- About
- Centre for Communications and the Arts
- Calendars of Events & Happenings
- Event Poster Collection
- The Communications Centre: Experiment in human experience
- Jade: Flower-child happenings and conceptual art projects in 1969
- Nini Baird: A Day in the Hectic Life of the Arts Centre Director
- Sound Recordings: Faculty Lectures from 1967 Communications Course
- Dance
- Film
- Literary Arts
- Music & Sound
- Music & Sound image gallery
- My "a-ha" moment with Murray Schafer
- World Soundscape Project
- Phillip Werren's electronic music
- Radio CKSF "on the air" fall 1966
- Robert Aitken performs with the Purcell String Quartet & Soundscape on radio
- David Skulski and the early music revival at SFU
- Phyllis Mailing: SFU Singer Who Reached the Top
- Purcell String Quartet: In High Demand
- Theatre
- Theatre image gallery
- How the early days of the arts at SFU changed my parochial little life
- Norm Browning, Jackie Crossland and Cece Granbois in Beverley Simons' new 1-act play "Greenlawn Rest Home"
- The Centralia Incident: "A theatre in search of a town—A town in search of its memory."
- The only escape: The early years of the SFU theatre
- Robin Patterson and the SFU Mime Troupe
- Theatre of Total Limbo
- Visual Arts
Theatre image gallery
The stage of the SFU Theatre almost immediately became the creative epicentre of the “instant university.” The quickly established Centre for Communications and the Arts cultivated an environment which encouraged artistic exploration, and its yearlong calendar of happenings brought a sense of excitement and unpredictability to campus life. The facilities were in constant demand for largescale productions, visiting acts and one-off “Noon Shows” – or lunchtime entertainment generally produced for students, by students. One of the groups to thrive in this creative environment was the SFU Mime Troupe, with members such as Robin Patterson using the stage as a training ground, their work receiving acclaim and touring opportunities beyond campus.
From the program’s inception, brilliant resident directors, starting with Michael Bawtree, brought a sense of professionalism to the stage. As the program consistently emphasized mentorship, students led the collaborative development and production of original plays, such as “The Centralia Incident” in 1967. The program itself evolved as each new residents took the reins. Perhaps most famously, John Juliani and his Savage God Company ushered in the flowerchild era with his bold, original visions. Jim Garrard pushed spectators and actors to new limits with undertakings such as the weekend-long “Survival Theatre Marathon” in 1972. Rounding out the decade, Richard Ouzounian created the Simon Fraser Repertory Ensemble in 1974, benefiting students with more opportunities to work alongside professional actors.
Browse the below gallery for a selection of images from the lively early theatre events at Simon Fraser University.
The SFU Theatre Company in Nikolai Gogol’s “The Government Inspector,” directed by Michael Bawtree. Photo: Peak Photo by P. Knowlden. [Simon Fraser University Archives. School for the Contemporary Arts fonds, F-109-12-4-0-39. “Government Inspector, The, 1966” (photo), March 7, 1966.]
A tense scene from the “The Centralia Incident,” an ambitious original play developed by the SFU Theatre Workshop in 1967. Photo: L. Popoff. [Simon Fraser University Archives. School for the Contemporary Arts fonds, F-109-12-4-0-12. “Centralia, vol. 1, 1967” (photo), February 26, 1967.]
Robin Patterson and Perry Long in “Aliice,” the SFU Mime Troupe’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll's “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.” [Simon Fraser University Archives. School for the Contemporary Arts fonds, F-109-12-4-0-4. “Aliice by Robin Patterson, 1969” (photo), March 1969.]
John Juiliani directs the Savage God 2 Company in two plays by Arthur Kopit: "The Conquest of Everest" and "Chamber Music.” Photo: Tony Westman. [Simon Fraser University Archives. School for the Contemporary Arts fonds, F-109-12-4-0-74. “Savage God 2, Kopit: 2 plays by Kopit - Chamber Music and Everest, 1967” (photo), January 1967.]
Inspired by Tibetan theatre, Andrew Anthony's "The Magician" was developed during an intensive six-week theatre workshop led by resident Jim Garrard in 1972. [Simon Fraser University Archives. School for the Contemporary Arts fonds, F-109-12-7-0-6. “Magician, The, 1972” (photo), 1972.]
Canadian actor, director, author and educator Michael Bawtree arrived at SFU in 1965 as the university's first resident artist in theatre. [Simon Fraser University Archives. School for the Contemporary Arts fonds, F-109-12-7-0-6. “Bawtree, Michael” (photo), Undated.]