Charlesworth, Marigold, 1926-2015 : Marigold Charlesworth was born in England and educated there and in Canada, to which she was evacuated as a child during the Second World War. She attended the Trafalgar School for Girls in Montreal in early 1940' and she made her debut as an actress in Canada, with the Montreal Repertory Theatre in 1941, then returned to England where she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After acting in repertory and touring companies, she joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1953. Between 1954 and 1956, she worked in radio and television and children's theatre in London. In 1956, she emigrated to Canada with Jean Roberts, initially settling in Calgary but moving to Toronto in 1958 to tour with the Canadian Players.
Charlesworth began her career as a director in 1959 when she and Jean Roberts took on the Red Barn Theatre at Jackson's Point, which they ran, joined by William Whitehead, until 1964. In 1962, they moved the company into the Central Library Theatre in Toronto, where in 1963 she and Roberts produced and directed a hit production of 'The fantasticks'. Charlesworth continued her career as an actress, not only at the Red Barn Theatre but also with the Crest Theatre and CBC in Toronto. She directed such plays as 'Billy liar' at the Village Playhouse and, with Jean Roberts, 'Hamlet' at the Crest Theatre. From 1965 to 1966, she was co-artistic director with Roberts of the Canadian Players, directing award-winning productions of 'Murder in the cathedral' and 'The importance of being earnest'. During the same period, Charlesworth taught at the National Theatre School in Montreal. In 1966, she appeared in CBC's first film production, Timothy Findley's 'The paper people'. In 1967, she received a Canada Council grant to tour theatres in the USSR and eastern Europe, furthering her special interest in children's theatre.
On her return to Canada, Charlesworth directed at the Young People's Theatre in Toronto and the Shaw Festival before becoming director of the Theatre Hour Company, with which she was associated until 1972. In 1969, she also served as a regional adjudicator for the Dominion Drama Festival and worked with the bilingual Theatre Festival in New Brunswick. In 1971, she joined Jean Roberts at the National Arts Centre as Associate Artistic Director, directing productions for its theatre stage (including James Reaney's 'Colours in the dark' and Timothy Findley's 'Can you see me yet?') and running its youth company, the Hexagon, until 1974. She continued to direct for Young People's Theatre and lectured part-time at the University of Ottawa. In 1977, Charlesworth became the first woman invited to direct at the Stratford Festival, where she directed 'Much ado about nothing'.
Charlesworth taught theatre at George Brown College in Toronto, 1979-1980, and continued to freelance as an actress. After her retirement in 1991, she divided her time between Ottawa and France, where she and Jean Roberts shared a home.
Marigold Charlesworth passed away on September 12, 2015 at age 89.
Roberts, Jean, 1926-2013 : Jean Roberts was born in Scotland and attended school in Belgium and Scotland, completing part of a degree in Modern Languages at the University of Edinburgh before leaving to work as a scene painter with the Perth Repertory Theatre, 1947-1949. She joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company at Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1949, where she worked first as an assistant stage manager, then stage manager, until 1954. From 1954 to 1955, she worked in television in London, then went back to Stratford as a stage director. In 1956, she emigrated to Canada with Marigold Charlesworth, initially settling in Calgary but moving to Toronto in 1958 to work as company manager with the touring Canadian Players.
In 1959, Roberts became production manager at the Crest Theatre in Toronto and, in the same year, co-artistic director with Marigold Charlesworth of the Red Barn Theatre at Jackson's Point, where they were joined by William Whitehead. At first a summer theatre, the Red Barn established itself as an important repertory company and in 1962 produced a season in Toronto (with plays by Jean Genet, N.F. Simpson, Richard Sheridan, Eugène Ionesco and Samuel Beckett, as well as a co-production of Bernard Shaw's 'Mrs. Warren's profession' with the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the first such professional exchange with a regional theatre in Canada). It became the first theatre to receive grants from the Canada Council to fund an apprenticeship programme, to help train theatre professionals in Canada. In 1963, Roberts and Charlesworth had a hit with the musical 'The fantasticks' at the Central Library Theatre and in 1964 produced another musical, 'Cindy-Ella', with an all black cast. During the 1960s, Roberts directed 'The unexpected guest' and 'Hamlet' (with Marigold Charlesworth) at the Crest, 'Live like pigs' at the Village Playhouse and 'Private lives' at the Vancouver Playhouse, among other productions. In 1965, Roberts and Charlesworth were appointed co-artistic directors of the Canadian Players, the Toronto-based company which toured Canada, extending its programme to include a French-language touring company, Les Jeunes Comédiens.
Roberts taught at the National Theatre School in Montreal during the 1960s, establishing its first production course, and later served as a Governor and Trustee of the school. In 1966, she moved to Ottawa to work as the Festival Canada consultant at the National Arts Centre and from 1967 to 1970 served as theatre and dance officer at the Canada Council, the first theatre professional to do so. After leaving the Canada Council, she continued to serve on its Advisory Arts Panel until 1974. In 1971, Roberts was appointed Director of Theatre at the National Arts Centre, where she also served as artistic director of English theatre, created a youth company, The Hexagon, and instituted a playwright-in-residence programme (the first appointment being Timothy Findley). During her tenure at the National Arts Centre, it produced its first joint French-English production, John Coulter's 'Riel' directed by Jean Gascon. Among the plays that Roberts herself directed at the National Arts Centre were 'Oh what a lovely war', 'Twelfth night', and 'The ride across Lake Constance'.
In 1978, Roberts moved back to Toronto as Director of Programme Development and Production for CBC - TV Drama, where she remained until 1983. After leaving the CBC, she established her own consulting firm, JR Producing and Consulting, and worked as a freelance producer and director. She was long involved with the efforts to establish a theatre museum in Canada and was retained by the Laidlaw Foundation as an evaluator of submissions for performing arts grants 1988-1991. After her retirement in 1991, she divided her time between Ottawa and France, where she shared a home with Marigold Charlesworth.
Jean Roberts was invested into the Order of Canada in July of 2011. She passed away on December 12, 2013 at the age of 86.
