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- Graphic material
- Textual record
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Physical description
3 m of textual records and other material (18 boxes)
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Catherine Banks, playwright, was born in 1957 in Middleton, Nova Scotia. She was educated at Digby Regional High School before earning Bachelor of Arts (1978) and Bachelor of Education (1979) degrees from Acadia University. From 1980 to 1985, she worked as a special education teacher in Shelburne and Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is married to Peter Martin Rogers and began writing plays while raising her children, Rilla and Simon.
Banks' plays include Bone Cage (Playwrights Co-op Forerunner and Ship's Company Theatre), Eula's Offer, The Summer of the Piping Plover (UpStart Theatre, 1991), Three Storey Ocean View (Mulgrave Road Theatre, Toronto Equity Showcase), Bitter Rose (Women's Theatre and Creativity Centre), and It is Solved by Walking. Her work has been performed in Halifax, Manitoba, Toronto, and St. John's at the LSPU Hall. Bitter Rose has aired on Bravo! Canada.
Catherine Banks' plays are characterized by black humour and dramatic metaphor. They have been described as “Atlantic gothic” because of their unflinching exploration of poverty, monotony, and the addictions that can provide an escape from social limitations. Banks has commented that she strives "to put women's lives, particularly the lives of rural women, front and centre on the stage." Three recent plays include Missy and Me, Downed Hearts, and It is Solved By Walking.
Banks' work has won numerous awards and recognitions. Three Storey Ocean View won the Silver Medal in the 1995 du Maurier National Play Competition and was nominated for a Merrit Award for best new play in 2000. Bone Cage was awarded the Special Merit prize in the 2002 Theatre BC New Play Competition and was showcased at the National Arts Centre's On the Verge 2005. In 2008, it was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for (English) Drama. It is Solved by Walking won the 2012 Governor General's Literary Award for (English) Drama.
An active member of the Canadian theatre scene, Banks has participated in numerous readings and workshops and collaborated with theatres across the country. She is a founding member and past president of the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre and is currently the Atlantic representative for the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
Custodial history
Materials were donated to Dalhousie University Archives in three accessions in 2012. Prior to that, the materials were in the custody of Catherine Banks.
Scope and content
Fonds contains materials documenting Catherine Banks' professional playwrighting career beginning with her first published play, Eula's Offer. Materials include research notes and drafts of scripts (both handwritten and typed), correspondence, contracts, production and publicity materials, a videocassette, a DVD, photographs, sketches, and a small selection of personal papers.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Arrangement has been imposed by the processing archivist, using the original order of the materials whenever possible. The fonds is primarily organized into series based on the title of the play. Most series are further divided into sub-series. Files in each series or sub-series are listed chronologically, unless otherwise noted.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script note
English.
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
There are no access restrictions on this fonds. All materials are open for research.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Materials do not circulate and must be used in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room. Materials may be under copyright. Contact departmental staff for guidance on reproduction.
Finding aids
Associated materials
Dalhousie University Archives holds many related groups of records created by playwrights, actors, artists, theatre companies, and other organizations Catherine Banks has worked with. See, for example, the archives of Mary Vingoe (MS-2-777), the Playwrights' Atlantic Resource Centre, and Mulgrave Road Theatre (MS-3-44).
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
General note
Preferred citation: [Identification of item], Catherine Banks fonds, MS-2-8, Box [box number], Folder [folder number], Dalhousie University Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Access points
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Name access points
- Playwrights Canada Press. (Subject)
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Sources
This fonds description comes from the Dalhousie University Archives Catalog. The complete, original description is available there.