Catherine Banks fonds - Archives Catalogue

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Catherine Banks fonds

General material designation

Graphic material
Textual record

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Title notes

Level of description

Fonds

Repository

Dalhousie University Archives

Reference code

MS-2-8

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

1973-2023 (Creation)

Creator

Banks, Catherine

Physical description area

Physical description

4 m of textual records and other material

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

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Archival description area

Name of creator

Banks, Catherine

(1957 -)

Biographical history

Catherine Banks is an award-winning playwright. She was born in 1957 in Middleton, Nova Scotia, and was educated at Digby Regional High School before earning her BA (1978) and BEd (1979) from Acadia University. From 1980-1985 she worked as a special education teacher in Shelburne and Halifax, and began writing for the theatre while raising her children, Rilla and Simon.

Her plays, frequently described as "Atlantic Gothic," have been performed across Canada and have received numerous awards and critical recognition. In 2008 Catherine Banks received Nova Scotia’s Established Artist Award for her body of work. Three Storey, Ocean View won the du Maurier National Play Competition's Silver Medal in 1995 and was nominated for a Merrit Award for best new play in 2000. Bone Cage received a Special Merit prize in Theatre BC's New Play Competition in 2002, was showcased at the National Arts Centre's On the Verge in 2005, and was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for (English) Drama in 2008. In 2012 It is Solved by Walking won Catherine Banks the Governor General's Literary Award for (English) Drama for a second time.

An active member of the Canadian theatre scene, Banks has participated in numerous readings and workshops and collaborated with theatres across the country. She served on the faculty of Sage Hill Writing in 2018, 2020, and 2021. She is a founding member and past president of the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre and has served as the Atlantic representative for the Playwrights Guild of Canada.

Custodial history

Materials were donated to Dalhousie University Archives in nine accessions between 2012 and 2023. Prior to that, records 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. Records include research notes and manuscripts (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

Script of material

Language and script note

English

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Some correspondence and personal documents are restricted. All other 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. See, for example, the archives of Mary Vingoe (MS-2-777), the Playwrights' Atlantic Resource Centre, and Mulgrave Road Theatre (MS-3-44).

Related materials

Accruals

Further accruals are expected.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

North America » Canada » Nova Scotia » Halifax Regional Municipality (N.S.) » Halifax (N.S.)

Fonds MS-2-8 - Catherine Banks fonds