Archival Collections in Performing Arts: Finding Aids

Within our Special Collections in the Arts, many of our primary sources for performing arts are organized by collections related to individuals and organizations — mostly Canadian. These “Archival Collections” include photos, letters, theatre programs and stage designs.

Below are detailed inventories of the Archival Collections. View the collections on the 5th floor of Toronto Reference Library. Staff in the Marilyn & Charles Baillie Special Collections Centre are happy to help you navigate these collections.

A

Margaret Anglin Collection (1903–1949) (PDF)

Photographs, programs and correspondence related to the career of Canadian actress Margaret Anglin (1876–1958). There is additional clipping material in the vertical files and on microfiche, both biographical and reviews of her performances. Four envelopes, two posters and large photo.

Julia Arthur Collection (1899–1921) (PDF)

Photographs and programs related to the career of the Canadian actress Julia Arthur (1869–1950). She acted with Henry Irving’s company and toured in the United States. 27 items.

Ivor E. (Jack) Ayre Collection (1906–1975) (PDF)

Correspondence, press clippings, programs, diplomas, citations and photographs related to Jack Ayre (approximately 1895 to 1977). He was one of the original Dumbells. Non-Dumbells material only. See also: The Dumbells Collection.

B

Janet Baldwin Collection (1912–1990) (PDF)

Material relating to the life and career of Canadian dancer and teacher Janet Baldwin. She was the wife of dancer, teacher and choreographer Boris Volkoff and a member of the Baldwin family of Toronto.

Bass Collection (1870-1903) (PDF)

Copies of photographs from a photograph album owned by Mr. and Mrs. Bass of London, Ontario. Photos are primarily of theatrical personalities, some with autographs, roughly 20 percent by Canadian photographers. Arranged in order of their positions in the album. Includes notes by the late Mary Brown of the University of Western Ontario on the subjects and photographers. 11 envelopes.

Beth Tikvah Drama Guild Archive (PDF)

Eight envelopes.

Boston Theatres Collection (1868–1919) (PDF)

A selection of late 19th and early 20th century theatre programs from Boston theatres and a scrapbook of programs from 1870 to 1881. One scrapbook, eight files of loose programs; .08 metres.

Betty Boylen Collection (1927–1943) (PDF)

One box and oversize folder.

Anthony Buckley Collection (PDF)

Out-outsize photographs by British photographer Anthony Buckley. Photos are of British and Canadian theatre entertainers in approximately the 1930s. See also the Crest Theatre Collection, Box 29 for outsize production photographs of The Glass Cage taken in London, England, 1957.

R. B. Butland Collection (1858–1871) (PDF)

Scrapbook compiled by Toronto music store owner and amateur thespian R. B. Butland (1830-1886) together with notes on Butland’s background and career. Includes genealogical charts prepared by the donor, A. M. Kennedy of Warkworth, Ontario. Also includes several photographs copied from originals in the possession of Kennedy. One box, three envelopes and scrapbook; .075 metres.

Bettina Byers Collection (1922–1963; 1975–1984) (PDF)

Scrapbook, programs, press clippings, photographs and original stage designs relating to the career of Bettina Byers (1909–2006). She was a Toronto dance teacher and founder of the Academy of Ballet. Also includes programs, clippings and photographs reflecting her musical interests and earlier performances as a pianist and the singing career of her sister, Rhoda Byers. Two boxes, 19 envelopes plus scrapbook; .13 metres. We also have a second inventory of Byers materials (one box; 10 envelopes; .08 metres).

C

Cameron Matthews English Players Collection (PDF)

Scrapbook of press clippings compiled by Harriett Ball, press representative for the Cameron Matthews English Players, for their 1932 fall season at the Victoria Theatre, Toronto. One scrapbook.

Canadian Armed Forces Tattoo, 1967 (PDF)

Press clippings on the Centennial Year Tattoo, taken from Canadian newspapers and arranged in a scrapbook, together with a program and souvenir book. We also has costume design by Robert Rosewarne, plus production photographs filed under Montreal Worlds Fair. One volume in one package; .45 metres.

Canadian Drama League Collection (1919–1958) (PDF)

Material related to the Canadian Drama League, its forerunners the St. Barnabas and Chester Players, and the theatrical activity of Raymond Brownlow and Patricia Card. Includes correspondence, programs, photographs, newspaper clippings and scrapbook pages, published and unpublished typescripts of plays and more by Raymond Card. One box, 33 envelopes, 11 posters; .125 metres.

Canadian Players Collection (1954–1966) (PDF)

15 scrapbooks; 1.6 metres (two boxes plus three oversize scrapbooks).

Canadian Repertory Theatre Collection (PDF)

CBC Radio Drama: A Touch of Greasepaint (April 24, 1954) (PDF)

CBC Television Scripts Collection (PDF)

Nathan Cohen Papers (Microfilm) (PDF)

Eight reels, positive, 35 mm.

Edward Gordon Craig Collection (Craig-Terry-Hildesheim Home) (1868–1935) (PDF)

CRBC and CBC Collection (1933–1945) (PDF)

Photographs, notes and miscellaneous items relating to the early days of the CBC and its predecessor CRBC, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission. The notes are those of the donor, Harriet Ball Edey, press representative for CRBC from 1933 to 1936 and the CBC from 1936–1949. Two envelopes.

Crest Theatre Collection (1953–1966) (PDF)

One of Toronto's and Canada's first homegrown commercial theatre companies. Founded in the early 1950s and located in a renovated cinema on Mount Pleasant Road in Toronto. Active for 13 seasons with a sophisticated repertoire including many original Canadian plays. 33 boxes and 13 scrapbooks.

