The Toronto Light Opera Association was an opera company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that specialized in performing the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. It was founded in 1940 and disbanded in 1955.
History In 1940 Howard Mawson and some friends who had appeared in collegiate productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operas asked Mawson's father Frederick, a Toronto choirmaster and conductor, to teach them more about the performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's music. Frederick Mawson, with the help of his son, organized what was to become the Toronto Light Opera Association.Trial by Jury and H.M.S. Pinafore program, Toronto Light Opera Association, 12 and 13 May 1949"Howard Mawson, 82: Brought Gilbert & Sullivan to life", Toronto Daily Star, 13 May 2004 Frederick Mawson also served as the association's music director and led it in presenting operettas in a number of venues in Toronto. Howard Mawson, The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, retrieved 24 December 2012 Their first operetta, Trial by Jury, was staged in 1942 with H.M.S. Pinafore staged the following year.Yeomen of the Guard, program, Toronto Light Opera Association, 24 and 25 November 1949 There were no productions in 1944, as many of the young cast members were involved in the war effort of World War II.
In 1945, the first notices naming the troupe as the Toronto Light Opera Association appeared in the local news. In 1946, the Toronto Daily Star termed it "an excellent organization", and another review in 1950 praised the "enjoyable acting and singing".Photo of lead singers, Pirates of Penzance, Toronto Daily Star, 20 March 1946, p. 8, Theatre notice in the same issue"Opera Group Shows Fine Acting, Singing" (review), Toronto Daily Star, 24 November 1950; photo of lead singers in the same issue Mawson was assisted in most of the productions by Alfred Kidney, who acted as stage director. The association disbanded in 1955.
Productions
Between 1942 and 1950 the company presented six different Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The piano accompaniment was by Winnifred Smith Stewart."Choral Skill, Piano Support Aid Opera", Edward Wodson, The Evening Telegram, Toronto, 30 April 1948 The Association's productions between 1942 and 1950 were as follows: 1942: The first work to be presented was Trial by Jury, performed once in March and again in October 1942. 1943: H.M.S. Pinafore was next, presented twice in March and November 1943. 1945: Pinafore was staged in May 1945 at the Northern Vocational School auditorium.Theatre notice, Toronto Daily Star, 16 May 1945 1946: The Pirates of Penzance in March 1946 was at Danforth Technical School auditorium.Theatre Notice, Toronto Daily Star, 27 April 1946 1947: A March presentation of Patience was at the Central School of Commerce auditorium..Patience program, Toronto Light Opera Association, 25 and 26 March 1947"Amateurs Give Polished Work in Light Opera", The Evening Telegram, Toronto, 27 Mar 1947 This was followed in December by a production of The Mikado at Danforth Technical School auditorium.Theatre notice, Toronto Daily Star, 8 March 1947Cast photo of the TLO production of The Mikado, 1947, Wikipedia CommonsTheatre notice, Evening Telegram, Toronto, 1 December 1947Edward W. Wodson, "Cast Excels in Presenting Mikado"(review), Evening Telegram, Toronto, 6 December 1947 1948: In 1948 two productions were presented: The Pirates of Penzance at Northern Vocational School auditorium, and Iolanthe that November at the Temple Theatre.Theatre notice, Toronto Daily Star, 17 April 1948Music "Art Drama", Augustus Bridle, Toronto Daily Star, 13 November 1948. Theatre notice in the same issue"Iolanthe said Best of Kind for Ten Years", Edward Wodson, The Evening Telegram, Toronto, 20 November 1948 1949: A double production of Trial by Jury and H.M.S. Pinafore was presented in May, 1949 at Danforth Technical School"Harry Stitch Fine Soloist in Pinafore". The Evening Telegram, Toronto, 14 May 1949 In November The Yeoman of the Guard played at Bloor Collegiate Institute followed.Theatre notice, Toronto Daily Star, 7 May 1949 1950: The Gondoliers was presented in November 1950 at the Bloor Collegiate auditorium."Showplace", Jack Karr, Toronto Daily Star, 22 November 1950
Notable members Howard Mawson, a bass baritone who played a role in many of the productions, went on to have a notable career in other operatic and dramatic organizations.The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada , retrieved 25 December 2012 He became a founding member of the Toronto branch of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. His wife Elizabeth Mawson (née Burlington), a mezzo-soprano and a regular performer in the association, became known for her long-standing role as Marilla in the Anne of Green Gables – The Musical production at the Charlottetown Festival; she also performed with the Canadian Opera Company.["Elizabeth Mawson", The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada], retrieved 24 December 2012"Mawson was beloved as Anne’s Marilla", Toronto Daily Star, 18 February 2008 Both Howard and Elizabeth would also later perform in the Eaton Operatic Society of Toronto."Elizabeth Anne Mawson (nee Burlington) 14 February 1927 - 16 February 2008", Toronto Daily Star, 23 February 2008"She found her calling in long-running Prince Edward Island musical Anne of Green Gables", Globe and Mail, Toronto, 11 March 2008 Alfred Kidney directed many of the company's productions and those of other light opera companies.
References