Fonds F0359 - Mavor Moore fonds

James Mavor Moore (1919-2006), actor, writer, critic, educator and public servant, was born in Toronto on 8 March 1919 and educated at the University of Toronto where he received his BA in 1941. He served in Intelligence during the Second World War following which he was employed by CBC radio as producer for its International Service in Montreal. He moved to CBC Television in 1950 serving as its first chief producer. He produced, directed or appeared in over fifty stage plays in Canada as well as in radio and television dramas and was the winner of three Peabody Awards for radio documentaries that he directed for the United Nations. Moore created over one hundred works for stage, radio and television including the musicals 'Sunshine Town' (1954), 'The Ottawa Man' (1958), 'Louis Riel' (an opera with Harry Somers as composer, 1967), and 'Fauntleroy' (1980). He worked with his mother, Dora Mavor Moore in founding the New Play Society and served as producer-director of 'Spring Thaw,' its annual comedy revue from 1948 to 1965. He was drama critic for the Toronto Telegram from 1958 to 1960 and was arts critic for Maclean's magazine from 1968 to 1969. Moore is the author of numerous published works including the autobiography 'Reinventing Myself' and 13 dramatic and musical works. In 1970 he was appointed a professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts, York University and served as chair of the Theatre Department from 1975 to 1976. Moore served on the Canada Council (1974-1983), including a term as its chair (1979-1983). He also served as the founding chair of the British Columbia Arts Council (1996-1998). He sat on the first Board of Governors of the Stratford Festival, was the founding chair of the Canadian Theatre Centre, the Guild of Canadian Playwrights, and was a founding director of the Charlottetown Festival. Moore was recognized for his work with seven honorary degrees, awarded the Centennial Medal in 1967, and made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1973 and a companion of the Order of Canada in 1988. In 1999, he received a Governor-General's Award for Lifetime Achievement and was elected to the Order of British Columbia. Mavor Moore passed away in Victoria, B.C. on December 18th, 2006.

Louis Applebaum (1918-2000) was a composer, conductor, and arts administrator. He was born and educated in Toronto, except for one year studying in New York with Roy Harris and Bernard Wagenaar. His career in film began in 1940, composing scores for the National Film Board of Canada, later becoming its Music Director. His over 200 film scores included productions in Canada, Hollywood, England and New York and were awarded many honours such as an Academy Award nomination (The Story of G.I. Joe, 1945), Canadian Film Award, Genie and Gemini. Applebaum was the first Music Director of the Stratford Festival and composed scores for over 70 of its plays. He founded and operated its Music and Film Festivals and conducted operas at Stratford and on tour. His fanfares have introduced every Festival theatre performance since opening night in 1953. Scores for radio, TV series and specials, numbering in the hundreds, have been heard on the CBC, CTV, BBC, CBS, NBC, and United Nations radio. His concert works in all genres have been widely performed throughout the world and include large works for symphony, ballet and the music stage. His commissions for ceremonial occasions include the inauguration of three Governors-General, the opening of Expo 67 in Montreal and visits by the Queen. His last opera, Erewhon, with a libretto by Mavor Moore was premiered by Pacific Opera Victoria in 2000. Applebaum was a consultant to many artistic institutions: the National Arts Centre (1964-1967) where he was instrumental in the creation of the NAC Orchestra, the Canada Council (1957-1999), and the Universities of Ottawa, Windsor and York. He helped found the Canadian League of Composers, the Canadian Music Centre, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, the Canadian Guild of Film Composers and was closely associated with the Banff Centre, the Canadian Music Council and the Laidlaw Foundation as Chair of its Arts Panel. Applebaum was one of the founders of C-Channel (a TV arts channel) and Group Four Productions (a film production company) and for many years taught at York University. In 1971, he became Executive Director of the Ontario Arts Council, resigning in 1979 to become Chairman of the Federal Cultural Policy Review Committee which submitted its Report to the Canadian Government in the Fall of 1982. He was president of CAPAC, the performing rights society in 1988 and subsequently chaired a committee leading to the creation of SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) and became its first president (1990). He would later serve as President of the SOCAN foundation. In recognition of his contributions to the arts in Canada, Applebaum was bestowed with many honours including Officer and Companion, Order of Canada (1976, 1995), Order of Ontario (1989), Centennial Medal (1967), Honourary LLD, York University (1979), and Arts Toronto Lifetime Achievement Award (1998).

The New Play Society, established by Dora Mavor Moore in 1946, was a professional, non-profit theatre company, which produced original and other works (seventy-two productions in total). One of its most enduring efforts was the annual review 'Spring thaw,' which Moore's son, Mavor Moore, took charge of in the 1950s. The society was also responsible for a theatre school in Toronto.