Donald Sutherland – Brilliant actor, Canadian icon and champion of Hart House Theatre

Donald Sutherland.

Esteemed actor Donald Sutherland (BA 1958 VIC), who passed away on June 20, 2024, was a fierce and lifelong champion of Hart House Theatre. Few know how he stepped up for this much-loved theatre 24 years ago and continued his support for burgeoning young actors through the Donald Sutherland Award for Best Performance.

Some individuals rise to the occasion as modest, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of heroes. This is a remarkable – and largely untold – story about one of Canada’s greatest such heroes.

In early 2000, Hart House Theatre was at a crossroads and facing possible closure. Donald Sutherland, who was starring in no less than four blockbuster movies that year, took time out from his busy schedule to lead the effort to save Hart House Theatre for future generations.

In fact, he took swift action. Together with Lorne Michaels, well-known creator and producer of Saturday Night Live, Sutherland became co-chair of the Friends of Hart House Theatre – colloquially known as the ‘Save Hart House Theatre’ Campaign. This campaign was key to the theatre’s current success; Sutherland’s efforts were critical in galvanizing the larger Hart House Theatre community.

Sutherland penned an eloquent and heartfelt letter to Janet Bessey, then manager of Hart House Theatre, emphasizing the theatre’s tremendous impact on his life and the lives of so many others. “It’s a theatre. It smells. It hears. It sings. It’s a theatre with arms that embrace you, comfort you, push you and applaud you. It gives birth to people who make theatre. It nurtures them. It guides them. It sets them free and they wear the mantle of that theatre for the rest of their lives,” he wrote.

Wearing that mantle was clearly very important to Sutherland. In fact, he applied to the University of Toronto in the 1950s specifically because he was drawn to Hart House Theatre. “When I came to Toronto forty-seven years ago, I came for that theatre. Expressly for that,” he stated in his correspondence with Janet Bessey. This powerful letter was regenerated in a National Post article (June 5, 2000) about saving the Theatre.

“I’d never been inside a theatre before; I’d never even seen a play. I knew nothing but that I was an actor. I’d not played yet but that’s what I’d come to do,” he elaborated. “That theatre was where some messenger from some advisory council somewhere told my open-faced father and my stunned-in-the-headlights self that that was [the] place to go if that indeed was what I wanted to do. It was.”

As a result of this published correspondence, a ripple effect took place. “Through Donald Sutherland’s personal generosity and leadership, hundreds of donors came forward and ensured that Hart House Theatre would remain a vital crucible for student artists,” says Associate Director of Advancement, Peter Wambera.

He blossomed as an actor at Hart House Theatre

Sutherland’s very first acting experiences were at Hart House Theatre.

Once on that stage, he excelled exponentially, clearly having found his calling. Throughout his undergrad years, he participated in many theatrical productions staged by Hart House Theatre, UC Follies and Victoria College’s Dramatic Society.

His first acting role at Hart House Theatre was in James Thurber and Elliott Nugent’s The Male Animal (1953), which was well-received. He also earned excellent reviews from both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail for his role as Stephano in Hart House Theatre’s production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1956-1957). 

Other Hart House plays in which he was involved include Darkness at Noon (1954-1955), The Troublemakers (1955-1956) and The School for Wives (1956-1957).

Sutherland also spent many of his summers acting at the Straw Hat Players, a theatre company founded by members of Hart House Theatre, along with its then Director, Robert Gill.

Decades-long support of the theatre to create a path for next generation

Sutherland graduated from U of T with a dual degree in engineering and drama. He became an involved alumnus. In 1998, he was bestowed an Honourary Degree from U of T in recognition of his acting career and his championing of social issues. Hart House co-signed his nomination, then Warden Margaret Hancock recalls.

His support of Hart House Theatre never wavered. In 2014, through a generous donation, he created the Donald Sutherland Award for Best Performance. This award showcased student talent as well as ensured that Sutherland would continue to be engaged and updated on the many activities and budding talents at Hart House Theatre.

“Donald Sutherland’s gift, the creation of the award, not only reflected his own unforgettable experiences at Hart House Theatre and how profoundly he valued this theatre, but it also guaranteed that there would be a permanent award to acknowledge outstanding student acting,” says Director of Theatre and Performance Arts, Doug Floyd. “This is an extraordinary legacy that we cherish at Hart House Theatre. It will inspire and support students for many generations.”

As a reciprocal gesture to express their gratitude, each year’s winner of the Donald Sutherland Award wrote a letter summing up their experiences at the Hart House U of T Drama Festival. Sutherland received regular updates about the award recipients wherein their letters were shared.

Remarkably, Sutherland – by now an Officer and Champion of the Order of Canada (1978 and 2019, respectively) with countless accolades, such as the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (2000) – would find time to respond to many of the award winners by writing personalized letters.

As a way of thanking this consummate gentleman and true Canadian legend for his many years of support, Hart House Theatre will be dedicating the Fall 2024/2025 Season to him.

Originally published by Hart House