The O'Keefe Centre: Thirty Years of Theatre History

Victor L. Russell is the manager of the City of Toronto Archives.

The O’Keefe Centre is undoubtedly an important Toronto landmark, both
architecturally and culturally. It was one of the first major
“modernist” buildings to be erected in the city, and even before it
opened in 1960 (five years before Toronto’s City Hall) it had become a
symbol of the progressive attitudes of the city’s “movers and
shakers.” Similarly, the O’Keefe was intended to dominate the
cultural life of the city, if not the country; to a degree, the theatre
was able to obtain that status.

Hugh Walker was an important player in the development of this cultural
institution from the beginning. As president and general manager of the
O’Keefe from 1960 to 1975, he played a significant part in the
development of what was supposed to become a national arts centre.
Therefore, it should be no surprise that his book is meant to be an
insider’s view of the history of a great cultural institution.

Unfortunately, it is none of the above. The work is certainly not
history; the O’Keefe did not achieve the national significance that is
implied by the author. What Walker has given us is a personal account of
his role as general manager. The narrative is even written in the first
person—after a while the “I’s” become tiresome.

The book boasts some 300 photographs; unfortunately, these too are
disappointing. Although they capture the range of talent and events that
have appeared at the theatre over the years, most are publicity or
studio stills that tell nothing of the “O’Keefe context.” Readers
truly interested in the history of the O’Keefe will find Part 1—The
Theatre—of some merit. It contains information on the other
significant players (E.P. Taylor, York Wilson, Nathan Phillips, T.E.
Arkell, and George M. Black, among others) as well as technical
information on the theatre itself. The rest of the book is a playbill.