TESSA GILLARD

1930 – 1984

and the

THEATRE

My mum, Tessa Gillard, was born in Port Isaac, Cornwall, in England, 1930.  She lived most of her childhood, and young adulthood in Seaton, Devon.  She married my dad, Bill, the Jazz musician (skilly a wawa) in 1948.  They had three children, and in 1957, moved to Canada, where I was born. She became interested in Drama at an early age, even being invited to join Stratford on Avon, in England, at fifteen.  My Irish Granny said, "Not before hell freezes over!" In Canada, she was very active in K.W. Little Theatre, from the moment she arrived, until a few years before her death, in 1984. She was a wonderful actress, who could have gone anywhere, if she had been so inclined.  She won many awards for both her acting, and directing, and as a playwright, I have her to thank for my avid interest in the theatre.

I will attempt to list as many plays as I can that she was involved with...may take awhile.

Pictures below.

PLAY	YEAR	ROLE	VENUE	EXTRAS & AWARDS
Life With Father	1957		Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre (KWLT)	Tessa’s first play with KWLT, first play in Canada.
Time out for Ginger	1957	.	KWLT	.
Life With Mother	1958		KWLT
The Diary of Anne Frank	1959		KWLT	Best Actress in a studio production. W.O.D.L. W.O.D.L = Western Ontario Drama League
The Great Sebastions	1960	Essie	KWLT	Best Actress in a major production. W.O.D.L.
The Ottawa Man	1960-61	. Director	KWLT	Best Directed play in a studio production W.O.D.L.
.Look Homeward Angel	1962	.	KWLT
This Happy Breed	1962	Director	KWLT
She Stoops to Conquer	. 1962.	.	KWLT	.
Antigone		Antigone	KWLT	.
Will Any Gentleman?	1965	Director	KWLT	.
Take Her She's Mine	.	.	KWLT	.
Breakfast of Diamonds	1967	Director	KWLT	.
No Exit	1969	Inez	KWLT	Best actress in a major production W.O.D.L.
The Marquis	.	.	University of Waterloo (UofW)	.
Shadow of a Pale Horse	1970	.	Tempo Theatre (KWLT)	Best Supporting Actress W.O.D.L.
A Taste of Honey	1973	Director	U of W
The Gingerbread Lady	.	.	KWLT	Best Actress in a supporting role W.O.D.L..
The Patrick Pearce Motel	1975		KWLT
And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little	1976	Helen	KWLT	Best Director W.O.D.L
Relatively Speaking	1977	Sheila	KWLT

Some plays, some pictures, some narrative by Ron Bender.

LIFE WITH FATHER

1957

RON BENDER: Tessa is 4th from the right. I am 3rd from the right. In this one, I'm a redhead! The girl playing Mother was Marguerite Boardman (white dress, black handbag) is actually MY age...we were in the same classes at St. Louis Separate School in Waterloo, and get this...I had a crush on her for years but, I was too shy to pursue it…and she gets to play my MOTHER!! Ironic...huh!!  We all had to be redheads and have our hair sprayed red for every performance...except for the boy at the right far end...He actually WAS a redhead, but not the same colour, so...yup, they sprayed him too! This was Tessa’s first play with KWLT, and my 2^nd. I don't have any picturess of my first play which was “The Petrified Forest" I played a black chauffeur (yup!)...and spent most of the play under the table wailing "Holy Lord...oh Holy Lord.!!..

LIFE WITH MOTHER

1958

Tessa, second from left, front row. Ron Bender, far right, back row.

THE GREAT SEBASTIANS

1960

Leo Burns, Tessa Gillard (playing ESSIE SEBASTIAN), Ron Bender and the actor whose name I don't know.

Again, The Great Sebastions, Tessa and Ron Bender.

An actor whose name I don't know Leo Burns, my God Father, Ron Bender (devilishly handsome isn't he?),

another actor whose name I don’t know and Tessa Gillard.

TIME OUT FOR GINGER

RON BENDER: You may not realize this but your mother was about two months pregnant with you in this picture!

That's me second from the left. And that's when it was decided that I would be your godfather...Faerie or otherwise!

The guy 3rd from the left believe it or not was mayor of Kitchener. I believe his name was Harold Paiken.

I was sweet on the girl in the crown...Beverley Reeve AND your mother of course!! (4^th from the left)

RON BENDER

TESSA GILLARD

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