A theatrical journey through the poetry of Daniel Jones

Travel through the gritty world of poet Daniel Jones. From Nov. 11 to 15 at 8pm in Theatre Glendon, poet: a theatrical journey through the poetry of Daniel Jones explores a selection of poems written by the late Canadian poet Daniel Jones between the years of 1980 and 1985.



The Drama Studies Program of York’s Glendon College is presenting the production that was conceived and directed by Glendon English and drama studies Professor Robert Wallace, in collaboration with his students in the 20th Century Western Drama course.


Born in a working-class district of Hamilton, Ontario, in 1959, Jones began his studies at the University of Toronto in 1977. In 1980, disillusioned with academic life, he travelled extensively in North and Central America before returning to Toronto to pursue a career as a writer. Jones worked in a variety of low-paying jobs to subsidize his writing career.


In 1985, Coach House Press published a collection of his poems The Brave Never Write Poetry. After the publication of his book, he turned to writing prose fiction and published several short novels and a collection of short stories before taking his own life in 1994.


To take Jones’ poetry to the stage, Wallace and his students derived inspiration from the ideas formulated by French writer and director Antonin Artaud who believed that actors were “athletes of the senses” – physical poets who use their entire bodies to explore both words and space. The poetry of Daniel Jones is vivid in its gritty imagery. The physical approach used by Wallace is intended to convey the feelings and moods conveyed by Jones’ poetry.


For further information or reservations contact: Theatre Glendon Reservation Line at 416-487-6822 or visit http://glendon.yorku.ca/theatre.