Canada's Theatre Museum

Canada's Theatre Museum Welcome to Canada's Theatre Museum! The idea for a Museum dedicated to Canadian Theatre was first put forward by renowned theatre critic, Herbert Whittaker.

We invite you to explore and be inspired by the past, present, and future of Canadian theatre. ​

VISION
A Canada that values all shared expressions of theatre by all people as essential elements in our social fabric. About Theatre Museum Canada

Theatre Museum Canada seeks to share the wonder of Canada’s rich theatre legacy with Canadians and theatre enthusiasts everywhere. Together with a volunt

eer committee chaired by Mr. Whittaker, Theatre Museum was founded and registered as a charity in 1991. Theatre Museum Canada currently offers a broad range of programming from speakers forums, temporary exhibits and collaborative presentations in conjunction with leading Canadian theatre companies including the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival. One of its most important initiatives is the LEGEND LIBRARY, the online history project with R.H. Thomson interviewing pioneers of Canadian Theatre, including William Hutt, Martha Henry, Douglas Campbell, Paul Thompson, Susan Rubes and many more. The videos are found at www.TheatreMuseum.ca

THEATRE MUSEUM GOES BACKSTAGE is the series of insightful panel discussions exploring topics like the Roots of Native Theatre, The Role of the Stage Manager and the Canadian Players’ tour of KING LEAR. We are planning for the day when we have a year-round home for our exhibitions and educational programming.

06/18/2026

Legend Library Spotlight: Graham Greene shares wisdom and advice for anyone who wants to be an actor.

Actor Graham Greene is recognized as one of Canada’s most celebrated performers on both stage and screen. He won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for his performance in Tomson Highway’s Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film Dances With Wolves. His contributions to the performing arts have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.

06/11/2026

Legend Library Spotlight: Designer Susan Benson details how the "company feeling" of the Stratford Festival led to collaboration, cohesion, and a culture that attracted great designers and allowed them to create something special.

One of the 2026 recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA), Susan Benson's long career includes designing sets and costumes for the Stratford Festival, Canadian Opera Company, Banff Centre, the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Young People's Theatre, the National Arts Centre, Neptune Theatre, and more. Her other awards include eight Dora Mavor Moore Awards, a Jessie Award, a Guthrie Award, a Canada Council Award, a Senior Arts Award from the Canada Council, and the Order of Canada.

Interviewed by R.H. Thomson on August 21, 2007.

Watch the full interview here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL23D5BD95A4E61733&si=KYmhNbMsAHnACxG-

The new Legend Library interview is live!Recorded live as part of our Legend Library Live series, this interview feature...
06/10/2026

The new Legend Library interview is live!

Recorded live as part of our Legend Library Live series, this interview features acclaimed journalist Anna Maria Tremonti in conversation with novelist, playwright, actor and broadcaster Ann-Marie MacDonald. Join these influential women for a deep and thoughtful discussion about MacDonald’s celebrated career, delving into how her childhood, her politics, and her desire to include everybody were key drivers to creativity.

Ann-Marie MacDonald has been a defining voice in Canadian arts and culture for decades. She has appeared in productions with companies including Soulpepper, Mirvish, Nightwood, and the Stratford Festival, and has written groundbreaking plays such as This is For You, Anna and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), which earned both the Governor General’s Award and the Chalmers Award. MacDonald is also the internationally bestselling author of Fall on Your Knees, The Way the Crow Flies, Adult Onset, and Fayne, and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019 for her contributions to the arts and 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy.

Watch the interview now on our YouTube channel! New clips posted every Tuesday and Thursday at 2pm and 7pm. Watch here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgHeSy6OB4x5p-89QFaM1Ef8joqOa0OUy&si=otoCr79jSfv4_ubs

06/08/2026

John Herbert was convicted of indecency after he was robbed in Toronto while dressed as a woman.
His time in prison inspired him to write a play about his experience. It became the most-widely produced play in the history of Canadian theatre.
This is his story.

John Herbert was born on Oct. 13, 1926 in Toronto.
In the 1940s, he began to compete in drag pageants.
One day while out in Toronto, he was the victim of an attempted robbery. Instead of being seen as the victim, he was considered a perpetrator.

As he was dressed as a woman, his assailants falsely claimed he had solicited them for s*x. Herbert was convicted of indecency and sent to a youth reformatory in Guelph.
After his release, he worked odd jobs around North America to make money.

He returned to Toronto in 1955 and studied at the National Ballet School of Canada.
Wanting to document his time behind bars, he wrote Fortune and Men's Eyes in 1964. The character of Queenie represented himself during his time in prison.

In 1965, the play was staged at the Young Actor's Workshop at the Stratford Festival and was directed by Bruno Gerussi but festival directors refused to stage it publicly.
Due to the subject matter, no theatre company would mount a full production in Canada.

