About Us

The CCC is affiliated with the Canadian Association of Theatre Critics (CTCA) and the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC).

Le CCC est affiliée a` l’Association canadienne des critiques de théâtre (ACTC)et à l’Association internationale des critiques de théâtre (AICT)

CAPITAL CRITICS’ CIRCLE – WHO WE ARE

The Beginnings: The capitalcriticscircle.com website was founded in 2010 as the cyber/public voice of the Capital Critics’ Circle, a club of theatre critics, which began early in the 1980s. At that time, it included Audrey Ashley (Ottawa Citizen, English theatre), John Hare (Ottawa Citizen French theatre), Charles Haines and Alvina Ruprecht (CBC Ottawa), then the principal voices of professional theatre criticism in the city. We met regularly in one of the city restaurants. Over time, new faces joined us: Barbara Crook (Ottawa Citizen) John Coulbourn and Denis Armstrong (Ottawa Sun) and Iris Winston (Ottawa Citizen/Variety). The CCC also has a French component, which included reviewers from Le Droit (the founding member was Caroline Barrière) and Radio-Canada (Anne Michaud).

Early on, the CCC became a regional association officially affiliated with the Canadian Theatre Critics Association and was, therefore, also recognized by the International Association of Theatre Critics.

CCC has become a site for outstanding theatre criticism which aims to cover some of the best in Canadian Theatre along with the deep traditions of global theatre which reflect both the international reach of theatre historically and the rich diversity of Canadian society. Ours is a conversation between French and English traditions, Europe and North America, and Western Colonial Traditions ( often reframed as Post-Colonial) and the non-Western traditions.

We also commit ourselves in the future to do more justice to Aboriginal theatre and performance, mindful of the fact that the National Arts Centre in our capital is located on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

In recent years, our diverse and award- winning critics have been covering and will continue to cover the English and French theatres of Canada and Quebec, the Avignon festival in France ( itself International in scope), the Stratford Festival in Ontario , the cultural festival in Martinique which includes african based theatres from the whole Caribbean region and the United States, the ,”Mayo teatral” (the Cuban theatre festival ) which includes works from the Spanish speaking populations of all the Americas, the Canada Dance festival, and a dance programme in Ottawa which has participants from the entire world. Presently, our community of critics understands and functions in many languages but the site is maintained in English and French

In keeping with this evolution, we have retained our original title which now stands for something beyond Canada’s Capital , in an ongoing attempt to become an archive of various forms of theatre and dance in Canada and around the world

We invite new critics with diverse experience and interests to help us build a more inclusive critical community.