25th Street Theatre Collection - University Library - University of ...

Introduction.
25th Street Theatre was founded in Saskatoon in 1972 by a
number of residents who were concerned with' establishing a
professional theatre with a ''prairie flavorw. In fact, the
theatre's philosophy "is to produce new plays written by
Canadians and to reflect the sensibilities of Canadians with
special emphasis on the prairie region."
The prairie theme has been dramatized by a number of shows
including JAKOB KEPP, "the tragic story of a Saskatchewan farming
family in the 1950sW, PRAIRIE PSALMS, a story about
Saskatchewan's religious heritage, THE flUEEN'S COWBOY, which is
based on a diary of William Parker, a North West Mounted Police
Officer in the 1880s, and DONTCHA KNOW THE NORTH WIND AND YOU IN
MY HAIR!, a Cree Indian love story. But the most important play
to win national acclaim was PAPER WHEAT, the story of the
farmers ' movement.
25th Street Theatre has produced more than 60 plays and
sponsored or co-produced many others, including 21 contemporary
Canadian hits. Many of these have been produced for staging by
other professional theatres, or have been produced in other media
i.e. radio, television, book, film and album.
The University of Saskatchewan Library obtained the 25th
Street Theatre material in the fall of 1985. The material is
housed in the Special Collections Department of the Library.
Professor Diane Bessai of the English Department at the
University of Alberta assisted in developing a method to
catalogue the 25th Street Theatre collection. Upon her