During the past ten years, a theatre modelled more on European patterns than on anything to be found in North America has arisen in Canada and has established itself in the principal cities—Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax—from coast to coast.

This European look is not surprising: of 11 Canadian Artistic Directors, five are European by birth, three are French-Canadians whose first influences in professional theatre came from France, and only three are English-speaking Canadians whose first experiences in theatre were “North American”—of these, one has been strongly influenced by observation of the English repertory system and a second by the work of the Berliner Ensemble; the third is a rugged individualist who runs Canada's only frankly profit-seeking producing organization. All the other theatres are non-profit organizations administered by professionals under the guidance of volunteer Community Boards of Governors.