Grace Cunard Collection (1914–1967) (PDF)

Items relating to the careers of Grace Cunard (born Harriet Mildred Jeffries) (1894–1967) and Francis Ford (1882–1953). Both were popular silent film actors and directors. Ford was an older brother of director John Ford. Consists of photographs, letters and a scrapbook compiled by fan Cara Hartwell of Toronto. One box, nine envelopes; .07 metres.

Walter Curtin Collection (1911–2007) (PDF)

Theatrical photographs by Walter Curtin, copied from negatives in the Walter Curtin Collection at Library and Archives Canada. Four envelopes; .07 metres.

Autograph Collection, Mrs. J. Cuyler - British Music Hall (1910–1924) (PDF)

Autograph book belonging to the father of Mrs. Cuyler, an orchestra leader with various venues such as Winter Garden Theatre (London), Belfast Opera House and Shepherd's Hotel (Cairo). Her mother collected the autographs.

D

Dominion Drama Festival Collection (PDF)

One scrapbook of 24 photographs taken by Yousuf Karsh during performances at the Dominion Drama Festival Final Competition, April 26 to May 1, 1948. Its cover reads: “Presented to Dorothy White by Competitors and Visitors at the Final Competition Dominion Drama Festival Ottawa May 2nd 1948 in grateful recognition and appreciation of her work as Festival Director.”

The Dumbells Collection (1917–1976) (PDF)

Includes programs, press clippings, photographs, sheet music, correspondence, scripts, route books and World War One memorabilia of the famous all-soldier troupe of Canadian entertainers which originated in France in 1917, and later toured Canada and the United States until 1933. Also includes non-Dumbell material (1906–1975) relating to Ivor E. (Jack) Ayre. (Material acquired by the library in November 1978, from the estate of Jack Ayre is designated “J.A.”) One box and one package, 603 items; .85 metres.

E

Harriet Ball Edey Collection (PDF)

Photographs and publicity items compiled by Harriet Ball Edey, Canadian press rep for the Maurice Colbourne Company. The company toured Canada in the seasons from 1929 to 1931 performing the works of George Bernard Shaw. One box; .085 metres.

Mae Edwards Collection (1923–1967) (PDF)

One box, 163 items; .4 metres.

F

Rica Farquharson Memorial Award (1955–1970) (PDF)

Two envelopes, .47 metres.

Film Advertising Cards and Programs Collection (PDF)

One box, six envelopes, 252 items; .125 metres.

Film Pressbooks Collection (PDF)

Public relations information on 175 films. Includes 32 pressbooks for films produced by the J. A. Rank organization from 1940 to 1952.

E. W. M. Flock Papers (1919–1924) (PDF)

Papers relating to the disappearance of Ambrose Small and the subsequent disposal of his theatrical assets to Trans-Canada Theatres Ltd. Four envelopes, 144 items; .06 metres.

Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson Collection (1879–1915) (PDF)

Includes photographs, programs and engravings. One box, 108 items; .07 metres.

Bertram Forsyth Collection (1902–1927) (PDF)

Material relating to the career of English actor and dramatist Bertram Forsyth (1887–1927). Forsyth was the second director of Hart House Theatre, from 1921 through 1925. Includes a scrapbook, photographs and a sketchbook of original costume designs by his brother Gerald Forsyth.

John Fraser Collection (1967–1977) (PDF)

John Fraser’s correspondence in the collection includes some items written when he worked in St. John’s and in Toronto for the Telegram. It also has letters covering the period of his work first as a dance critic and features writer and later as a drama critic for the Globe & Mail. These items represent letters from performers, producers, directors, government officials, press agents, students, friends, other journalists and general readers of his newspaper articles, as well as some copies of his own letters. 625 items.

Herbert Austin Fricker Collection (1884–1952) (PDF)

Correspondence, notebooks, programs and music manuscripts by British-born choral conductor, organist and composer Herbert A. Fricker (1868–1943). Fricker conducted the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir from 1918 to 1942, as founder A. S. Vogt’s chosen successor. Five boxes; .65 metres.

G

Gaiety Girl Souvenir Album (PDF)

Souvenir leatherette album (accordion style) issued “with Mr. George Edwardes’ compliments” as a souvenir of his popular musical comedy A Gaiety Girl. The musical opened October 14, 1893 at the Prince of Wales’s, London, England. It ran until September 8, 1894, then transferred to Daly’s, where it continued through December 15, 1894 for a total of 397 performances. Covers are stamped in gold with Dudley Hardy’s poster design.

Greta Garbo Collection (1924–1941) (PDF)

Portraits and film stills of Greta Garbo. Includes many original photographs from a scrapbook compiled and donated by Estelle Patterson Fox, together with scrapbook pages. The scrapbook features newspaper and magazine articles on the life and career of Garbo, together with magazine and newsprint photos, and a number of coloured covers of Garbo from the film magazines of the 1920s and 1930s. While many of the sources and dates are not noted, and articles are not always arranged in chronological order, the scrapbook is a wealth of material from the fan magazines of the period. 2 boxes (23 envelopes and 14 file folders); .26 metres.

Trevor Tremaine-Garstang Collection (1926–1957) (PDF)

Trevor Tremaine-Garstang (1892–1972), British actor and designer, came to Canada in 1920. He was the stage manager and designer at Hart House Theatre from 1926 to March 1928. He designed sets and costumes for Jack Arthur at the Uptown Theatre on Yonge Street, Toronto, and toured Canada as stage manager and designer with the Maurice Colbourne Company. He acted in films and on the British stage under the name of Launce Maraschal, also writing radio and television scripts. The collection includes production photographs, publicity photographs, theatre designs, scripts, clippings, programm and correspondence. Donated by his son, Peter Garstang. Also includes a brief taped interview from 1957, courtesy of CBC. One box; .06 metres plus four oversize playbills.

