Announcing: Creative Trust materials at the University of Guelph Archives

by Jini Stolk

Creative Trust Chair Suzanne Weiss and I recently had the pleasure of touring the largest collection of professional theatre archives in the country, guided by the Head of the University of Guelph Library Archives and Special Collections Kathryn Harvey. It’s a thrilling collection – which now, we are happy to say,  includes all of Creative Trust’s archival materials, in addition to those of CT members Young People’s Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Théâtre français de Toronto, Tarragon, Nightwood, Factory, Buddies in Bad Times,  along with many other prominent companies, playwrights, actors, directors, and designers.

Kathryn expressed delight at receiving over 14 bankers’ boxes (!) of papers spanning Creative Trust’s almost 15 year history from 1998 – 2012, from the Endowment Fundraising Program, to Working Capital for the Arts, the Outreach Program, Audiences Project and Facilities Initiative. She feels our records will “offer new and important insights into the work and development of many of Toronto’s most important creative music, theatre and dance companies.”

On our side, we are equally delighted that the history and learnings of Creative Trust – the most successful sustainability program for the arts in Canada – will continue to be available to students, scholars, and performing arts practitioners looking for information on our success in advancing the financial health and organizational potential of Toronto’s creative music, theatre and dance companies.