Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Hart House Theatre is honoured to announce an exciting new program known as the Dr. David E. Gardner Apprentice Director Program.
This program, which will support four students annually in the role of Apprentice Director, was made possible by the generosity of David Gardner in August 2014. Dr. Gardner has had a lasting impact on Hart House Theatre. A celebrated and award-winning actor, director and educator, Dr. Gardner is truly a legend in Canadian theatre.
As the former artistic director of the Vancouver Playhouse and a founding member of the National Theatre School he has not only left his mark on stages across this country, but has also paved the way for new generations of Canadian theatre talent. The new Dr. David E. Gardner Apprentice Director Program celebrates David’s legacy for supporting Canada’s next generation of artists at what he would consider his “home theatre” – Hart House Theatre.
Dr. Gardner’s impact on Hart House as a whole has been varied over the years, but in many ways his support of the Theatre just over a decade ago is a prime reason you are still able to watch shows on our stage today. His staunch support of the Theatre in 2001 helped shape the direction and revitalization of the Theatre’s programming and mandate. His direction of the productions of Macbeth and As You Like It in 2002 and 2003 helped put Hart House Theatre back on the map in the Toronto theatre landscape. Playing a leading role in both of those productions was a young Jeremy Hutton who later became Hart House Theatre’s Artistic Director.
David’s legacy will forever be celebrated at Hart House Theatre through this new program that supports each U of T Student Apprentice Director for our season productions. Generations of students will learn of David’s lasting impact on Canadian theatre and Hart House Theatre, while getting the much needed practical experience of working on a full-scale, high-quality production.
On behalf of the Hart House Theatre community and future generations of students, thank you very much Dr. Gardner.
Photo: David Gardner.
2014-12-11
Toronto: Hart House Theatre announces the Dr. David E. Gardner Apprentice Director Program