult road since the 18th century. On the one hand, it has to resist the influence of its neighbors to the United States. Because the United States is a superpower both in the political economy and in the arts and culture, it is particularly active in theater. On the other hand, it needs to get rid of the tradition of drama and drama in Britain and France. Because from a historical point of view, most Canadians, after all, are only emigrants from Britain and France. The traditional influence is deeply rooted. Only by getting rid of the above two aspects, can Canada form a dramatic art with its own characteristics. This difficult course went through more than a century. It was not until the early twentieth century, or more precisely after the First World War, that a turning point emerged. Since then, the Canadian drama has appeared very good