Elizabeth Sterling Haynes (December 7, 1897 – April 26, 1957) was an

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

theatre activist. Haynes was a driving force in the

Little Theatre Movement As the new medium of cinema was beginning to replace theater as a source of large-scale spectacle, the Little Theatre Movement developed in the United States around 1912. The Little Theatre Movement served to provide experimental centers for the ...

in Alberta.

Early life

Elizabeth Sterling was born in

Seaham Seaham ( ) is a seaside town in County Durham (district), County Durham, England. Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham, England, Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century onwards as ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, in 1897. Her family emigrated to

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada in 1905. Beginning in 1916, she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, attending the University of Victoria College. From their 1917 founding, Sterling was involved with the Victoria College Women's Dramatic Club (VCWDC). From 1918-19, she served as the club's vice president; she was elected president the following year. While working with the VCWDC, Sterling was influenced by Roy Mitchell, a leader of the Canadian Little Theatre Movement. At the University of Toronto, Sterling was one of the first actors to perform at the

Hart House Theatre Hart House Theatre is a 428-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario located at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus in the Hart House Student Centre. The theatre serves the university and the Toronto community at large. Hart House Theatre op ...

. After university, Sterling taught for a year in upper

New York state New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. In 1921, she married Nelson Willard Haynes, a dentist. They moved to

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

in 1922, where she soon established herself as a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and teacher.

Career

Upon relocating to Edmonton, Sterling Haynes began directing productions with the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

. In 1928, she founded the

Drama League together with Ernest Sterndale Bennett, which became a model for the

Dominion Drama Festival The Dominion Drama Festival was an organisation in Canada that sought to promote amateur theatre across the country. It lasted, in one form or another, from 1932 until 1978. Founding The Dominion Drama Festival (DDF) was devised in 1932 as a wa ...

. In 1929, she was asked to teach drama to school teachers both through the University of Alberta and Alberta's department of education. Sterling Haynes was a major figure in the Little Theatre movement in Alberta. She was a driving force in developing the

Edmonton Little Theatre Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. She was the company's first artistic director, serving from 1929 to 1932. In 1933, she became provincial

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

specialist at the Department of Extension of the

, and it was from this post that she began to recreate much of Alberta's

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

scene. She wrote technical works and broadcast her reviews and lessons on radio. She travelled the province, to school and community groups, coaching them, demonstrating and adjudicating competitions. 1933 was also the year she co-founded the

Banff Centre for the Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta. It offers arts programs in the performing and fine arts, as well as leadership training. It was established in 193 ...

Personal life

Haynes' health began to decline in the 1940s and 50s. She and her husband moved east, away from Edmonton, in 1955. After living briefly in Toronto with their daughter, the Haynes moved to

Clinton, Ontario Clinton is a community in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located in the municipality of Central Huron. Clinton was established in 1831, when Jonas Gibbings and brothers Peter and Stephen Vanderburg cleare ...

Death and legacy

Haynes died on April 26, 1957, in Toronto. Said

Gwen Pharis Ringwood Gwen Pharis Ringwood (August 13, 1910 Anatone, Washington – May 24, 1984 Williams Lake, British Columbia) was a Canadian playwright. Life She graduated from the University of Alberta. She worked part-time as a secretary for Elizabeth Sterlin ...

of her:

Elizabeth was a force; a creative energy unleashed at a time when creativity was suspect and in a place where creativity was often ignored in the hope that it would go away.

Edmonton's Sterling Awards are named in her honour.

References

External links

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes
at Encyclopedia of Canadian Theatre {{DEFAULTSORT:Haynes, Elizabeth Sterling 1897 births 1957 deaths Canadian theatre directors Canadian women theatre directors Canadian artistic directors British emigrants to Canada People from Seaham University of Toronto alumni Place of death missing 20th-century Canadian educators Canadian women educators Drama teachers