RESEARCH HISTORY – PUBLICATIONS
RESEARCH HISTORY – PUBLICATIONS
RESEARCH INTERESTS
HIGHLIGHTED RESEARCH
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
PUBLICATIONS: Web; Print; Editorial Contributions / Advocacy
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Performing Arts History and Historiography in Canada
History of Popular Performance in 19th Century United States, Canada, and Britain
The Performance of Race on 19th Century North American and British Stages
The Relationship between Historiography and Performance Practice
HIGHLIGHTED RESEARCH
Gatherings: Archival and Oral Histories of Canadian Performance (CONTINUING)
See https://gatheringspartnership.com A project dedicated to the exploration and promotion of archival and oral historical research into performance in Canada. Its goal is to extend performance research to include a broad definition of modes of performance, under-researched regions and cultural groups, and in particular to extend the idea of the pertinent archive–since performance documents might rest anywhere. Outcomes will include Symposia in Toronto, Victoria and Lethbridge; a Website including model research, with a map of performance archival locations; and a publication about the project at its conclusion. I am involved as Principal Investigator, Administrator, and Executive Committee Chair for this project. It includes Co-Investigators from universities across the country, and Institutional partners including Dance Collection Danse, the Canadian Theatre Museum, and Playwrights Canada Press. Funded through a 3 year SSHRC Partnership Development Grant.
Canada West: Performance Culture in Southern Ontario / Cross Border Blackface: Traditions and Legacies of American Minstrelsy in Ontario / On the Road Again: Tracking Itinerant Performance Through Time (CONTINUING) An ongoing database and analytical study of performance culture in pre- and post- confederation ‘Canada West’ (Ontario), focusing on issues of immigration and settlement, race, gender, political ideology, and the profound effect of a strengthened, technologically driven American ‘show business.’ This database houses the accumulated data from the research project Cross Border Blackface: Traditions and Legacies of American Minstrelsy in Ontario (funded 2012-17). In turn, this is part of a larger database project, On the Road Again: Tracking Itinerant Performance Through Time, in collaboration with others using performance calendars and databases to build a research archive. See the following links: http://library2.utm.utoronto.ca/otra/canadawest/ http://library2.utm.utoronto.ca/otra/
Burnt Cork: Traditions and Legacies of Blackface Minstrelsy
Publication (UMass, 2012). An interdisciplinary collection of essays by scholars from theatre & performance studies, cinema studies, cultural studies, diaspora/post-colonial studies, on the ‘blacked up body in performance.’ Includes two written contributions in addition to editing the whole: “Introduction: The Persistence of Blackface and Minstrel Tradition” pp 1-17; and Chapter Four, “Death and the Minstrel: Race, Madness, and Art in the last (W)Rites of Three Early Minstrel Performers” pp 73-103. This publication is one outcome of an interdisciplinary symposium (Principal Organizer) held at the University of Toronto in 2008; and of several research projects and publications on the blackface tradition in North America and Europe.
A Tyranny of Documents: The Performing Arts Historian as Film Noir Detective
Editor, Contributor. Series: Performing Arts Resources, Volume 28 (Theatre Library Association, 2011). A collection of forty historiographical essays in memoriam Brooks McNamara. 353pp. This volume invited scholars from around the world to write about their most ‘troublesome’ and unusual documentary evidence, in particular material that did not allow them to come to an easy conclusion or standard narrative, that was out of place in its archive, that lied effectively, or told the truth ineffectively. The field of scholarship included both senior and emerging scholars and archivists, regions from rural Russia to rural Canada, and a time frame from medieval Europe to 20th century New York. This publication arose from publications on recent turns in ‘microhistory’ and performance, and advocacy serving on the boards of the Theatre Library Association, the Society for Dance History Scholars, the International Federation for Theatre Research, and the Canadian Association for Theatre Research.
