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Elaine Calder

Elaine Calder serves as managing Director of the Edmonton Symphony and Chief Executive Officer of the Winspear Centre.  Prior to coming to Edmonton in 2001, she spent two years in Connecticut managing one of America’s foremost regional theatre companies, the Hartford Stage. Over a career of more than two decades, Ms Calder has led major Canadian arts institutions including the Shaw Festival, the Canadian Opera Company and the National Arts Centre.  She has served on many juries, panels and boards, and is currently an executive member of the board of Orchestras Canada. Ms Calder is a graduate of McGill University and the University of Western Ontario, and holds an undergraduate degree in art history and an MBA.   She took two years away from arts management in the mid-1980s to teach marketing as an assistant professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario. Elaine was very active with Woodstock Little theatre (now Theatre Woodstock) throughout the 1970s as an award-winning actor and director.  She was also the company’s Artistic Director.

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David Park Jamieson

In 1927 D. Park Jamison was a founding member of Sarnia Drama League, This quiet, but extremely efficient man, though out his adult life had an enthusiasm for the theatre. He remained a bachelor and although he was a successful lawyer most of his energies seemed to be channeled into theatre. During his early years he left no stone unturned for the cause theatre. All around him were pressed into working for the cause of amateur theatre. He funded so many theatrical efforts that colleagues asked if he had an oil well. When Vincent Massey and Col. Henry Osbourne were working on organizing regions for the D.D.F. it was reported, “Western Ontario earned a gold star from the beginning. D. Park Jamieson (the dapper lawyer with the carnation) was summoning little theatre groups to London, Ontario to form a WESTERN ONTARIO DRAMA LEAGUE, Great Activity under Jamison Western Ontario, Enthused Osbourne in progress reports, December 1932.”

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Molly Yearham

Molly was a performer in the Hamilton area for more than 25 years.  She specialized in tough, gritty, dramatic roles such as in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, “The Lion in Winter”, “The Killing of Sister George”, “Dylan”, “Painted Churches”.  Molly also played comedy roles, “Steel Magnolias”, “Harvey” to name but two.   Then there were all the musicals she starred in, “Oliver”, “Hello Dolly”.     Molly was marvelous to work with, no pretensions, no airs or graces, she always gave, and that’s what an actor needs on stage.  She had a great sense of humour.  “When Molly laughed, the whole world laughed with her.”     Molly battled cancer for 18 years but during chemotherapy treatments in hospital would organize “sing song” sessions on the ward.     She won her Best Actress Award for her role as the vulnerable wife of a man suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease in “Painted Churches” in 1991.  At that time she said, “I waited all my life to do a part like that.”      Molly passed away in April 1993.

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Elsie Elizabeth Thomson 1914-1984

Elsie Thomson made an outstanding contribution to the growth and development of theatre across Canada, involving a lifetime commitment to the enrichment of our cultural life and heritage.   Her personal courage, tireless service and unyielding insistence upon the highest performance and production standards from every production or project with which she was associated, set an example to us all. Elsie joined the Hamilton Players Guild in 1945, and became the secretary.  Before long she was doing many things, running workshops, acting, producing, properties, set painting…you know how it goes…then President. It was in Toronto, at the Royal York, where Elsie, Arthur Gelbert, Pauline and Donald McGibbon, and various members of the Dominion Drama Festival met to discuss the future of theatre in Canada.  It was at these meetings where Theatre Ontario, The National Theatre School and Stratford festival were first dreamed of.   Elsie won the Hannah Award in 1961, the Canadian Drama Award in 1965 for outstanding contribution to the arts on Canada, and The Hamilton Arts Award in 1981. Despite ill health in her final year, Elsie kept most of her commitments at The Players Guild, Hamilton & Region Arts Council and the talent bank of Theatre Ontario.

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Fred Townsend
	The epitome of an English gentleman, Fred came to Burlington in 1972, saw a play produced by Burlington Little Theatre and immediately became an active member.  In the next ten years, he filled most positions on the Board from Workshop Chair to president.   He even wrote a play which BLT produced.   Also, he was the WODL Area VP for the region. Fred passed away in the early 1980’s.

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Audrey Vale
	Audrey Vale arrived in Galt in 1945.  She had previously worked professionally in London, England, New Hampshire and Toronto.  On joining Galt Little Theatre she worked in all aspects, including President.   She appeared on stage in numerous productions, was 3 Best Actress Awards from W.O.D.L. in the 50’s.  Audrey passed away in 1974

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Christopher B. Covert 1948-1990

Christopher Covert was born and raised in Albany, New York.   He came to Canada to pursue graduate studies at McGill University, but the lure of theatre was too strong to ignore.  He began his theatre career as an actor and director with Twenty-fifth Street Theatre in Saskatoon in 1974, and over subsequent years, he worked in theatres across Canada and the United States.  As well as freelance assignments, he held appointments as Intern Director at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and Assistant Director at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. An accomplished musical theatre writer in addition to his other talents, Mr. Covert wrote three full-length musicals which have been produced in Toronto, Victoria, Minneapolis and Stratford.  His first musical, “Colette – The Colours of Love” won a DORA award in 1980.   In addition, Mr. Covert was President of the Guild of Canadian Musical Theatre Writers and a senior member of the Lehman Engel–BMI Music Theatre Workshop in New York City.   Mr. Covert taught acting and directing for Theatre Ontario Summer Courses and for the last few years of his life, was Head of the Acting Discipline in the Music Theatre Department at Sheridan College in Oakville.  He directed several shows at Sheridan, and the impact if his innovative contributions to the Music Theatre Department are still felt today.   As an adjudicator, he twice judged as the regional level of The Sears Festival.  He served as both the Preliminary and In–festival Adjudicator for the Western Ontario Drama League, as well as adjudicating for the ACT-CO Festival on two occasions.