Joseph Harvey Shoctor (August 18, 1922 – April 19, 2001) was a Canadian theatre producer, real estate developer, and lawyer. Shoctor was born in

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 ...

, Alberta in 1922, the son of a Jewish father, and grew up in the Boyle Street neighbourhood. He first became involved in the

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 ...

industry in his hometown, producing, writing, directing and acting with the Edmonton Little Theatre, Edmonton Light Opera, and entertaining

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

troops. After attending

Victoria Composite High School Victoria School of the Arts (formerly Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts) is a public school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, operated by Edmonton Public Schools, offering students from kindergarten through grade 12 an International Baccal ...

, he attended law school at 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 ...

and was called to the Alberta bar in 1948. In the 1960s, he worked in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where he produced

with

Norman Twain Norman Twain (September 13, 1930 – August 6, 2016) was an American film and theatre producer. Early work in theatre Born in Atlantic City in 1930, Twain began his career in theatre, producing and directing over 50 stage productions on and of ...

. In Edmonton in 1965, he purchased the former Salvation Army Citadel building along with friends James L. Martin, Ralph B. MacMillan, and Sandy Mactaggart. The

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvati ...

was founded on October 12, 1965, with its first opening night on November 10, 1965. The theatre's first production to be performed was ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of middle-aged couple Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they rece ...

''. Shoctor was also involved with founding of the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

, and also served as secretary-manager from 1954 to 1956. He was also governor of the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, ) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants awarded by the Government of Canada and cultural ...

in Montreal.Dr. Joseph H. Shoctor , The Alberta Order of Excellence
/ref> A real estate developer, he worked on the planning of neighbourhoods near

Rio Terrace, Edmonton Rio Terrace is a neighbourhood in west Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is bounded by the Patricia Heights neighbourhood across 156 Street to the west, the Lynnwood neighbourhood across Whitemud Drive to the north, the Quesnell Heights neighbourhoo ...

, and was also a proponent of revitalization of

Downtown Edmonton Downtown Edmonton is the central business district of Edmonton, Alberta. Located at the geographical centre of the city, the downtown area is bounded by 109 Street to the west, 105 Avenue to the north, 97 Street to the east, 97 Avenue and Rossdale ...

. Shoctor was made an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1986. He received the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts in 1998 and the

Alberta Order of Excellence The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C. Lynch-Staunton granted royal assent to the Alberta Order of Excellence Act, the order is admi ...

in 1990. He is a member of the Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame, inducted as a builder in 1987, and a recipient of an honorary

doctor of laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from his alma mater, the University of Alberta, in 1981. A street in Edmonton, Joe Shoctor Alley, is named in his honour. He suffered a heart attack on April 8, 2001, and died in Edmonton on April 19, 2001. His funeral was held at the Beth Israel Synagogue in Edmonton and he was later buried at the Edmonton Jewish Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoctor, Joseph H. 1922 births 2001 deaths Canadian theatre managers and producers Businesspeople from Edmonton University of Alberta alumni Canadian businesspeople in real estate Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Alberta Order of Excellence 20th-century Canadian lawyers Canadian expatriates in the United States Governor General's Award winners