Bill Glassco Collection (1966–1988) (PDF)

Material from the career of theatre director and translator Bill Glassco, founder of Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. Includes scripts (sometimes several drafts) for productions he directed at Tarragon Theatre, CentreStage and other theatres with extensive titles by David Freeman, David French and Michel Tremblay. There are also translations of plays by Tremblay, Simon Fortin and others done by Glassco (who frequently directed the English productions). Three binders contain correspondence from his years as Artistic Director of the CentreStage Company at the St. Lawrence Festival. 14 boxes; 2.93 metres.

Guelph Theatre Collection and Walter Tyson Scrapbook (1910–1931) (PDF)

Scrapbook compiled by Walter Tyson of Guelph, Ontario. Consists of press clippings, advertisements, programs and flyers for performances principally at the Capitol Theatre (formerly Griffin’s Opera House) in Guelph. Also includes an assortment of music programs and clippings, programs, greeting cards and flyers for various magicians active in the 1920s. Among the magicians are Joe Green, the manager of the Capitol Theatre during this period, and “Wright the Magician”, the stage name of Walter Tyson. Material dates from 1910 to 1931, with the majority in the 1920s.

H

Amelia Hall Collection (PDF)

Photographs, prompt scripts and acting exercises donated by the estate of Canadian actress Amelia Hall (1915–1984). Includes material from the Canadian Repertory Theatre, Ottawa Drama League, Montreal Repertory Theatre, Stratford Festival and Shaw Festival. The photographs are copies of originals in her personal collection at Library and Archives Canada. Many had been planned for use as illustrations in the book she was writing on the Canadian Repertory Theatre. Also available in the Arts Deparment is a microfilm copy of the Amelia Hall Scrapbooks (the originals now at Library and Archives Canada). Two boxes, 64 envelopes and one framed photograph; .8 metres.

Guy Claude Hamel Collection (PDF)

Mimeographed playscripts and materials relating to Hamel Theatre Productions, an amateur theatre group producing plays with religious content in Toronto in the early 1970s.

Barbara Hamilton Collection (PDF) (1952–1996)

Correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, programs, publicity material, scrapbooks, tape recordings and video tapes relating to the stage and TV career of Canadian actress and comedian Barbara Hamilton (1926–1996). Among many roles, Hamilton acted in Spring Thaw, the Crest Theatre and created the role of Marilla in the first Charlottetown Festival production of Anne of Green Gables. Four boxes, .87 metres plus one package of oversize material.

Cara Hartwell Collection (1914–1983)

Correspondence and autographs collected by Cara Hartwell of Toronto. Includes letters from many famous personalities in the arts world, actors, playwrights, authors, opera singers, dancers and film directors. Also includes photographs (many autographed) of music personalities, a series of autograph books and a collection of autographed cards. Letters from W. Somerset Maugham from 1935 to 1955 mention his tastes in literature and comment on some of his books and plans for books. A series of letters from dancer Ted Shawn hasl anecdotes about his experiences with motion pictures and astrology. Especially informative is correspondence from other film fans describing visits to retired movie stars. They offer biographical details and “what ever happened to” information on stars of the silent film era. Two boxes; 52 envelopes plus box of cards; 71 metres.

Over the years, Hartwell has made many generous gifts to the Library. Some gifts of books, recordings and such film fan periodicals as Photoplay are part of our general collection.

Sir John Martin Harvey Collection (1884–1944) (PDF)

Material relating to the career of the English actor-manager Sir John Martin Harvey (1863–1944). Includes portrait photographs and photo postcards, production photographs, programs, souvenir booklets, several signed letters and six watercolour and drawings by John Martin Harvey on his 1884 Canadian tour with Henry Irving. Two boxes; 51 envelopes, two packages; .66 metres.

Ralph Hicklin Collection (PDF)

Ralph Hicklin was an arts critic for both the Toronto Telegram and the Globe & Mail during the 1960s. Consists of 28 scrapbooks (27 boxed plus one loose oversize item) along with reviews, talks, scripts, drafts, photos, slides, correspondence and tapes. Two boxes plus one scrapbook.

Winifred Hicks-Lyne Photograph Album (PDF)

H.E. Hitchman Collection (1922–1931) (PDF)

Photographs and programs documenting the stage appearance of Canadian actor H. E. Hitchman. Mainly focuses on productions at Hart House Theatre and a tour to Banff in the summer of 1931 with the Alfred Heather Light Opera Company. Also includes an original sketch of Hitchman by Arthur Lismer. One box, 26 envelopes; .065 metres.

Pam Hyatt Collection Collection (1958–1990) (PDF)

Clippings, programs and photographs documenting the career of actress/singer/comedian Pam Hyatt. She was born in Garden City, Long Island but made her career in Canada. Her acting credits include roles at the Stratford Festival, Young Peoples Theatre, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Muskoka Festival, Mountain Playhouse and CBC radio and TV. One box, 13 files/envelopes, .065 metres.

I

Sir Henry Irving Collection (1874–1905) (PDF)

Programs, photographs, drawings and engravings related to the career of English actor-manager, Sir Henry Irving (1838–1905). One box and one package; one metre.

J

Nella Jefferis Collection (1915–1944) (PDF)

Scrapbook describing the career of Canadian actress Nella Jefferis (died 1944). Jefferis was active in Toronto, New York and toured in Ottawa and western Canada. Includes programs, clippings and photographs documenting her work at Hart House Theatre, The Arts and Letters Club and with the Cameron Matthews English Players, among others. One scrapbook, 58 pages (in box); .10 metres.

Sydney Johnson Collection (PDF)

Articles by Montreal theatre critic Sydney Johnson (died 1988) that appeared in the Montreal Star from 1961 to 1968. 139 articles; .102 metres.

