Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. [Vol. 5.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 25)

Studies - Szabolcs Szilágyi: Verbal Versus Non-Verbal Aspects in The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing

SZABOLCS SZILÁGYI VERBAL VERSUS NON-VERBAL ASPECTS IN THE REZ SISTERS AND DRY LIPS OUGHTA MOVE TO KAPUSKASING Out of the three main literary genres, drama seems to be the most unique in that while it is heavily dependent on verbal language it cannot be fully realized without its equally important non-verbal elements of the script

—that is, of course, if one treats dramatic works not simply as written texts but rather as play-scripts designed for theatrical performances and inherently 'equipped with

1 several nonverbal means of communication. In the case of post-colonial writing the matter becomes even more complicated because quite frequently the mere choice of language(s) may become a crucial issue and gain an even finer tone. Tomson Highway is one of Canada's most exciting and distinctive playwrights as his plays explore the contemporary Indian in a dominant white society, and the results are both exciting and challenging. Highway is the first major native-Canadian playwright who had a great influence on Canadian theatre on a broader level and on alternative theatre in particular. In the multiculturally open Canada he had the support through the institute of Native Earth Performing Arts Centre to become a significant figure in the mainstream of Canadian literature and theatre. Both The Rez Sisters (1986) and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989) employ Native languages. Referring to this question in his foreword (being the same text in the published versions of both plays), he states that: 87