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George Ryga (27 July 1932 – 18 November 1987) was a Canadian playwright, actor and novelist. His writings explored the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, among other themes. His most famous work is ''
The Ecstasy of Rita Joe
''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe'' is a drama by George Ryga. The play, in two acts, premiered at the Vancouver Playhouse, November 23, 1967. It was directed by George Bloomfield. The play has an important place in the history of modern Canadian theat ...
''.
Early years
Ryga was born in
Deep Creek near
Athabasca
Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada.
Athabasca may a ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
to poor
Ukrainian immigrant parents. Unable to continue his schooling past grade six, he worked at a variety of jobs, including radio copywriter. Ryga continued to study, taking correspondence courses, and winning a scholarship to the
Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1955, he traveled to Europe, where he attended the World Assembly for Peace in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
and worked for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. The following year he returned to Canada.
Career
While living in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, he published his first book, ''Song of My Hands'' (1956), a collection of poems.
Ryga's first play, ''Indian'', was performed on television in 1961. He achieved national exposure with ''
The Ecstasy of Rita Joe
''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe'' is a drama by George Ryga. The play, in two acts, premiered at the Vancouver Playhouse, November 23, 1967. It was directed by George Bloomfield. The play has an important place in the history of modern Canadian theat ...
'' in 1967. The work, considered by many to be the most important English-language play by a Canadian playwright, is the story of a young native woman arriving in the city who finds that she has no place with either her own people or the white man. It was performed in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, at the
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building.
History
The NAC was one of a number of ...
in
Ottawa and in
Washington state
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
. In 1971, the work was performed as a
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
by the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America.
History
It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...
.
Other plays by Ryga include:
* ''Captives of the Faceless Drummer'' - 1971
* ''Sunrise on Sarah - 1972
* ''Portrait of Angelica'' - 1973
* ''Ploughmen of the Glacier'' - 1977
* ''In the Shadow of the Vulture'' - 1985
* ''Paracelsus'' - 1986
* ''Summerland'' - 1992
He made a significant contribution to popular music when he wrote lyrics for a series of songs composed by the members of the Vancouver-based band
The Collectors for the soundtrack of his 1969 play ''Grass and Wild Strawberries''. ''Early Morning'', the single release from the resulting ''
Grass & Wild Strawberries'' album, became a minor local hit, and the showstopping album track ''Seventeenth Summer'' was re-recorded by the band after it underwent a membership change and changed its name to
Chilliwack
Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdo ...
. The distinctive track, strongly influenced by
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
musical forms, became a signature tune in live shows by Chilliwack for many years afterward.
Death
He died in
Summerland,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
in 1987. His home was turned into the George Ryga Centre, an arts and culture centre, which existed until 2012 when it closed due to financial challenges. It is now in private hands.
Recognition
A biography, ''The Ecstasy of Resistance'', by James Hoffman, was published in 1995.
Since 2004, the
George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature The George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature is a literary award given to a British Columbian author "who has achieved an outstanding degree of social awareness in a new book published in the preceding calendar year." The prize was creat ...
has been presented to a British Columbian writer who has published a book with significant social themes. The 2021 recipient was Geoff Mynett.
A wall plaque to commemorate George Ryga was installed in the newly-opened Summerland Library in October of 2015. In 2016 th
Ryga Arts Festival inspired by George Ryga, was started in Summerland and so far has continued through 2021. In 2020, a George Ryga archive was established at th
Summerland Museum
Bibliography
* ''Song of My Hands''. 1956
* ''Hungry Hills''. 1963
* ''Ballad of a Stone-Picker''. 1966
* ''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe''. 1970
* ''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe and Other Plays''. 1971
* ''Sunrise on Sarah'' - 1973
* ''Night Desk''. 1976
* ''Ploughman of the Glacier''. 1977
* ''Seven Hours to Sundown''. 1977
* ''Beyond the Crimson Morning''. 1979
* ''Two Plays: Paracelsus and Prometheus Bound''. 1982
* ''A Portrait of Angelica & A Letter to My Son''. 1984
* ''In the Shadow of the Vulture''. 1985
* ''The Athabasca Ryga'' - 1990
* ''Summerland''. 1992
* ''George Ryga: The Other Plays''. 2004 (edited by James Hoffman)
* ''George Ryga: The Prairie Novels''. 2004 (edited by James Hoffman)
Further reading
* Subhash Chander: ''Canadian nationalism and George Ryga, a postcolonial perspective. Critique of Canadian nationalism in the plays of George Ryga.'' Lambert Academic Publishing LAP,
Saarbrücken 2011
* Weronika Suchacka: ''"Za Hranetsiu" – "Beyond the Border". Constructions of Identities in Ukrainian‐Canadian Literature.'' (SALC Studies in Anglophone Literatures and Cultures) Wißner, Augsburg 2019 (about ''A Letter to My Son'' p 219-223)
Film
*2009 - ''
Hungry Hills
''Hungry Hills'' is a 2009 Canadian Western drama film starring Keir Gilchrist, Alexander De Jorday, Alexia Fast, John Pyper-Ferguson and Gabrielle Rose. It is based on the novel of the same name by George Ryga
George Ryga (27 July 1932 &n ...
''
*2018 - ''Just a Ploughboy: A film about George Ryga'', written and directed by Gina Payzant Reel Mensch Studios, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
References
Further reading
*
External links
George Ryga & AssociatesGeorge Ryga
entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available f ...
Ryga
item at Athabasca University, English-Canadian Writers, by Joseph J. Pivato
Ryga archives at University of CalgaryRyga Festival Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryga, George
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Canadian novelists
Canadian male novelists
1932 births
1987 deaths
Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Canadian male writers