Jupiter Theatre Collection (PDF)

23 annotated play copies (acting and stage manager’s copies, 1951–1953).

K

Jack Karr Collection (1938–1979) (PDF)

Scrapbooks and papers of columnist and public relations man Jack Karr. He was a film and drama critic for the Toronto Star (1938–1959), publicity head for the Stratford Festival (1959–1965) and later the O’Keefe Centre (1965–1976). Seven boxes; 3.46 metres.

Karsh Photographs Collection (1940's) (PDF)

Photographs by Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002). Captures personalities active in theatre and opera. See also: Dominion Drama Festival Collection.

Melvin and Arden Keay Collection (1926–1951) (PDF)

Press clippings, programs, correspondence and photographs documenting the careers of actress Arden Fortner Keay and her husband Melville Keay, director, costume designer, head of Hart House Theatre department and founder of the Toronto Repertory Theatre. Scrapbook (Photocopied facsimile) with 227 pages. One box containing one binder and seven envelopes (plus interfiled photos); .45 metres.

Geoffrey Keighley Collection (1922–1930) (PDF)

Photographs, programs, scrapbooks and posters of productions at Hart House Theatre, various colleges of the University of Toronto, the Players’ Club and the Margaret Eaton School during the 1920s. Geoffrey Keighley handled props or worked in stage management in various of these productions, especially those under Bertram Forsyth. Includes several rough set sketches and some stage plots, prop lists, invoices for stage flats, and a note from Forsyth, together with a number of autographed programs. One box; 11 envelopes and scrapbook; two posters; .065 metres.

Mary Kerr Collection (1960's–1991) (PDF)

Stage designs, notebooks, correspondence, photographs, slides, programs, articles and reviews documenting the career of Canadian designer Mary Kerr. Includes material on her work in ballet, opera, television, theatre, film and exhibition design. There are articles, lectures and commentary on her theories of design. The scope of the collection begins with her work on student productions and traces her development as an artist through productions for such major companies as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Vancouver Playhouse and Canadian Stage Company, as well as alternative companies like Studio Lab Theatre and Buddies in Bad Times. 11 boxes plus stage designs, posters, slides; 2.48 metres.

Charmion King Collection (1931–1983) (PDF)

Correspondence, photographs, programs, clippings and scrapbooks relating to the career of Toronto actress Charmion King (1925–2007). Material include her student acting at Hart House Theatre, early career in summer stock at the Woodstock Playhouse, Straw Hat Players, Niagara Falls Summer Theatre and Bermudiana Repertory Theatre. Also covers her time at the Garden Centre Theatre, tours with The Drunkard and There Goes Yesterday and work with the Crest Theatre and Stratford. Majority of items deal with her work before her marriage to actor/writer Gordon Pinsent, when she retired temporarily from the stage. For information on her later career, see the clippings and fiche in the Arts Department. One box; 10 envelopes (one oversize) and three scrapbooks (one oversize); .63 metres.

L

Lillie Langtry Collection (1864–1918) (PDF)

Photographs, programs and engravings. One box, 39 items; .07 metres.

Cosette Lee Collection (1911; 1920–1976) (PDF)

Includes programs, press clippings, photographs, correspondence, scripts, elocution materials, business papers, documents from professional organizations and miscellaneous memorabilia of the well-known Canadian character actress Cosette Lee (Toronto, 1910–1976). Lee’s career on the stage, radio, television and film extended more than 50 years. Three boxes, 812 items; 1.21 metres.

Michael Levine Collection (PDF)

Photographs of the work of Canadian stage designer Michel Levine for Citizens Theatre, Glasgow; Hornchurch Theatre, London; English National Opera; Shaw Festival; National Ballet of Canada; CentreStage, Toronto; Canadian Opera Company; Royal Shakespeare Company; Geneva Opera; Théâtre Répère at the DuMaurier World Stage, Toronto, from 1982 through 1990. Some production photographs compliment original stage designs held in the collection of the Arts Department. 16 envelopes; .065 metres.

Gweneth Lloyd Collection (1939–1977) (PDF)

Material relating to choreographer and dance teacher Gweneth Lloyd (1901–1993). Includes her years with the Winnipeg Ballet (later known as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet), the company she founded in 1939. Includes correspondence, photographs, programs, clippings, scrapbooks and miscellaneous items. Two boxes; .63 metres.

London Theatre Collection, Part 1 (1947–48; 1951–57) (PDF)

Weekly accounts, financial statements, posters, programs, press clippings and set designs of the London Theatre company. The company presented six seasons of repertory theatre in St. John’s, Newfoundland from 1951 to 1957, including there tours through the Maritime provinces and Ontario from 1953 to 1956. Also includes box office returns (1947/1948) of the Alexandra Theatre Company of Birmingham, England, the London Theatre Company’s immediate predecessor in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Two boxes, 25 files; .26 metres (plus interfiled items as noted).

London Theatre Collection, Part 2 (PDF)

First typed draft, before any cuts or edits of A Thousand and One First Nights, the story of the London Theatre Company. It was written by its founder Leslie Yeo, published by Mosaic Press, Oakville Ontario 1998. The final published work is in the Performing Ars Centre catalogued as 792.02309 Y25 Y25. Approximately 50 pages of material were cut from the published text. One box, four folders; .075 metres.

M

Jane Mallett Collection (1926–1973), Part 1 (PDF)

Material relating to the career of Canadian actress Jane Keenleyside Mallett (1899–1984), known as Jane Aldworth during her early career at the Empire Theatre in the 1920s. Primarily consists of copies of selected material in the private collection of Jane Mallett, originals to be deposited with Library and Archives Canada. (Note that the Library and Archives Canada collection also contains material received earlier from Jane Mallett, not duplicated here). One box; 33 envelopes, 308 items; .4 metres.

