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Who is Carol Libman and why is there a resource centre named
after her...not only a fixed (though movable) place here on earth,
but now she - or it - is floating in cyberspace. An explanation
is in order, and we’ve got one from the women herself.
I was born in Montréal in 1928. (A quick application of your calculator
will indicate that I am now among the ancients, but still remember
how to tie my shoelaces and hit the keyboard, not necessarily at
the same time.) My writing career began at Simpson's Department
Store, in the advertising department, then the Gazette...and it's
been uphill, downhill and sideways ever since. I married Syd Libman
(who later became an actor…see how the plot develops?) and
moved to Sault St. Marie where, out of equal parts desperation and
inspiration, we joined the Sault Theatre Workshop. Seven years later,
in 1957, with two kids (a third was born in Montréal), and a couple
of plays and a win at the Ottawa Little Theatre Playwriting Competition,
we returned to Montréal.
By 1962, English theatre in Montréal was barely breathing. As part
of a regeneration process, the Quebec Drama Festival, under the
championship of Justice Edouard Rinfret, dispatched Robert Russel
of the National Theatre School, veteran actress/director/producer
Norma Springford, and actress Doris Malcolm to a meeting in December,
1962, at National Theatre School. Forty-one groups and individuals
interested in theatre were contacted (my invitation came from Powys
Thomas, then head of NTS), and there were probably 100 people at
the meeting. To describe the proceedings as chaotic is the understatement
of the year. When calm eventually prevailed another meeting was
scheduled for January 1963. We met among the sagging sofas in a
small anteroom at National Theatre School (then located at 1911
Mountain Street). In attendance: Norma Springford, Bob Russell and
Doris Malcolm of Quebec Drama Federation, Dan Daniels, Eve Sevack,
and myself. John Whelan sent regrets but joined soon thereafter.
From this, Playwrights' Workshop was born.
In 1991, Ron Curtis submitted A HISTORY OF PLAYWRIGHTS' WORKSHOP
Montréal 1963-1988 to the Department of English, McGill University,
as his Master's Thesis. There is a copy at the Carol Libman Resource
Centre. Any one who wants to know from whence we came, and how we
did it is advised to read it.
A lot of people have worked very diligently through the years to
bring Playwrights’ Workshop to its present state but, with
no modesty whatsoever, I submit that if I hadn't poured years of
energy, resilience, stubbornness and (yes!) vision, into the birth
and growth of Playwrights' Workshop, you folks would have had to
do it several times over. After 21 years the kid had grown up and,
in 1984, I left home. The Workshop honoured me - and it is an honour
- with what eventually became the Carol Libman Resource Centre.
(Don't forget to dust the shelves from time to time, people!)
Out of our first season of play readings we selected three one-act
plays and two full-length plays to be given public concert readings
in 1963. To launch this effort we held a press conference and, under
strict budgetary confines, managed to provide some nibbles and half
a gallon of the best QLC varnish remover we could find for under
five bucks. One member of the press whose name, though not forgotten
will be kept secret, indulged to the point where it was necessary
for John Whelan to drive him home. Upon exiting the car, said "critic"
thanked his driver profusely, then offered this profound admonition;
"Good luck with your new theatre, but if you want my advice,
stay away from Canadian plays!"
They could have called us the Nomadic Playwrights' Workshop, we
moved so many times in the first 20 or so years. One move was to
Heinz Heinmann's Mansfield Book Mart, a haven for book lovers. Mr.
Heinmann was also an antiquarian book collector and lover of the
arts. He let us use a section of his bookstore for a regular series
of readings (he also invited poets from time to time; the first
time I ever heard Leonard Cohen was at the Mansfield). What's more,
he even bought the chairs for the audience to sit on, and later
sold them to us for something like $2 each when we moved into our
own (rented) quarters.
The first "home" we could call our own (as long as we
paid the rent) was at 282 St. Catherine Street West. We had two
floors above a shoe store. Holding dance and movement classes on
Friday nights (when the store stayed open late) turned out to be
a bad idea: the pounding on the ceiling and the shaking of the light
fixtures caused a panic flight of customers fearing Mount Royal
was erupting after several hundred years of somnolence. We switched
classes to mid-week. The third floor housed our performance space.
Minimalist gestures only. Otherwise the hand would go through the
ceiling.
There was an ongoing discussion about risers...design of, manufacture
of, portability of, storage of when not in use. Someone (see, playwrights
can be multi-dimensional thinkers) devised a riser which could be
collapsed. Good idea, as long as it doesn't collapse with bodies
on it. It didn't. On the other hand, the extra hardware and wood
made it so heavy it was almost impossible to heave one on top of
the other. I have no recollection what happened to them. Mercifully.
After we left 410 St. Pierre there was a flood. And a lawsuit.
Through the good offices of our accountant's father, who was a lawyer,
it was at the last moment settled out of court. It was a morning
neither Gerard Rejskind nor I will forget.
 At
329 de la Commune, we had a lighting board which required constant
fanning, or else a strobe effect would take place, followed by total
darkness... The city demanded a steel fire door at the entrance
of the theatre space. It was "on order" for several months!
An actor threatened not to appear on the opening night of Marsh
Hay because the actors' photos and bios were displayed on the
staircase wall, instead of in the lobby. When we sold 329 de la
Commune and moved to the Saidye Bronfman Centre, Board meetings
took place in the space behind the offices, which held the 18 foot
long, angled table from the set of SBC's Bonjour Là,
Bonjour. Paul Ledoux, then president, conducted meetings comfortably
stretched out on the table, while the rest of us discussed moving
Playwrights' Workshop into the modern era...which happened with
the appointment of Bob White as our first Professional Dramaturg.
Because Mom was involved, out of necessity, various other Libmans
were involved. Syd participated in a great many workshops and readings,
as well as a variety of other non-artistic chores. In fact, the
professional acting community in Montréal was very supportive, right
from the beginning. Our son, Daniel (they call him Dan out west),
after his exposure to the "glamour" of the theatre...
(sweeping up, taking out the garbage, acting as assistant stage
manager, and so on up the ladder) made his public acting debut in
Balloons, went on to University of Alberta for a degree in Fine
Arts (Theatre), and now based in Calgary, has carved out a career
as a playwright, director, actor, dramaturg and teacher of acting
and playwriting.
And that is more than enough from me!
Carol Libman
 Click
here to access the Libman Library
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