Herbert sent it to theatre critic Nathan Cohen, who then gave it to David Rothenberg. He recommended it to Dustin Hoffman who workshopped the play at the New York Actors Studio in 1966.
It premiered off-Broadway at the Broadway Actor's Playhouse on Feb. 14, 1967.

The play explored the themes of homos*xuality through Smitty, a 17-year-old sent to a youth reformatory. The title refers to the opening line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 29.
In 1969, the play was directed by Sal Mineo at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles. Don Johnson played the lead role.
A film adaptation was released in 1971, it won two Canadian Film Awards.

It also led to the formation of the Fortune Society.
Herbert continued to write plays and worked as a dancer, acting teacher and theatre director.
He died on June 22, 2001 in Toronto.
The typewriter he used to write Fortune and Men's Eyes was placed in the Canadian Le***an and Gay Archives.

I hope you enjoyed that look at John Herbert.

If you enjoy my Canadian history content, you can support my work with a donation at 👇
http://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigu

We were honoured to see a clip from Graham Greene's Legend Library conversation with R.H. Thomson included in the Canadi...
06/05/2026

We were honoured to see a clip from Graham Greene's Legend Library conversation with R.H. Thomson included in the Canadian Screen Awards' In Memoriam tribute this year.

As a member of Canada's Theatre Museum's Advisory Circle, Greene contributed so much to our stages, and was so generous with his time. He received the 2025 Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement and was awarded the Order of Canada for “his achievements as a pioneering and versatile actor of the stage and screen.” In 2022, he shared reflections on his life and career as part of our Legend Library series, helping to preserve his experiences and wisdom for future generations.

We are grateful to have helped to capture and share a part of his legacy.

Pride Month is a celebration of community, creativity, self-expression, and the many voices that shape our cultural life...
06/01/2026

Pride Month is a celebration of community, creativity, self-expression, and the many voices that shape our cultural life onstage and beyond.

This June, Canada’s Theatre Museum is stepping outside the museum walls and into the community. On June 3, we’ll be taking part in the Pride Flag Raising and Farmers’ Market Festival at Montgomery’s Inn Museum, joining families, neighbours, and visitors of all generations for an outdoor gathering that marks the beginning of Pride Month.

If you’re in Toronto, come by and say hello. And wherever you are across Canada, we hope this season brings opportunities to connect with Pride Month activities in your own community, from flag-raising events and outdoor festivals to local gatherings and celebrations.

Happy Pride Month from all of us at Canada’s Theatre Museum! 🌈

"I enjoy life and I just love what I do."In 2000, Opera Canada magazine celebrated iconic Canadian contralto Maureen For...
05/26/2026

"I enjoy life and I just love what I do."

In 2000, Opera Canada magazine celebrated iconic Canadian contralto Maureen Forrester by awarding her the first of the Annual Opera Canada Awards, now known as the Rubies. Forrester's career lasted nearly 50 years, spanning performance, teaching, advocacy for Canadian music, and arts administration, including work for the Canada Council for the Arts. She also co-founded the experimental new opera/music theatre company COMUS Music Theatre. One of the most decorated opera performers in Canada, she received numerous awards including the Order of Canada and more than 30 honorary degrees.

Forrester was born in Montreal to a working-class family, and began to study music with her mother's encouragement before rising to international acclaim. Her breakthrough came in 1957, performing Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony at Carnegie Hall with conductor Bruno Walter. Their recordings together became highly influential. At the height of her career, she gave roughly 120 performances a year across five continents while continuing to champion Canadian music at home and abroad. Forrester remains one of the defining figures in Canadian opera history.

Visit Opera Canada and operacanada.ca to stay up to date on Canadian opera!

Image from the Fall 2000 issue of Opera Canada Magazine
Original article by Joseph So

Today is National Tap Dance Day! 👞May 25th marks the birthday of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, one of the most influential ...
05/25/2026

Today is National Tap Dance Day! 👞

May 25th marks the birthday of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, one of the most influential and legendary tap performers of all time. An important figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s, Robinson was also a key figure in breaking down racial barriers for Black performers at the time. He was one of the first Black vaudeville performers to perform without blackface makeup, one of the first Black performers to perform solo, and the first Black performer to appear in an in*******al dance team in a Hollywood film.

Earlier this year, Canada's Theatre Museum and Dance Immersion presented "Travis Knights: Tap Dance is Political" in collaboration with Dance Collection Danse. In a hybrid lecture-demonstration, Knights brought the history of tap dance and the legacy of Bill Robinson to life through dance, singing, storytelling, and video. Illuminating both Robinson's brilliance and the barriers he had to overcome, Knights honoured the history of tap dance while signaling a bright future for the art form.

Photos:
1. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
2. Travis Knights

Photo 1 by James Kriegsmann via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
Photo 2 by Helen Habtu

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