Jane Mallett Collection, Part 2 (PDF)

Correspondence, photographs, scripts and audio visual material on the career of Canadian actress Jane Keenleyside Mallett (1899–1984). Includes material on the Actors Fund of Canada from 1957–1974, where she served as president; papers and financial records of Jane Mallett Associates, a production company she formed with Robert Christie and Donald Harron, which presented Fine Frenzy (1955), The Dream (1965) and Here Lies Sarah Binks (1968); minutes for Select Talent, a co-operative talent agency, and an extensive set of scripts in manuscript and typescript form covering her career as a comic monologist and performer on Canadian radio, television, film and stage. Donated by her estate, this collection supplements items loaned to the TPL in 1982 for copying (see Jane Mallett Collection, Part 1). Extensive material is also available at Library and Archives Canada. Eight boxes and three oversize items; 3.6 metres.

Jane Mallett Collection, Part 3 (1899–1984) (PDF)

Includes biographical and family history material, diaries (day books), correspondence, clippings, photographs and scripts documenting her acting career beginning with student work at Hart House Theatre. It goes on to cover her work as a comedian in Town Tonics in the 1930s, her production of Fine Frenzy in 1955, roles with the New Play Society, especially in the annual revue Spring Thaw. Also covers various other acting roles in theatre, film, radio and television. Three boxes; 1.2 metres.

Martha Mann Collection (PDF)

Original stage designs, fabric swatches, photographs, design notes and production research material from Toronto theatre, opera, film and television designer Martha Mann. Additional materials also housed in Stage Designs Collection. 13 boxes; one folder oversize designs. See also: Martha Mann Supplement 1 (PDF) and Martha Mann Supplement 2 (PDF).

Charles Manny Collection (1905–1962) (PDF)

Photographs, programs, a scrapbook, sheet music, original vaudeville scripts and routines, playbills and correspondence on Charles Manny’s career. He was a vaudeville performer in North America and England. Includes material on the Arlington Comedy Four, a group with which he began his show business career at age 15. Also has items relating to Manny and Roberts (his later performing partnership with Ashley Roberts, also of the Arlington Four), and his wife Lillian Clay. He was also active as a talent agent in England for vaudeville and music hall performers. Two boxes, 13 playbills; .21 metres.

Marks Brothers Collection (1870s-1920s) (PDF)

Canadian vaudeville theatrical troupe. Three boxes.

McAlpine Scrapbooks (1855–1926) (PDF)

The McAlpine theatrical scrapbooks, collected and donated by Mrs. McAlpine in two volumes, consist of cast lists and programs for late 19th and early 20th century theatre productions in North America and Britain chiefly, including Toronto theatres. Theatres best represented are the Grand Opera House, Princess Theatre and Royal Alexandra Theatre. The scrapbooks also contain newspaper clippings on theatre and performers. Productions are indexed by title.

Ramona McBean Collection (1931–1978) (PDF)

Includes scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, programs, scripts and press clippings kept by Winnipeg-born actress Ramona Sinclair McBean (1905–1978). McBean’s long career included work for radio and motion pictures as well as many roles with Bastion Theatre, Victoria; Theatre 77 and Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg; and Theatre New Brunswick, St. John. Two boxes, 183 items; .52 metres.

John McCormack Collection (PDF)

Tenor John McCormack was born June 14, 1884 in Athlone, Ireland. He began his singing career in 1904 after winning several competitions and made his operatic debut at Covent Garden in 1907. His American debut was in 1909 at the Manhattan Opera House, where he sang with Luisa Tetrazzini. He accompanied Nellie Melba on a tour of Australia in 1911, and sang with many other great singers of the period. From 1912 he began to concentrate his performances mainly on recitals. In 1938 he retired from the concert stage with a farewell recital at the Albert Hall. He received many honours including Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur in 1924 and the title of Papal Count from Pope Pius X in 1928. He died in Dublin in 1945. The collection includes scrapbooks, programs, photographs, books, music, recordings and memorabilia compiled by Bertha Hallam White of Toronto, an Honorary Life Vice President of the John McCormack Society of Ireland. Eight boxes, one outsize scrapbook, 125 records; 4.2 metres.

E. A. McDowell and Company Collection (1875–1978) (PDF)

Includes photographs, programs and playbills and recent research on the American actor/manager Eugene A. McDowell, whose theatrical companies toured extensively in Canada between 1875 and 1890. One box, 141 items; .45 metres.

Don McGill Collection (PDF)

A collection of scripts and related materials for Don McGill’s radio programs received by TPL in 1979. McGill, a well-known Toronto broadcaster at the CBC in music and the arts, had for many years been the host to such series as Opera Theatre and Symphony Hall. He had developed programs devoted to the music of particular composers. To a lesser extent there is evidence of an interest in Canadian poetry and drama. Includes his actual scripts, program schedules, operatic plot outlines, newspaper and magazine reviews, glossy photos of opera singers, miscellaneous photocopies from records jackets, issues of Opera News, poetry, copies of contracts with the CBC and one or two related but more personal letters. 12 boxes, 1003 items, 47 copies of Opera News, 119 photocopies, 13 concert programs, one libretto, five photos.

Ralph Messinger Collection (1946–1963) (PDF)

Ralph Messinger (1915–1984) was involved with various theatre groups in Montreal and Toronto from the 1940s to early 1960s. Messinger was also active in the Central Ontario Drama League and Dominion Drama Festival. Includes photographs, programs, newspaper clippings, production books, prompt scripts for plays presented by the Belmont Group Theatre, the Welsh Players, Actors Company and Playcraftsmen. He acted or served as stage manager for these groups. Also includes correspondence and financial records of several theatre groups’ trips to the Dominion Drama Festival finals in Halifax, Edmonton and Regina, material related to the Central Ontario Drama League Festival in 1956 and 1957 and box office records for the C.O.D.L. Festival in 1959. One box, 18 files and envelopes; .41 metres.

