Both Christopher Innes and I landed at York University in 1969, he in English and me in the newly created Department of Theatre. After his arrival at York, Christopher received quick recognition, not only for his teaching but also for his immense scholarship on European dramatic literature (much of it published by Cambridge University Press).
We didn't actually meet until two or three years later when he phoned me to talk about his interest in theater and drama and his desire to do a course for us. We arranged a lunch, and it did not take very long for me to realize that he was not only a real theater scholar but also probably the most competitive academic I had ever met. At that early point in his career, he wanted to do everything and run everything. Not only was he going to prove that he was one of the...
