Four-week Kamloops course explores the evolving role of women on and off the Canadian stage
A new four-week course in Kamloops this March will take a closer look at the women who have influenced, and challenged, the evolution of Canadian theatre.
Running Fridays from March 6 to 27, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Kamloops Sports Council Clubhouse, Women in Canadian Theatre: Playwrighting and Beyond is presented through the Kamloops Adult Learners Society (KALS).
The class will examine both the historical marginalization of women in theatre and the growing impact of female playwrights and arts leaders across the country.
Instructor Ginny Ratsoy, who taught at Thompson Rivers University for 40 years, says the course was inspired in part by Western Canada Theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
“This year in the fall, I taught four plays that have been produced at Western Canada Theatre in commemoration of their 50th anniversary,” Ratsoy said. “So, I thought this March I would continue kind of celebrating their 50th anniversary by focusing on women in Canadian theatre.”
While women have long been active in many areas of theatre, Ratsoy notes that leadership and playwriting roles have historically been dominated by men.
“Going back to theatre even in Britain in Shakespeare’s time, men took on the roles of female characters,” Ratsoy said. “So, there’s kind of this historic tradition of men dominating professional theatre.”
Although progress has been made, inequities remain.
“Women are still somewhat underrepresented in terms of administrative and playwriting positions,” Ratsoy said. “There are more male playwrights whose works are produced professionally than there are female playwrights in Canada.”
The course will explore how that imbalance has shifted over time, introducing participants to influential Canadian women playwrights while also offering a behind-the-scenes look at contemporary theatre work.
In addition to classroom discussions, students will visit Western Canada Theatre’s offices to meet women working in key positions. Ratsoy hopes participants will gain a deeper appreciation for the breadth of roles that shape a production.
“We tend to go to a play and look at the set and think it’s very nice and appreciate the directing and maybe not even know very much about the playwright,” Ratsoy said. “Not really know all the work that goes into it, like the costume designers, for example.”
The course will also feature guest playwright Robin Nichol, who teaches theatre at Thompson Rivers University, offering students insight into the craft from a local perspective.
As a central text, the class will examine Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann-Marie MacDonald, a feminist reimagining of Shakespeare that challenges traditional readings of Othello and Romeo and Juliet.
“It challenges the patriarchy, not only the historical patriarchy of theatre in Shakespeare’s time, but it challenges the almost contemporary academic patriarchy in Canada,” Ratsoy said.
Open to anyone 18 and over, the course reflects KALS’s mission to foster lifelong learning in the community. While many participants are older adults, Ratsoy says the class welcomes anyone curious about theatre and its evolution.
With a blend of historical context, literary analysis and in-person engagement with working theatre professionals, the course aims to broaden participants’ understanding of how women have shaped, and continue to shape, Canadian stages.
Information and registration for KALS courses can be found at https://kals.ca