Edward Miller Collection (1864–1894) (PDF)

Contents of scrapbook kept by Edward Thomas (Ned) Miller (1846–1908), interlocutor of the Maple Leaf Minstrels.

W. S. Milne Collection (1914–1979) (PDF)

Material on the career of Canadian playwright William S. Milne (1902–1979). Includes correspondence and programs for plays he wrote, appeared in or directed. Also includes his Master’s dissertation for the University of Toronto and a series of letters and poems written by the artist T. G. Greene. One box, eight envelopes; .07 metres.

Montréal Dance Collection (1941–1971) (PDF)

Programs and photographs relating to ballet and dance in Montreal, donated to by Canadian dancer Alex Pereima. Includes photographs of Montreal choreographer and dancer Fernand Nault, who worked with Ballet Theatre at the time of Nault’s association with the company, when they toured to Montreal. Has photographs of American Ballet Theatre’s leading dancers who performed as guest artists with the Montreal Ballet Company and Les Ballets Québec. One box (26 envelopes); .41 metres.

Montréal Repertory Theatre Collection (1930–1961) (PDF)

Programs, photographs, scrapbooks, prompt scripts and more relating to the Montreal Repertory Theatre. See also Cue Magazine in the Periodicals Centre (which sometimes includes the programs for productions) and microfiches of additional newspaper articles on the theatre. Three boxes, two scrapbooks; .805 metres.

Montréal Theatre Record (1899–1904) (PDF)

Scrapbooks of programs from Montreal principally, also New York, London and Paris from 1899 to 1904. Compiled by a member of an upper-class Montreal family (probably English-Canadian) with notes on the productions and their companions at the theatre. An interesting record of theatrical tastes of the period. Most programs have been removed and incorporated into our Theatre Program Collection of Montreal theatre programs (especially the Montreal Academy of Music) and late 19th and early 20th century British theatre programs. The notes of date, theatre and title of production remain in this collection, as do duplicate programs. Two scrapbooks.

Samuel Morgan-Powell Collection (1913–1958) (PDF)

N

National Theatre School, Montréal (1958–1959) (PDF)

17 items in correspondence and papers (1958–1959) filed in Crest Theatre Collection, Box #31, Folder #60.

Harold Nelson Collection (1902–1904) (PDF)

One envelope.

New Empire Players Collection (1932–1933) (PDF)

Scrapbook of press clippings compiled by Harriett Ball, press rep for the New Empire Players, the stock company at the Empire Theatre, Temperance Street, Toronto, November 1932 to January 1933. One scrapbook.

O

Ontario Theatre Study (PDF)

Ottawa Theatres Collection (PDF)

Material related to theatre in Ottawa. Includes programs from the Galvin Theatre in 1928–1929, programs and clippings for the Ottawa Drama League from 1923–1951 and its continuation, the Ottawa Little Theatre, from 1951 onwards. Also includes a small selection of programs and clippings for the Orpheus Amateur Operatic Society which sometimes presented co-productions with the Ottawa Drama League. There are some correspondence regarding Elsie Marshall’s early professional career with the Galvin Players, and items on her appearance at the Dominion Drama Festival in 1936. The collection was primarily the gift of Peggy Marshall Peacock who, together with her mother, Elsie Carey Marshall, was active in Ottawa amateur theatre. The Marshall gift is augmented with extensive notes on the Ottawa Drama League by Saturday Night critic Margaret Ness and clippings and programs from TPL’s collection. Two boxes, 28 envelopes; .8 metres.

P

Pat Patterson Collection (1964–1986) (PDF)

Scrapbooks, scripts and recording documenting Red Riding Hood, The Dandy Lion and Popcorn Man. These children’s plays were by Canadian playwrights and broadcasters Pat Patterson and Dodi Robb. List of productions prepared by Pat Patterson in December 1986 in folder at front with various addenda. Five scrapbooks, two posters, one tape; .42 metres.

John Pennoyer Sketchbook (1983–1984) (PDF)

Notebook with sketches and production notes compiled by Canadian stage designer John Pennoyer, dealing with productions of Love’s Labours Lost at the Stratford Festival in 1983 and 1984. Also, Top Girls at the Tarragon Theatre in 1984. Includes director’s notes, picture research, rough sketches for costumes and props, lists, ideas, caricatures and more. One notebook, 220 pages.

Prompt Scripts Collection (PDF)

Miscellaneous typescripts and acting editions not part of other archival collections. Two boxes, 16 items.

Nancy Pyper Collection (1919–1974) (PDF)

Nancy Pyper was the sixth artistic director of Hart House Theatre. Additional material on each segment of her career is available on the microfilm of the Nancy Pyper Scrapbooks in the Arts Department. Two boxes, two oversize packages, 59 envelopes, approximately 611 items; 1.61 metres.

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Red Barn Theatre Collection (1962, 1963) (PDF)

Material on the Red Barn Theatre and their seasons at Jackson’s Point/Orillia in the summer of 1962 and at the Central Library Theatre, Toronto the season of 1962/1963. The files are divided by season and arranged in the order used by the company. Includes financial records, some correspondence with actors and directors and documentation of the many details involved in running a theatrical company. The code at the end of the contents description of each file is the filing code assigned by the theatre. One box, 48 files; .45 metres.

W. L. Reed Collection (PDF)

Programs from amateur operetta and light opera productions mainly in Toronto, 1921–1949. They were collected by W. L. Reed who performed in light opera.