The Juba Project: Blackface Minstrelsy in Britain and North America / Featured Performers and Documents / Artists Respond to Juba This online project developed a number of skills used in subsequent projects: a database of performances of American blackface minstrel entertainment (and other American performance of the racialized body), 1842-1852, from the commercial ‘foundation’ of minstrelsy to the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Featured Performers and Documents, a pedagogical website for researchers and the general public to learn about blackface minstrelsy, focusing on the influential dancer Juba, a performer of colour in a racist tradition; and Artists Respond to Juba, a research-creation project, in which artists were asked to review documents related to the ‘blackface body in performance,’ and to respond to it in interview and performance practice. Results included music, art, dance, theatre, and sound. All research was integrated into undergraduate and graduate teaching, extensive employment of research assistants, and performance practice. See http:// library2.utm.utoronto.ca/otra/minstrels/ From 2005/5 to 2016/6
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
2013-20 Co-Investigator. On the Road Again: Tracking Itinerant Performance Through Time. < http://otra.library.utoronto.ca > A database project that seeks to create a theatre history hub of online databases that will share itineraries, patterns of movement, and primary sources such as original documents, images and newspaper clippings, for the study and understanding of touring entertainments from the 14th through the 21st centuries. Collaborators: Sally-Beth MacLean (English/REED), Sian Meikle (Library Services). Initial funding through Instructional Technology Courseware Development Fund, Office of the Provost, University of Toronto (see Research Awards).
2013-18 Co-Investigator. Canadian Consortium on Performance and Politics in the Americas (CCPPA): An Interdisciplinary Exploration involving partners and collaborators from across Canada, funded through a SSHRC Partnership Grant (see Funding). Ongoing projects falling under this Consortium/Partnership:
Curatorial Committee Projects: Responsible for contact with Canadian Theatre Companies embodying cultural diversity, negotiating for digital archiving of performance records; working with graduate students and colleagues from across Canada in establishing a policy and collections list. Examples of companies: Native Earth Performing Arts; Aluna Theatre; Fugens Theatre.
Canada and the Anthropocene in a Hemispheric Context: Roundtable and guest performances jointly organized between CCPPA and the Canadian Association for Theatre Research, as part of CATR’s annual conference in Toronto, May-June 2017. Sponsor and Co-organizer with Laura Levin (YorkU), Natalie Alvarez (BrockU), and Shelley Liebembuk (PhD UofT; Post-doctoral candidate, YorkU).
Encuentro 2014, Montreal: Work Group co-organized with Natalie Alvarez (Brock University), “Performance as Treaty; the (En)treaty of Gesture”; daily sessions with 12 participants
1993-6 Co-Investigator, Artistic Director. The McMaster Eco-Research Program for Hamilton Harbour, an interdisciplinary project across the sciences, social sciences and humanities to research and advocate for the fragile environments of Hamilton Harbour and Coote’s Paradise. Funded through Environment Canada’s Green Plan/Tri-Council Eco-Research Secretariat (see Service to the Profession/Awards and Fundraising). Founder and Artistic Director of the Environmental Theatre Workshop, an advocacy theatre group working with scientists, social scientists, students, and the general public to raise awareness about environmental issues. Included a full-time professional company (summer 1994), the organization of student/volunteer performances, and the creation and performance of original work. See Performance Practice.
PUBLICATIONS
Publications – Web (from date first posted; upkeep continues)
2013 Canada West: Performance Culture in Southern Ontario / Cross Border Blackface: Traditions and Legacies of American Minstrelsy in Ontario / On the Road Again: Tracking Itinerant Performance Through Time
An ongoing database and analytical study of performance culture in pre- and post- confederation ‘Canada West’ (Ontario), focusing on issues of immigration and settlement, race, gender, political ideology, and the profound effect of a strengthened, technologically driven American ‘show business.’
This database houses the accumulated data from the research project ‘Cross Border Blackface: Traditions and Legacies of American Minstrelsy in Ontario’ (SSHRC funded 2012-17).
In turn, this is part of a larger database project, ‘On the Road Again: Tracking Itinerant Performance Through Time,’ in collaboration with others using performance calendars and databases to build a research archive.
