Performing Arts Manuscript and Archival Collections at the Toronto Reference Library, letters H-L
The Toronto Reference Library has rich and varied archival collections of theatre and performing arts manuscripts, photographs and ephemera with an emphasis on Canadian content. These can be found in the Marilyn and Charles Baillie Special Collections Centre.
We will be writing six blog posts listing all the collections by alphabetically by name and providing a pdf link to a detailed inventory of each fond describing the contents.
See here for the blog post covering A-C.
See here for the blog post covering D-G.
See here for the blog post covering M-N.
See here for the blog post covering 0-S.
See here for the blog post covering T-Z.
We welcome questions about the collection to trlspc@torontopubliclibrary.ca
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Amelia Hall Collection 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 made from originals in her personal collection, now in the Public Archives of Canada. Many had been planned for use as illustrations in the book she was writing on the Canadian Repertory Theatre. Also available in the Performing Arts Centre is a microfilm copy of the Amelia Hall Scrapbooks (the originals now in the National Archives). 2 boxes; 64 envelopes and 1 framed photograph; .8 linear metres. Download Hall, Amelia Collection PDF
- Guy Claude Hamel Collection Mimeographed playscripts and materials relating to Hamel Theatre Productions, an amateur theatre group producing plays with varying religious content in Toronto in the early 1970s. Download Hamel, Guy Claude Collection PDF
- Barbara Hamilton Collection (1952-1996) Correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, programs, publicity material, scrapbooks, tape recordings and video tapes relating to the stage and television career of Canadian actress and comedienne Barbara Hamilton (1926-1996). Among her many roles, Miss 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. 4 boxes: .87 linear metres + 1 pkg. oversize material Download Hamilton, Barbara Collection PDF
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Cara Hartwell Collection (1914-1983) Correspondence, autographs collected by Miss 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. Among the letters are letters from W. Somerset Maugham from 1935 to 1955, several mentioning his tastes in literature and commenting on some of his own books and plans for books. There is also a series of letters from dancer Ted Shawn relating interesting anecdotes about his experiences with motion pictures and with astrology. Especially informative is correspondence from other film fans describing visits to retired movie stars and giving biographical details and “what ever happened to” information on stars of the silent film era.
Over the years, Miss Hartwell has made many generous gifts to the Theatre Department. Her donation of photographs and film stills formed the basis of the department’s photograph collection. The photos of actors and dancers from this most recent gift have been interfiled with this larger collection. Her gifts of books, recordings and such film fan periodicals as Photoplay have also been added to the general collection. 2 boxes; 52 envelopes + box of cards; 71 linear metres Download Hartwell, Cara Collection PDF
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Sir John Martin Harvey Collection (1884-1944) Material relating to the career of the English actor-manager Sir John Martin Harvey (1863-1944), including 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. 2 boxes; 51 envelopes, 2 packages, .66 linear metres Download Harvey, Sir John Martin Collection PDF
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Ralph Hicklin Collection He was an arts critic for both the Toronto Telegram and the Globe & Mail during the 1960s. The collection consists of 28 scrapbooks (27 boxed + 1 loose oversize item) along with reviews, talks, scripts, drafts, photos, slides, correspondence and tapes. As indicated, many photos have been transferred to the Theatre Photographs collection. 2 boxes + 1 scrapbook Download Hicklin, Ralph Collection PDF
- Winifred Hicks-Lyne Photograph Album 423 postcard size photographs of English stage personalities of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. Download Hicks-Lyne, Winifred Photograph Album PDF
- H.E. Hitchman Collection (1922-1931) Photographs and programs documenting the stage appearance of Canadian actor H. E. Hitchman, mainly from productions at Hart House Theatre, and including a tour to Banff in the summer of 1931 with the Alfred Heather Light Opera Company. The collection also includes an original sketch of Hitchman by Arthur Lismer. 1 box; 26 envelopes, .065 linear metres Download Hitchman, HE Collection PDF
- Pam Hyatt Collection (1958-1990) Clippings, programs and photographs documenting the career of actress/singer/comedienne Pam Hyatt (born in Garden City, Long Island, but who had 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. 1 box; 13 files/envelopes, .065 linear metres Download Hyatt, Pam Collection PDF
- Sir Henry Irving Collection (1874-1905) Programs, photographs, drawings and engravings relating to the career of the English actor-manager, Sir Henry Irving (1838-1905). 1 box and 1 package; 1 linear metre Download Irving, Sir Henry Collection PDF
