Bill Glassco

[Denis Salter]

Bill Glassco 1935--2004

 

 

On Monday, November 8th, there was a memorial service for Bill Glassco held at the Centaur Theatre here in Montreal.   The evening was graciously emceed by Albert Millaire; the theatre was full of people, present because in one way or another, Bill had made a significant contribution not only to Canadian theatre but to their own lives and careers.  There were laminated obituaries from all the major newspapers on display in the lobby; on stage, there was a video made up of a montage of photographs from various stages of Bill's life. Gordon McCall, artistic director of Centaur, began the event by welcoming all of us to his theatre and by reminiscing about his own experiences working as an actor in Toronto in the early 1970s when he first met Bill.  Jane Needles, the key organiser of the event, came on stage to say that we were there to celebrate Bill's life, to laugh through our tears, which is exactly what we did. Among the many speakers, the first to come on stage was Dr Thomas Deuel. He had been a room-mate of Bill's at Princeton University where they did their undergraduate studies together.  He told amusing stories about their antics, their personal relationship, and Bill's generous and fun-loving spirit.  Michel Tremblay could not be with us, but he sent a "love letter to Bill" which Albert Millaire read out loud.  It was full of sympathetic humour, delightful anecdotes, and confirmed Tremblay's gratitude to Bill for supporting his early playwriting and for helping to open up his work to audiences outside of Quebec. Clare Coulter read a letter from Bill's former wife, Jane Glassco, telling us amusing, brave, and hopeful stories about the struggles involved in founding and nurturing Tarragon Theatre in its earliest days. One of Bill's children, Rufus Glassco, spoke very personally about what kind of father Bill had been; he explained that Bill had told him that, above all else, one must have self-esteem or "amour-propre"-Rufus said it sounds better in French-in order to engage fully with one's life and 'destiny.' Michel-Marc Bouchard read a very moving statement about why writers of his generation feel a great debt of gratitude to Bill.  Bill's daughter, Briony Glassco, read a letter from Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in which she wrote passionately about their shared love of (Canadian) literature and of course about the arts more generally. Bill's much-loved piano, which he had inherited from his grandmother, was on stage, and a number of the guests played some of his favourite pieces of music. We also heard music from Bill's CD, produced in the last year, on which he sings and plays the piano.  Kent Stetson spoke of his very personal relationship with Bill, outlining the kind of helpful dramaturgical advice which Bill had given him when he was writing one of the many drafts of his ground-breaking play, Warm Wind in China.  Kent told us that after Bill phoned him with the bad news that he had throat cancer and perhaps only a year to live, Kent walked on his way through Carré St. Louis and along Prince Arthur with anger and sorrow in his heart; but now, in celebration of Bill's life and achievements, as he walks along Prince Arthur, he hears Gershwin, one of Bill's favourite composers.  Joe Cobden, a member of the Montreal Young Company which Bill founded here in Montreal, spoke of the first major opportunities to practise his art as an actor which the Company had given not only to him but to other young actors eager to establish their careers after graduating from places such as the National Theatre School.  Cobden made the whole hall laugh when he said that when he first met Bill he thought he was a "theatre guy" with intimidating experience and great artistic taste; in time, Cobden came to know Bill as a man like any other, and he found  himself trying-and still tries-to be as cultivated a person as Bill was. Minum and Ronnie Blair, together with Muffy Price, spoke of one of Bill's last (great) adventures: a trip they all made last year to India. Bill, his cancer in remission, seemed inexhaustible, and, as the ideal tourist, was determined to see virtually everything. At the end of the evening, we all stood up and to piano accompaniment--and with Bill's daughter Briony as our guiding inspiration-we sang a rousing rendition of one of Bill's favourite compositions-George and Ira Gershwin's "You Can't Take That Away From Me." Afterwards, we gathered in the lobby to swamp individual stories about what Bill's life had meant to each and every one of us; we also signed the guest book, adding a personal line or two of warmth, wit, gratitude, and love.  We were reminded on the program that Bill's dream was that the Montreal Young Company should continue; contributions can be sent to the Montreal Young Company, 3558 Marlow Avenue, Montreal, H4A 3L7.  The organisers of the evening included Clare Coulter, Paula Danckert, Anne Douglas, Sheila Fischman, Linda Gaboriou, Briony and Rufus Glassco, Biek Price, Eliane Price, Cynthia Scott, Jean-Stéphane Roy, Luc Tremblay and, of course, the indomitable Jane Needles.  There will be another memorial to Bill in Toronto on Monday, November 29th at the Royal Alex.  All are warmly welcome.

 

--Denis Salter.

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" . . . and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: 
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
 Isaiah 2.4
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Denis Salter
Professor of Theatre
McGill University
853 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, QC
H3A 2T6
(514) 487 7309
d.salter at videotron.ca
denis.salter at mcgill.ca
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