Ted Reive Collection (1938–1989) (PDF)

Autographs, autograph books, autographed photographs of celebrities and correspondence with celebrities from the estate of Toronto collector and playwright Ted Reive. Also includes autographed theatre programs from the 1940s to 1980s (a good section of popular productions in Toronto and New York), plays, monologues, songs and lyrics written by Mr. Reive. Some of the songs were performed on CBC Radio by Spring Thaw and more. Eight boxes; 1.61 metres.

Léo Roy Collection (1916–1941) (PDF)

Léo Roy (1887–1974) was one of Canada’s most prolific composers. According to the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, Roy composed about 350 original works, made 800 harmonizations and 400 transcriptions. As the majority remain unpublished, Roy’s manuscripts are invaluable evidence of his work. This collection is comprised of 13 music manuscripts, eight original compositions, two arrangements and three copies. All but one are dedicated to Mona Bates who was the first internationally renowned Canadian pianist. 13 items; 0.22 metres.

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Thomas Scott Collection Grand Opera House (c. 1876–1900) (PDF)

Two boxes.

Scrapbook of Music and Theatre Programs - Toronto, Hamilton, New York (1933–1949) (PDF)

A scrapbook of programs compiled by an anonymous theatregoer containing 58 theatre, concert, opera and dance programs for productions mainly at the Eaton Auditorium, Massey Hall, Palace Theatre (Hamilton), Savoy Theatre (Hamilton), and the Royal Alexandra. Dating from 1933 to 1949, they are in no particular order. One scrapbook.

Shaw Festival Construction Photographs Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario (PDF)

Photographic record of the reconstruction of the Festival Theatre. Spans from digging of the first sod by the founder Brian Doherty to the completed building, April 1972 through June 12, 1973. Includes, in chronological order, groundbreaking, leveling of site, construction of foundations, placements of beams and girders with details of the fly tower. Also has views of interior and exterior walls at various stages, details of electrical and plumbing work, selection of seats, public viewings and inspections by the architects, Festival officials and company members, finishing of interior, hanging of curtain and presentation of Canadian government cheque by Joe Green. Album of 120 photographs (44 colour and 76 black & white) and one black & white photographs. Photographed and compiled by William G. Helwig, Niagara-on-the-Lake. One album; .36 metres.

Nelson Smith Collection (c. 1948–1952) (PDF)

Photographs by Canadian photographer and graphic artist Nelson Smith, of productions at Melody Fair and by the Earle Grey Players, together with portraits of the actors active in these and other companies around Toronto at the time. 43 photographs; .63 metres.

Ned Sparks Collection (PDF)

Canadian born character actor, Ned Sparks. Two boxes; .1 metres.

St. Stephen’s Church, Toronto Collection (PDF)

One envelope, manuscript box.

Phyllis Malcolm Stewart Collection (1935–1980) (PDF)

Papers of Canadian actress Phyllis Malcolm Stewart. Includes: scrapbook of programs dating from her days as a music student in Germany and England in the mid-1930s; a scrapbook and correspondence for the Bala Players in 1947; general correspondence; photographs; programs; contracts and call sheets for CBC productions; scripts including items from episodes of A Gift to Last; manuscripts of plays, poetry and prose by Stewart and others; tapes of CBC radio dramas, audition pieces and poetry; and an original costume design. Two boxes, 58 envelopes, one large scrapbook, eight tapes, one poster; .86 metres.

Straw Hat Players Collection (1953, 1958, 1965–66) (PDF)

Primarily material documenting two years in the history of the Straw Hat Players. This summer theatre located in Port Carling, Ontario was founded by Donald and Murray Davis in 1948, first playing at the Gravenhurst Opera House with scheduled appearances in various locations in the Muskoka area. The material here was donated by Alan Hughes, producer of the Straw Hat Players during the summers of Affairs of State and Angel Street, and the 1958 production of Born Yesterday, these donated by Donald Davis. Programs and clippings covering other years of the Straw Hat Players are in the Arts Department. Two boxes, 20 envelopes; .2 metres.

Eleanor Stuart Collection (1903–1977) (PDF)

Includes biographical material, correspondence, programs, press clippings, lecture notes and photographs of Montreal-born actress and teacher Eleanor Stuart Nichol (approximately 1901 to May 11, 1977). Seven envelopes, 74 items; .01 metres; two scrapbooks.

Studio Lab Collection (PDF)

George Summers Collection (1889–1947) (PDF)

One box (25 envelopes).

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Tavener Collection, Part 1 (PDF)

Taverner Collection, Part 2 (PDF)

Material added to the original Taverner bequest. Includes original cabinet photographs, copies of original photographs in the collection of Canadian Theatre scholar Murray Edwards, photocopies of correspondence in the collection of Edwards, a photocopy of the guest book from one of the Taverner family cottages, now in the collection of Corwin Ferguson (a distant relation of the Taverner family). Also includes copies of photographs from that guest book.

Tearsheets on British & U.S. Stage Productions (1818–1933) (PDF)

Two boxes.

Marie Tempest Collection (PDF)

Items on the career of British actress Marie Tempest (1864–1942). Includes production photographs and material related to her tour of Canada and the United States in 1914–1915.

Ellen Terry Collection (PDF)

Material relating to the career of British actress Ellen Terry (1848–1928). It especially covers period photographs of Terry in various roles. See also: Edward Gordon Craig Collection and Walker Theatre photographs. One box, 114 items; .4 metres.

Theatre Toronto Collection (1964–1969) (PDF)

Records of Theatre Toronto (originally named the Canadian Crest Players Foundation), formed as a merger of the Canadian Players Foundation and the Crest Players. Includes Theatre Toronto scrapbooks, prompt scripts, correspondence and financial reports, as well as Crest Theatre financial records and Canadian Crest Players material. See also Canadian Players Scrapbooks and Crest Theatre Collection for additional material on these companies. Two boxes, 1059 items; .815 metres.