- Nella Jefferis Collection (1915-1944) Scrapbook describing the career of Canadian actress Nella Jefferis, (d.1944), active in Toronto, New York, and touring in Ottawa and western Canada. Includes programs, clippings and several photographs documenting her work at the Hart House Theatre, The Arts and Letters Club, and with the Cameron Matthews English Players, among others. 1 scrapbook, 58 pgs. (in box); .10 linear metres Download Jefferis, Nella Collection PDF
- Sydney Johnson Collection Articles by Montreal theatre critic Sydney Johnson (d. 1988), that appeared in the Montreal Star from 1961 to 1968. 139 articles; .102 linear metres Download Johnson, Sydney Collection PDF
- Jupiter Theatre Collection 23 annotated play copies (acting and stage manager’s copies, 1951-1953). Download Jupiter Theatre Collection PDF
- Jack Karr Collection (1938-1979) Scrapbooks and papers of Toronto columnist and public relations man Jack Kerr, 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). 7 boxes; 3.46 linear metres Download Karr, Jack Collection PDF
- Karsh Photographs Collection (1940s) Photographs by Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) of personalities active in theatre and opera. See also: Dominion Drama Festival Collection. Download Karsh Photographs Collection PDF
- Melville and Arden Keay Collection (1926-1951) 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) – 227 pages. 1 box containing 1 binder & 7 envelopes (+ interfiled photos); .45 metres Download Keay, Melville and Arden Collection PDF
- Geoffrey Keighley Collection (1922-1930) Photographs, programs, scrapbooks and posters documenting productions at the Hart House Theatre, various college of the University of Toronto, the Players’ Club and the Margaret Eaton School during the 1920s. Mr. Keighley handled props or worked in stage management in various of these productions, especially those under Mr. Bertram Forsyth. The collection includes several rough set sketches and some stage plots, prop lists, invoices for stage flats, and a note from Mr. Forsyth, together with a number of autographed programs. 1 box; 11 envelopes and scrapbook; 2 posters*; .065 linear metres Download Keighley, Geoffrey Collection PDF
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Mary Kerr Collection (1960s–1991) Stage designs, notebooks, correspondence, photographs, slides, programs, articles and reviews documenting the career of Canadian designer Mary Kerr. The collection includes material on her work in ballet, opera, television, theatre, film and exhibition design, with 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, and alternative companies like Studio Lab Theatre and Buddies in Bad Times.11 boxes + stage designs, posters, slides; 2.48 linear metres Download Kerr, Mary Collection PDF
- Charmion King Collection (1931-1983) Correspondence, photographs, programs, clippings and scrapbooks relating to the career of Toronto actress Charmion King (1925- ). Material includes 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, in addition to the Garden Centre Theatre, tours with The Drunkard and There Goes Yesterday and work with the Crest Theatre and Stratford. The majority of the items in the collection 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 Performing Arts Centre. 1 box; 10 envelopes (1 oversize) and 3 scrapbooks (1 oversize); .63 linear metres Download King, Charmion Collection PDF
- Lillie Langtry Collection (1864-1918) Photographs, programs, and engravings. 1 box; .07 metre; 39 items Download Langtry, Lillie Collection PDF
- Cosette Lee Collection (1911; 1920-1976) 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 (Toronto, 1910-1976) whose career on the stage, radio, television, and film extended over more than 50 years.3 boxes; 121 cm.; 812 items Download Lee, Cosette Collection PDF
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Michael Levine Collection Photographs showing the work of Canadian stage designer Michel Levine for the 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. These production photographs compliment, in some instances, original stage designs held in the collection of the Performing Arts Centre. 16 envelopes; .065 linear metres Download Levine, Michael Collection PDF
- Gweneth Lloyd Collection (1939-1977) Material relating to choreographer and dance teacher Gweneth Lloyd (1901- ) and 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. 2 boxes; .63 linear metres Download Lloyd, Gweneth Collection PDF
- London Theatre Company Collection Part 1 (1947-48; 1951-1957) Weekly accounts, financial statements, posters, programs, press clippings and set designs of the London Theatre company, which 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 (1947/48) of the Alexandra Theatre Company of Birmingham, England, the London Theatre Company’s immediate predecessor in St. John’s, Newfoundland. 2 boxes: 25 files; .26 metres. (+ interfiled items as noted). Download London Theatre Company Collection Part 1 PDF
- London Theatre Company Collection, Part 2 “First typed draft, before any cuts or edits” of A Thousand and One First Nights, the story of the London Theatre Company, 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. 1 box: 4 folders; .075 metres Download London Theatre Company Collection, Part 2 PDF
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