See the following links: http://library2.utm.utoronto.ca/otra/canadawest/
http://library2.utm.utoronto.ca/otra/
2005 The Juba Project. A database and website on early blackface minstrelsy. Recipient of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Standard Research Grant (see Research Awards). The funded phase of the project is completed (August 2009); additional materials are added as they become available. The database is capable of adding supplementary data by the principal investigator, and by others with his permission, at any time, and is open for public use. (see also Documents Distributed)
The project was divided into three parts:
The Juba Project: Early Blackface Minstrelsy in Britain. A database of performances of American blackface minstrel entertainment (and other American performance of the racial body) in Britain, 1842 – 1852, from the commercial ‘foundation’ of minstrelsy to the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Last major input of data July 2009. < https://minstrels.library.utoronto.ca >
For showcase pages and links, see specifically Vauxhall Gardens (Venue), Gilbert W. Pell (Person), Ethiopian Serenaders (Troupes), ‘Lucy Long’ (Songs/Acts), and 21 August/26 August 1848 (Event). A ‘Map It’ feature, ‘Antiquarian Maps’ and ‘Bibliographic Sources’ (with links to original documents) are all available.
The Juba Project: Featured Performers and Documents. A pedagogical website for Researchers and the general public to learn about blackface minstrelsy, focusing on individual performers, troupes and documents. Most recent major revision August 2009. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/%7Ew3minstr/featured/index.html
The Juba Project: Artists Respond to Juba. A performance based research project, in which artists were asked to review documents related to the ‘blackface body in performance,’ and to respond to it in interview or performance practice. Results include music, art, dance, theatre, and sound. Most recent addition July 2009. See http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/%7Ew3minstr/artistrespond/index.html
Publications – Print
2021 “Blackface Minstrelsy in Canada: Documents, Influences, Legacies,” in Canadian Plays and Performance Documents, 1606-1967. Ed. Allana C. Lindgren, Glen Nichols, Tony Vickery. In Press UAlbertaP [Invited]
2019 Co-Editor, Gatherings: Vol 2, a collection of creative work in the service of academic research (March). Printed by Jackson Creek Press in an edition of 100 copies. With Jenn Cole, Trent University.
2018 Co-Editor, Gatherings: Vol 1, a collection of creative work in the service of academic research (March). Printed by Jackson Creek Press in an edition of 100 copies. With Jenn Cole, Trent University.
2017 “‘Shield us from this base ridicule’: The Petitions to Censor Blackface Circus Clowns, Toronto, 1840-1843,” in New Essays in Canadian Theatre: Canadian Performance Histories and Historiographies, series editor Roberta Barker, volume editor Heather Davis-Fisch. Playwrights Canada Press, 2017.
2013 “Romulus and Ritual: A Dream of Theatre in Pre-Confederation Ontario.” Theatre Research in Canada 35:1 (Spring 2014) pp 9-30. Co-edited volume with Marlis Schweitzer. [Article]
2012 Editor and Contributor. Burnt Cork: Traditions and Legacies of Blackface Minstrelsy (University of Massachusetts Press, 2012). An interdisciplinary collection of essays by scholars from theatre & performance studies, cinema studies, cultural studies, diaspora/post-colonial studies, on the ‘blacked up body in performance.’ Includes two written contributions in addition to editing the whole: “Introduction: The Persistence of Blackface and Minstrel Tradition” pp 1-17; and Chapter Four, “Death and the Minstrel: Race, Madness, and Art in the last (W)Rites of Three Early Minstrel Performers” pp 73-103.
2012 “Blackface, Minstrelsy, and the culture surrounding Ain’t Lookin’,” Program note written for Study Guide, workshop production of Chappie Johnson and His (almost) All Colored All Stars, a new musical, Book/Lyrics by Robin Breon, Music/Lyrics by Joe Sealy. Workshop performance 14 May 2012 Hart House Theatre
2011 “Minstrels in the Classroom: Teaching, Race, and Blackface,” co-written with Natalie Alvarez, Brock University. Canadian Theatre Review 147 (Summer 2011) (3,000) 31-37
2011 Editor A Tyranny of Documents: The Performing Arts Historian as Film Noir Detective. Series: Performing Arts Resources, Volume 28 (Theatre Library Association, June 2011). A collection of forty historiographical essays in memoriam Brooks McNamara. 353pp. Includes “Introduction,” pp 1-5.
