Records in this series relate to files created or maintained by Paul Thompson during and following his tenure as artistic director of the Theatre Passe Muraille from 1971-1982. Files relate also to the collaborative plays written and produced by Thompson in collaboration with members of the T.P.M such as "The Free Ride" -1971, "The Doukhobors" - 1971 , "The Farm Show" - 1972, "1837: The Farmers Revolt" - 1973 (Paul Thompson and Rick Salutin), "The West Show"- 1975, "I Love You Baby Blue" - 1975, "Maggie and Pierre" (Linda Griffiths) - 1979. A certain number of records pertain to Thompson's ongoing directorial work with Theatre Passe Muraille post - 1982 ("The Duchess" - 1998; "The Rediscovery of Sex" - 2000).
Types of records found but are not limited to: production files (containing director's notes, correspondence, promotional material, dramaturgical work, research and background material), History of Theatre Passe Muraille files (lists of productions, press clippings, historical data, memoirs and recollections), promotional records (posters, flyers, programmes), press clippings, graphic material, photographs as well as a certain number of audio-visual recordings.
Files have been classified alphabetically by name of stage production or by name of Theatre Company and/or artistic event.
Sound and video recordings pertain to the creative process, improvisations and rehearsals of collective plays and performances such as "Naked On the North Shore" (by Ted Johns) -1974-1977, "Torontonians" - 1980, "Tango For Two Continents" - 1983-1985 (with Paul Thompson, Ann Anglin, John Jarvis and Graham Greene); "The Spirit of '85" - 1984-1985; "Of Ice and Men" - 1985 ("The Ballard Play", by Leon Rooke and Paul Thompson); of soundtracks for plays, as well as of the adaptations of original texts (notably for CBC Radio).
Also included is a sub-series relating to Theatre Passe Muraille's collaborative creation "The Farm Show" first created and performed in 1972.