Craig Walker
Encyclopedia
Craig Stewart Walker is a Canadian
writer, theatre director, actor and educator.
Walker graduated from Bayview Secondary School
and afterwards, began his career in the theatre as an actor with the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival
and the National Arts Centre of Canada and other companies. After returning to complete an M.A. in English and a Ph.D. in Drama at the University of Toronto
, he was appointed to the Department of Drama at Queen's University
in Kingston, Ontario, where he is currently Professor of Drama.
In 1997, Walker became the Artistic Director of Theatre Kingston
, a company for which he has directed many productions including his own Finnegans Wake: a dream play (based on the novel by James Joyce
), which played in both Kingston and Toronto in 2001, and Aeschylus
’s The Oresteia, which was performed with Proteus, a satyr play Walker wrote himself to replace the one that had originally followed the trilogy but had been lost since the 5th century BCE. In 2002, Walker wrote the book, music and lyrics for Chantecler: a musical (based loosely on a verse play by Edmond Rostand
).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
writer, theatre director, actor and educator.
Walker graduated from Bayview Secondary School
Bayview Secondary School
Bayview Secondary School is a 9–12, 2-semester high school under the York Region District School Board. It is located just north of the northeast corner of Bayview Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive in the Town of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada....
and afterwards, began his career in the theatre as an actor with the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival
Shaw Festival
The Shaw Festival is a major Canadian theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the second largest repertory theatre company in North America...
and the National Arts Centre of Canada and other companies. After returning to complete an M.A. in English and a Ph.D. in Drama at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, he was appointed to the Department of Drama at Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
in Kingston, Ontario, where he is currently Professor of Drama.
In 1997, Walker became the Artistic Director of Theatre Kingston
Theatre Kingston
Theatre Kingston is a theatre company located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.Founded in 1990 as Theatre Beyond by Paul Gelineau, the company became The People's Theatre Kingston in 1992 and had two more Artistic Directors under that name—Kathryn MacKay and Kathleen LeRoux...
, a company for which he has directed many productions including his own Finnegans Wake: a dream play (based on the novel by James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
), which played in both Kingston and Toronto in 2001, and Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
’s The Oresteia, which was performed with Proteus, a satyr play Walker wrote himself to replace the one that had originally followed the trilogy but had been lost since the 5th century BCE. In 2002, Walker wrote the book, music and lyrics for Chantecler: a musical (based loosely on a verse play by Edmond Rostand
Edmond Rostand
Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century...
).
Works by Walker
- The Buried Astrolabe: Canadian Dramatic Imagination and Western Tradition. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0773520752
- Finnegans Wake: a dream play (based on the novel by James Joyce). Produced by Theatre Kingston in 2001.
- Chantecler: a musical (book, music and lyrics; based on the play by Edmond RostandEdmond RostandEdmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century...
). Produced by Theatre Kingston in 2002. - Editor, with Jennifer Wise, The Broadview Anthology of Drama, Volume One. Broadview Press, 2003. ISBN 978-1551111391
- Editor, The Broadview Anthology of Drama, Volume Two. Broadview Press, 2003. ISBN 978-1551115825
- Editor, with Jennifer Wise, The Concise Broadview Anthology of Drama. Broadview Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1551117164
- Editor, King Lear by William Shakespeare (with facing Folio and Quarto text), The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, Volume Two, ed. Joseph Black, et al. Broadview Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1551116105
External links
- The Buried Astrolabe http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=130