2010 “Everybody’s Elvis: Celebrity and the Church Social at the Collingwood Elvis Festival,” Canadian Theatre Review 141 (Winter 2010) (3,000 words) 28-32
2009 “The Clansman”: A Critical Edition of the Stage Play by Thomas Dixon, with an introductory essay on its reception history and relationship to D. W. Griffith’s film “Birth of a Nation”. Dedicated issue of Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film. Vol 34.2 (Winter 2007; printed/distributed 2009) 4-142 (sole contributor to special volume: Introduction 23,000 words; edited text 24,000 words)
2009 “Testimonials in Silk: Juba and the Legitimization of American Blackface Minstrelsy in Britain,” in Testimonials in the American Marketplace: Emulation, Identity, Community, ed. Marlis Schweitzer and Marina Moskowitz (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) 23-49 (9,000 words)
2009 “Gender Trumps Race?: Cross-Dressing Juba in Early Blackface Minstrelsy,” in When Men Dance: Choreographing Masculinities Across Borders, ed. Jennifer Fisher and Anthony Shay (Oxford University Press, 2009) 220-247 (9,000 words). Published with ‘Channeling Juba’s Dance—a rehearsal journal,’ by Paul Babiak, 248-57, an account of my practice based research into Juba’s dance (see listing under Research Based Performance / Professional and Pedagogical Theatre Activities)
2009 “‘Surely he cannot be flesh and blood’: The early Victorian Anatomical Museum and the Blackface Minstrel,” in The Body in Medical Culture, ed. Elizabeth Klaver (SUNY Press, 2009) 61-88 (13,000 words)
2009 “Time and the Tom Show: Familiarity and Shorthand in the Performance Traditions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” in Performing Adaptations: Essays and Conversations on the Theory and Practice of Adaptation, ed. Michelle MacArthur, Lydia Wilkinson, Keren Zaiontz (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2009) 87-111 (9,500 words), plus ‘Appendix 1: A Description of Tommers,’ 243-5, and ‘Appendix 2: An Aggressive Adaptation of the Auction Scene,’ 247-56
2009 “‘Getting to’ Canadian Theatre History: On the Tension between the New History and the Nation State,” in Theatre Histories, ed. Alan Filewod, Critical Perspectives on Canadian Theatre in English (Playwrights Canada Press, 2009) 90-105. Originally published in Theatre Research in Canada 13:1/2 (Spring/Fall 1992) 63-80
2009 “The Persistence of Tradition in Anatomical Museums,” in The Anatomy of Body Worlds: Critical Essays on Gunther von Hagens’ Plastinated Cadavers. Edited by T. Christine Jespersen, Alicita Rodríguez, and Joseph Starr. (McFarland Press, 2009) 68-85 (7,300 words)
2007 “Return of the Cabinet of Curiosities: A Tour of the Niagara Falls Museum,” Canadian Theatre Review 131 (Summer 2007) 53-60
2006 “Your Body in Plastic: A Tourist goes to Body Worlds,” Canadian Theatre Review 127 (Summer 2006) 74-80
2005 Andre Loiselle. Stage-Bound: Feature Film Adaptations of Canadian and Quebecois Drama (McGill-Queens University Press, 2003) in Canadian Theatre Review 122 (Spring 2005) 92-4 [Book Review]
2003 “Juba’s Dance: An Assessment of Newly Acquired Documentation,” Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the Society for Dance History Scholars (SDHS, 2003) np (6,400 words)
2002 Linda Williams. Playing the Race Card: Melodramas of Black and White from Uncle Tom to O. J. Simpson(Princeton University Press, 2001) in Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film 29:1 (Summer 2002) 97-103 [Book Review]
2000 Anton Wagner, editor. Establishing Our Boundaries: English-Canadian Theatre Criticism (UofT Press, 1999) in University of Toronto Quarterly 70:1 (Winter 2000/2001) 405-7 [Book Review]
