Walter Learning
Walter Learning | |
---|---|
Canadian | |
Occupation(s) | Director, Actor, Broadcaster, Playwright |
Website | http://www.walterlearning.com |
Walter John Learning (November 16, 1938 – January 5, 2020) CM ONB was a Canadian theatre director, actor, and founder of Theatre New Brunswick.[1]
Biography
Walter Learning was born in 1938 in the small village of Quidi Vidi in the Dominion of Newfoundland. Learning attended Bishop Feild College in St. John's and the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick. After receiving his BA, he was awarded a Teaching Fellowship to pursue his MA, and a Commonwealth Scholarship to work on his PhD at the Australian National University in Canberra. Learning returned to Canada in May 1966. He was Director of Drama at the UNB Summer Session, and in the Fall returned to Memorial University of Newfoundland. He became a Lecturer in the Philosophy Department where he remained for two years.
In May 1968, Learning moved back to Fredericton to become the General Manager of the
During his tenure at TNB, Learning met, and became close friends with, prominent Canadian poet Alden Nowlan. The two collaborated on a number of play scripts including: Frankenstein, The Dollar Woman, A Gift to Last, and The Incredible Murder of Cardinal Tosca. In June 1978, Learning left Fredericton for Ottawa to take the position of Head of the Theatre Section of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Learning remained at the Canada Council until 1982 when he moved to the west coast to become Artistic Director of the Vancouver Playhouse. After five years, he returned east to Prince Edward Island where he became the Artistic Director of the Charlottetown Festival. From 1992 to 1995 Learning was a freelance broadcaster, writer, actor, and director, and from 1995 to 1999 he returned to Theatre New Brunswick as Executive Producer.
During his long career, Learning guest directed at many theatres including the
In 2011, Learning was the recipient of the Playhouse Honours award. This annual award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to community life through their work in the performing arts. In 2018, he was made a member of the Order of New Brunswick for achievements in the performing arts and for contributions to the theatre community and industry.[4] On June 27, 2019, Governor General Julie Payette announced that Learning had been appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest honours.
R. H. Thomson's special interviews with Walter Learning are included in Theatre Museum Canada's Legend Library, a video series dedicated to preserving and celebrating Canada's performing arts heritage.[5]
Bibliography
Plays
- Frankenstein: The Man Who Became God - Clarke, Irwin, Toronto 1973 (with Alden Nowlan)
- The Dollar Woman - Playwrights Co-op, Toronto 1981 (with Alden Nowlan)
- The Incredible Murder of Cardinal Tosca - Clarke, Irwin, Toronto 1987 (with Alden Nowlan)
- A Gift To Last (with Alden Nowlan) from the teleplay by Gordon Pinsent
Books
- Gifts to Last: Stories from the Maritimes and Newfoundland, ed. Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions ISBN 0-86492-206-X
References
- ^ "Theatre New Brunswick - History". Archived from the original on 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ Canberra Repertory Society
- IMDb
- ^ Government of New Brunswick--2018 Order of New Brunswick recipients https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/order_of_new_brunswick/2018_recipients.html#6.
- ^ "Legend Library - Walter Learning". Canada's Theatre Museum. 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
External links
- Walter Learning Archived 2017-09-12 at the Wayback Machine at The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Walter Learning Archived 2016-04-30 at the Wayback Machine at the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia Archived 2018-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Walter Learning directs It Runs in the Family at Canberra Repertory Company on YouTube, Canberra, Australia
- Walter Learning at IMDb
- Theatre Museum Canada—Canadian Legends series Walter Learning--part 1 of 13 on YouTube
- The Dennis Report Walter Learning: A Life in Theatre on YouTube