Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1918-1959 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
8 boxes and items
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
George Keppie was born in Australia, but much of his success as a theatre manager was in Toronto. He first came to Toronto in 1921 after managing stock companies in the U.S. for several years. With an acting troupe headed by matinee idol Vaughan Glaser, he moved into the abandoned Loew's Uptown and converted it into a highly successful repertory theatre. In 1938, he became manager of the Empire Theatre, where he presented a group of young actors and actresses, including Jane Mallett, in small roles in a different play each week. He worked there until a heart condition forced him to to retire. He died in 1963.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The collection consists of correspondence and accounts relating to Keppie's work as manager of several American Theatres and the Uptown Theatre, Toronto (Vaughan Glaser Players) and the Empire Theatre (Theatre Guild of Canada). It also contains photographs and mimeographed and typed playscripts, including two by John Coulter and one by Wilson MacDonald.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Material may be requested in person at the Fisher Library Reference Desk, or in advance using our online stack retrieval request form: https://aeon.library.utoronto.ca. Please note that this material requires 2 business days to retrieve.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English