2000 “Historical Re-Creation and the Postmodern Aesthetic: Case Study of Handmade Performance’s The Last Judgement.” Early Theatre 3 (2000), ed. Helen Ostovich, 259-274 [Article]
2000 “Making It Easy To Believe: A Tourist goes to the Psychic Fair,” Canadian Theatre Review 103 (Summer 2000) 32-7
1999 “Dramaturgy in the Academy: a production of Dr Faustus,” November 1999 newsletter of the Canadian branch, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. Two pages
1999 “Past the Documents, To the Dance: The Witness to Juba in 1848,” in The Performance Text, edited by Domenico Pietropaolo (Legas Press, 1999) 78-96 (5,000 words)
1999 “Uncle Tom and the Minstrels: Seeing Black and White on Stage in Canada West prior to the American Civil War,” in (Post)Colonial Stages: Critical and Creative Views on Drama, Theatre and Performance, edited by Helen Gilbert, (Dangaroo Press, 1999), 55-63
1999 Gordon Vogt, Critical Stages: Canadian Theatre in Crisis (Oberon, 1998) in University of Toronto Quarterly69:1 (Winter 1999/2000) 355-6 [Book Review]
1998 David Krasner, Resistance, Parody, and Double Consciousness in African American Theatre, 1895-1910 (St Martin’s, 1997) in Modern Drama XLI:1 (Spring 1998) 175-7 [Book Review]
1998 “Translating the Tom Show: A Comparison of Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 Film and William Brady’s 1901 Stage production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” in Celebrating 1895: Proceedings of the International Conference on Film before 1920, edited by John Fullerton (John Libbey Press, 1998) 131-7
1998 “Introduction,” special issue on History and Historiography, Theatre Research in Canada/ Recherches théâtrales au Canada 18:2 (Fall 1997) 123-6
1997 Don Rubin, editor, Canadian Theatre History: Selected Readings (Copp Clark, 1996), in Canadian Theatre Review 90 (Spring 1997) 86-88. [Review Essay]
1997 “Dramaturgy as University Education,” November 1997 newsletter of the Canadian branch, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. One page
1994/6 “The Integration of Theatre History and Theatre Practice in the University: A Case Study Using Ze zivota hmyzu (From the Life of the Insects) by Karel and Josef Capek,” in Theatre Topics 4:2 (September 1994) 189-204. Translated and reprinted in the Czech theatre studies journal, Divadelní revue 4/96 [Article]
1992 “Evaluating Early Film as a Document of Theatre History: The 1896 Footage of Joseph Jefferson’s Rip Van Winkle as a Case Study,” Nineteenth Century Theatre Research 20: 2 (Winter 1992) 101-122 [Article]
1992 “’Getting to’ Canadian Theatre History: On the Tension between the New History and the Nation State,” in Theatre Research in Canada, double issue on Theory and Methodology 13:1/2 (Spring/Fall 1992) 63-80[Article]
1992 John LeVay, Margaret Anglin, A Stage Life (Simon and Pierre, 1989), for Canadian Theatre Review 71 (Summer 1992) 95-6 [Book Review]
1991 Hilary Russell, Double Take: The Story of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres (Dundurn 1990), for Canadian Theatre Review 69 (Winter 1991) 93-94 [Book Review]
1990 “Old Theatres for New: Publications Related to the Re-opening of the Elgin/Winter Garden Complex and the Pantages Theatre in Toronto,” review essay, Theatre History in Canada 11:2 (Fall 1990) 186-196 [Article]
1989 Anthony Davies, Filming Shakespeare’s Plays (Cambridge, 1988), for Essays in Theatre 8:1 (November 1989) 70-3 [Book Review]
1989 The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre, edited by L. W. Conolly and Eugene Benson (Oxford University Press, 1989). Contributor, ten entries, in addition to Assistant Editor (see Employment; see Professional Affiliations and Activities/Editorial Appointments). Entries: “Centrestage” 85-6; “Dinner Theatre” 139; “Jupiter Theatre” 283; “Kam Theatre” 283; “Lunch Theatre” 313; “Magnus Theatre Northwest” 319; “Shatner, William” 493; “St. Lawrence Centre for the Performing Arts” 502; “Sudbury Theatre Centre” 509; “Theatre Plus” 544
