The gift that grew into a cultural giant

What began as an ambitious gift to a prominent Westmount matriarch from her four children back in the early 1960s, “The Saidye,” as it has been affectionately known by thousands, is so familiar that it needs no introduction — but it did need a definitive biography to permanently preserve its rich history.

Now that has void has been filled quite admirably, in the form of ‘A Gift For Their Mother: The Saidye Bronfman Centre Theatre’. And who better to take on the task than well-known theatre educator Muriel Gold, who served as the Centre’s artistic director for eight years during the 1970s. Her first-hand accounts of the various goings on at the theatre — on both sides of the curtain — are a valuable asset to an already rich and entertaining narrative. Gold fills her chronicle with inside stories that could never be found in the official records and archives. She tells us, for example, of the unfortunate actor who played the judge in The Trial of the Rosenbergs during the 1977-78 season. Not only did he accidentally flip back in his chair and disappear behind the bench during one performance, but prior to another he went next door and played squash — and, yes, broke his arm. A true trouper, he did make the curtain that night, his robes covering the fresh cast.

Dr. Gold’s book is filled with dozens of black-and-white stills from memorable and not-so-memorable productions over the years, and shows the entire breadth of the Theatre’s legacy. She delves into its entire history, right from the circumstances surrounding its founding and subsequent building design by Bronfman daughter Phyllis Lambert, through to its 2005-06 season.

This fascinating chronicle, breezily written with enormous affection and reverence by one of the best-connected and most knowledgeable people in the business, is likely to stand as the most complete and authoritative book we will ever get on this storied west-end cultural landmark.

٠ ‘A Gift For Their Mother: The Saidye Bronfman Centre Theatre: A History’ by Muriel Gold, is published by MIRI Productions.