The RCA Theatre Story

Resource Centre for The Arts (RCA) was founded during what has become known as a Newfoundland and Labrador cultural renaissance, revival, or (depending on who you ask) revolution. Its in-house theatre company was part of a defiant pushback against pressures to produce popular American, Canadian, and British plays of the time; artists fought to tell Newfoundland and Labrador stories and represent our own unique culture upon the stage. Connected to political, economic, and social changes taking place at the same time, this revolution was also reactionary in a way, embracing themes which ran counter to the prevailing attitude of the time that theatre was made by and for the upper classes. This explosion of artistic expression helped to preserve and validate the province’s traditions, music, dialects, beliefs, sayings, and stories, and to influence a new generation of artists.

At the centre of this cultural revival was the emergence of local theatre troupes, including the Mummers Troupe and CODCO, among whom are the founders of Resource Centre for The Arts.

RCA’s foundation was built on the principles of access and engagement with a model that would be Artist focused and Artist run. Our founders built a cultural Centre that became, and continues to be, a profound generator of new work. Since 1976, over 300 productions have been created by RCAT, with financial and resource contributions made to the development of hundreds more. RCAT has been an important catalyst and touchstone for a long list of artists who got their start upon our stage, with many having gone on to national prominence and just as many remaining based here and contributing to the Newfoundland and Labrador cultural milieu. That list of important cultural icons includes Mary Walsh, Rick Mercer, Greg Thomey, Cathy Jones, Andy Jones, Bob Joy, Greg Malone, Ron Hynes, Bryan Hennessey, Michael Chaisson, Chris Brookes, Mark Critch, Jonny Harris, Susan Kent, Mark O’Brien, Sherry White, Robert Chafe, Jillian Keiley, Lois Brown, Joel Hynes, Ruth Lawrence, Des Walsh, Edward Riche, Charlie Tomlinson, Amy House, and Berni Stapleton – to name a few.

All of these circumstances have led us, culturally, to where we sit today. RCAT has evolved with the times and the community it serves; just as people grow up, so has RCAT.

Today we continue RCAT’s long legacy as one of our province’s foremost Producers and Presenters of primarily original plays, with a strong focus on narratives from our own unique cultural experience. Since that Artist-led cultural revival in the ’70s, the arts have remained a significant force in the province’s social and economic health.

As RCAT enters its sixth decade of existence, we seek to extend the legacy of what some senior artists have playfully referred to as “the National Theatre of Newfoundland” (a wink to the island’s status pre-1949) by taking a page right from the books of our predecessors: by telling our stories, yes, but also making sure those stories are representative of our changing populations and those who have been historically marginalized.

First and foremost, we are an artist-driven theatre company with deep community roots, working on the most easterly edge of the country. We invite you to become a member of Resource Centre for the Arts and join our story. We have many stories to tell.