Rita Joe is a Native girl who leaves the reservation for the city, only to die on skid row as a victim of white men’s violence and paternalistic attitudes towards First Nations peoples. As perhaps the best-known contemporary Canadian play and a poetic drama of enormous theatrical power, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe had a major influence in awakening consciousness to the “Indian problem” both in whites and Natives themselves.
Cast of five women and 15 men. With a preface by Chief Dan George.
The Ecstasy of Rita Joe premiered November 23, 1967 at the Vancouver Playhouse.
“Rita Joe was a landmark in more ways than one. It was—and remains—a play for all seasons and for all peoples.”
— Vancouver Province
By George Ryga
In 1967, George Ryga soared to national fame with The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, which has since evolved into a modern classic. A self-proclaimed artist in resistance, Ryga takes the role of a fierce and fearless social commentator in most of his plays, and his work is renowned for its vivid and thrilling theatricality. George Ryga died of stomach cancer in Summerland, BC, in 1987 and will always be remembered and cherished as one of Canada’s most prolific and powerful writers. His memory was publicly honoured at the BC Book Prizes ceremony in 1993.
news | 2012-03-17
Commentary Upon Vancouver Playhouse Closure
…was also Jaimie Paul in George Ryga’s The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, which premiered in 1967. It was thrilling then …
news | 2012-03-12
Chalk It Up to City Hall!
…that are still being performed today, from The Ecstasy Of Rita Joe by George Ryga in 1967, to The Overcoat by Morris …
news | 2010-06-08
The George Ryga Papers
…Canada’s best known English-language play, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, is one of Canada’s most prolific authors. …
Useful Links
Latest Tweets
Phone: (604) 444-4889
Outside Vancouver: 1 888 445-4176
Fax: (604) 444-4119
Website: www.talonbooks.com
Email: info@talonbooks.com
Talonbooks gratefully acknowledges the unceded, Traditional, and Ancestral Territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including those of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ First Nations, on which we are privileged to live, work, read, and write.
Talonbooks is thankful for the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
Copyright Talonbooks 1963-2023
If you have any questions or comments about this website, contact the webmaster.