1987 Joan Parkhill Baillie, Look at the Record: A Scrapbook of Toronto’s Lyric Theatres, 1825-1984 (Mosaic, 1985), for Canadian Theatre Review 51 (Summer 1987) 87-8 [Book Review]
1986 Shakespeare Around the Globe: A Guide to Notable Postwar Revivals, edited by Samuel L. Leiter (Greenwood Press, 1986). Contributor (ten entries) on productions at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon: “As You Like It, 1957” 50-1; “Henry V, 1946” 217; “Henry V, 1951” 218-220; “King Lear, 1953” 307-8; “King Lear, 1959” 313-4; “King Lear, 1968” 318-9; “The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1955” 456-7; “Othello, 1952” 530-1; “The Tempest, 1951” 694-5. Also“The Tempest, The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1974” 704-5
1986 Richard and Helen Leacroft, Theatre and Playhouse: An Illustrated Survey of Theatre Building From Ancient Greece to the Present Day (Methuen, 1984), for Theatre Design and Technology 22:1 (Winter 1986) 17 [Book Review]
1985 John Lindsay, Turn Out the Stars Before Leaving (Boston Mills, 1983), for Theatre History in Canada 6:2 (Fall 1985) 204-6
1985 The Roof Gardens of Broadway Theatres, 1883-1942 (UMI Research Press, 1985) Theatre and Drama Studies Series, Oscar G. Brockett, editor. 241pp
1982 “Joseph Jefferson’s Rip Van Winkle,” The Drama Review 26:1 (Spring 1982) 3-20.
1982 “Tricks and Treats on Coney Island: Revitalizing a Dime Museum,” The Drama Review 26:1 (Spring 1982) 132-136 with John Frick
1981 “Cataloguing the Revue Comedy Sketches of the Shubert Archive,” The Passing Show (Shubert Foundation Newsletter, Summer 1981) 11-12 with Paul Kelly
1980 “Broadway Drama 1910 to 1919: Materials in the Shubert Archive,” The Passing Show (Shubert Foundation Newsletter, Winter 1980) 3-4
Publications – Editorial Contributions / Advocacy
2007-16 Administrative Board, Modern Drama. As Director of the Drama Centre, financial and legal authority over journal activities
2002-16 Management Board, Theatre Research in Canada/ Recherches théâtrales au Canada; Chair, 2002-2013; also, 2007-16, as Director of the Drama Centre, financial and legal authority over journal activities
2010 External Reader and Assessor for book manuscript on the history of Canadian Theatre, for Between the LinesPress.
2005 Advisory Board, Vaudeville Nation, Exhibition curated by Barbara Cohen Stratyner, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Centre (exhibited 15 November 2005 to 1 April 2006)
1992-2001 Co-Editor, Theatre Research in Canada/ Recherches théâtrales au Canada, a national bilingual journal published through the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, University of Toronto, and the Association for Canadian Theatre Research. Reader/Assessor for all manuscripts submitted. Editor 1992-9 (on leave 1994-5), Executive Editor 2000-1.
Also Editor of theme issues on History and Historiography, Vol 18:2 & 19:1.
1992-2001 Advisory Board, Atlantic Canada Theatre Site, compiled by Prof. Edward Mullaly, University of New Brunswick. Web publication of Journals, Bibliographies and Performance Calendars relating to Theatre in Canada. See http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/Theatre
1992-4 Advisory Board, The Dictionary of Stage Directors, edited by John W. Frick and Stephen M. Vallillo (Greenwood, 1994)
1985-8 Assistant Editor, The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre, edited by L. W. Conolly and Eugene Benson (published 1989). (See also Employment and Publications)
1985-8 Assistant Editor, Essays in Theatre, published by the Department of Drama, University of Guelph
Stephen Johnson 