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Actor, director, production manager, teacher, writer and artistic director, the venerable Malcolm Black was presented with the Silver Ticket Award at the 34th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, held Monday evening, June 24, 2013 at Toronto's St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in the Bluma Appel Theatre.
Since 1980, the Silver Ticket Award has been bestowed to an individual who has excelled in their own career while also nurturing the development of Canadian theatre. Presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), the Silver Ticket Award winner is selected by a committee of previous winners, and it entitles the recipient to a lifetime of theatre tickets to any TAPA member company production.
Mr. Black's significant contribution to Toronto theatre began in the 1950s when he served as Production Manager and Stage Director of the Crest Theatre, one of the most important and earliest theatres in the country. It was during the 1980s in particular that Mr. Black made his contribution to the Toronto theatre scene, when he worked as Artistic Director of Theatre Plus. At the time, it was the only company that filled the summer vacuum in Toronto currently filled by Soulpepper, the Toronto Fringe, SummerWorks and Luminato. Mr. Black took over as Artistic Director after directing a number of shows under founding Artistic Director Marion André, and steered the ship for five years (1984-89), providing both solid work for a large number of artists and artisans, and high quality theatre for audiences. Among his priorities at Theatre Plus was to ensure that female directors got a crack at directing on a main stage.
He was a true pioneer in Canadian theatre, bringing vision, expertise and a sense of destiny to communities with little experience of professional theatre. While leaving a permanent mark on Toronto's theatre scene, Mr. Black also helped establish live theatre on the west coast of the country and was also prominent on the east coast.
During his tenure as Artistic Director, he directed and produced the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company's first homegrown production in the mid-60s, and presented its first tour. Mr. Black's next Artistic Director job was at Theatre New Brunswick (1978-84), the legendary regional touring company. Again, he made an essential contribution to a distinct voice of Canadian theatre, as each production toured from its home base in Fredericton to four to eight cities, including Moncton and Saint John. During his tenure at TNB, he also established Canada's only bilingual touring Young Company.
Mr. Black's knowledge of the history and development of the theatre community is as profound as his contribution to it. He has always been committed to nurturing talented young directors as well as playwrights. At York University, he taught in the influential Theatre Department (after teaching at CUNY in New York and the University of Washington in Seattle), formalizing the training and mentoring he has continued to this day.
At 85, Mr. Black is "retired." In his case, that means directing a play either for the Fringe or SummerWorks every few years, mostly working with artists he met as young professionals during his days at Theatre Plus. He also continues to direct at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, having developed an excellent relationship with both Philadelphia audiences and (former Canadian) Managing Artistic Director Bernard Havard.
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). In addition to the Doras, other programs and services provided by TAPA include: T.O. TIX - Toronto's Official One Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square and online at www.totix.ca; Toronto's Official Theatre Guide; hipTIX, offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 15 and 29; citySPECIAL; the Commercial Theatre Development Fund; and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program - TRIP. For more information visit www.tapa.ca and www.totix.ca.