Toronto Children Players Collection (PDF)

Two boxes, 98 envelopes. See also: Toronto Children Players Collection Supplement (PDF) (12 boxes total).

Toronto Public Library Scrapbooks (PDF)

Contains newspaper clippings of Toronto theatrical ads, 1916 to 1930. Items are fragile; microfilm copy should be used (Film T686.6, PerArts Desk). Theatrical Ads. Scrapbook #125: Toronto Theatre, etc. 1910s & 1920s. Articles on companies, individuals and subjects; production reviews. Items are fragile; microfilm copy should be used (Film T686.5). Scrapbook #238: Toronto Theatre and more, 1920s-1940s. Articles on companies, individuals and subjects; production reviews. Items are fragile; microfilm copy should be used (Film T686.5). Scrapbook #278: Toronto Theatre, 1940s & 1950s Articles on companies, individuals and subjects; production reviews. Items are fragile; microfilm copy should be used (Film T686.5).

Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree Collection (1890–1915) (PDF)

Photographs, programs and a scrapbook relating to the career of actor-manager Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1853–1917). One box (22 envelopes); .43 metres.

Thomas Turvey and Thomas Hilton Turvey Collection (c. 1875 to 1911) (PDF)

Very little is known about Thomas Turvey and Thomas Hilton-Turvey. After serving as organist for several British churches, Thomas Turvey came to Toronto around 1875 to become organist at the West Methodist Metropolitan Church. He is represented in this collection by a manuscript copy of a mass and by his published work “Te deum laudamus”. Thomas Hilton-Turvey (his son?) was born in Birkenhead, England in 1863, studied at the University of Pennsylvania and taught in Philadelphia. He was predominantly a songwriter and published over 30 compositions. One box, five items, .22 metres.

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Herman Voaden Collection (1929–1974) (PDF)

Boris Volkoff Collection (1924–1975) (PDF)

Approximately 1600 items, 3.42 metres.

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Walker Theatre Collection (1907–1909) (PDF)

Studio and production photographs from this Winnipeg, Manitoba road house theatre. 168 photographs, one box, .7 metres.

Dorothy Watkins Collection (1940–1950) (PDF)

Material on the career of Canadian composer and performer Dorothy Watkins (1896–1978). Wwith Brian Doherty, she co-authored the wartime RCAF hit “Up, Up, Up We Go.” She was active with her sister Jessie MacDonald during the Second World War in the Active Service Canteen and the Merry-Go-Round Revue. Later she toured with “The Drunkard” and the revues “There Goes Yesterday” and “Clap Hands”. Includes correspondence, programs, clippings, photographs and especially music manuscripts, parts and cues for “The Drunkard” and “There Goes Yesterday”. One box, 20 envelopes; .075 metres.

Al Waxman Collection Part 1 (1959–1991) (PDF)

Papers of actor/director/producer Al Waxman (1935–2001). Includes scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, scripts, newspaper clippings and documents relating to his career in theatre, film and television and his involvement in various community and philanthropic organizations. Has extensive material on the television program King of Kensington. Organization of the collection is based on Waxman’s original filing order. 11 boxes; 4.4 metres.

Al Waxman Collection, Part 2 (c. 1967–2001) (PDF)

Whispering City Collection (1947) (PDF)

Film stills and publicity photographs for the Canadian film Whispering City (French title: La Forteresse; pre-release title: The Stronghold) together with photographs of the production company, Québec Production Company, the studios and the Montreal premiere. One box: one file folder and 11 envelopes, 209 photos and four negatives; 08 metres.

Whittaker's Theatre Collection (1975–1986) (PDF)

Correspondence and other documents related to the funding, editing and publication of Whittaker’s Theatre: A Critic Looks at Stages in Canada and Thereabouts 1944–1975. Whittaker’s Theatre is a collection of reviews by critic Herbert Whittaker taken from the Montreal Gazette and the Toronto Globe & Mail. Edited by Ronald Bryden with Boyd Neil, itw was published by the Whittaker Project through the University of Toronto Press. The collection includes letters of permission from newspapers, photographers, actors and various archives; correspondence concerning the organization of the Tribute, collected by head of the organizing committee William H. Graham; discussion and acknowledgements of the free distribution of the book to libraries, educational institutions and interested individuals. One box: 12 files and envelopes; .125 metres.

Mary Wigman Collection (1886–1973) (PDF)

Contains photocopies of letters, together with a taped conversation (kept in the Arts Department) donated by Canadian dancer Judy Jarvis in memory of her teacher, the German dancer Mary Wigman. The letters were written over the last eight years of her life, when her health was failing. They combine comments on Jarvis’ dance career with miscellaneous details of her life in Germany at the time. It is interesting to compare these letters with items in The Mary Wigman Book, for an overall picture of the period. Wigman died in 1973 of complications from a leg broken three years earlier. In the last years of her life, her sight also deteriorated to the extent that she was almost blind. There is frequent mention in the letters of her frustration with her recurrent illness and her handwriting is difficult to read towards the end. The letters are primarily in English (she was educated in England in her youth) with a few passages in German. There are also several odd paragraphs by her companion Anni Hess Hesschen. One envelope, 48 items.

Wingham Opera House Collection (1884; 1905–1909) (PDF)

A selection of postcards and letters to the Town Clerk, Wingham, Ontario. They are from performers wishing to book the Wingham Opera House, some on ornate letterhead advertising their specialties. Two envelopes, 33 items.

Women's Musical Club of Toronto (1898–2000) (PDF)

Includes minutes, annual reports, programs and reviews documenting the activities of this local organization established to promote music in Toronto by presenting concerts and funding prizes for promising young performers. Five boxes; 1.55 metres.

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Bill Young Autograph Book (1909–1911) (PDF)