{"id":9476,"date":"2023-07-04T11:56:10","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T15:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asc\/?p=9476"},"modified":"2023-07-06T11:32:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T15:32:27","slug":"paul-christie-a-life-in-the-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asc\/2023\/07\/paul-christie-a-life-in-the-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Christie: A Life in the Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Toby Malone<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Joseph
Joseph Paul Christie<\/strong>
September 17, 1937 –  October 4, 2021<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We can trace the origins of theatre programmes to the publicly-posted British playbills of the seventeenth century, which then evolved<\/a><\/span> to personal souvenir printings in the late-nineteenth century. We defer to the Canadian spelling, although you might see the interchangeable American “programs,” or defaults to the brand name “Playbill,” but they all refer to the same tradition. These personal reference items are sometimes sold as lavish souvenirs but are most often given freely to theatre patrons as they take their seats, and can have multiple functions. Most practically, they are a guide to the on- and off-stage artists involved with that night\u2019s entertainment, and might include notes from the director or guidance on casting changes. They are souvenirs, to be filed away or consulted, to be autographed or even framed. Toronto Star theatre critic Karen Fricker noted in an April 2023 article<\/a> that these \u201cbridges between the spectator and the theatrical experience\u201d can even double as a diary of sorts. They are evidence of attendance, something to spark memory and reminiscence over the joy theatre can bring. Programmes can be as simple as a single photocopied sheet; they can be glossy, high-quality publications. Some feature photos, some barely feature the names of the artists. Some are as thick as a novella, some are no bigger than a napkin, while some are printed as an entire newspaper. For many, the physical programme is intrinsic to the theatre-going experience, and despite recent moves to replace physical programmes with digital, smartphone-centred equivalents, collectors cling tight to their physical mementoes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"2021.12.06.22:
2021.12.06.22<\/a>: Paul saw the Broadway premiere of West Side Story at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 14th, 1957.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On October 21, 2021, Joseph Paul Christie\u2014Paul to his many friends\u2014passed away peacefully at home. Paul lived a long and joyous life, from his youth in Toronto to adventures in London as a bookseller and a distinguished career as a court reporter with the Ministry of the Ontario Attorney General, but one of his many defining traits was his love of the arts. For the last thirty years of his life, Paul served as a front of house team member (to over-simplify, we might say \u2018usher\u2019) at theatres around Toronto, most notably the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres. From this insider\u2019s position, Paul saw as much theatre as he could. His theatregoing career stretched back to boyhood, and lasted until he literally could not see any more plays, as the COVID-19 pandemic closed theatres in the spring of 2020. After Paul\u2019s passing, the Toronto Metropolitan University Archives and Special Collections were honoured to receive a gift commemorating a life in the theatre. In dozens of carefully curated binders, we were presented every programme (and ticket stub, and clipping, and souvenir postcard) that Paul Christie collected over the course of sixty-eight years, filed chronologically and with extensive annotation to create the Paul Christie Theatre Program Collection<\/a> reflecting a lifetime in the arts.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n