The Empire Club of Canada
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
David Mirvish In Conversation With Christopher Hume On Legacy and the Public Realm: Dreaming with Frank Gehry
David Mirvish is a Canadian theatre producer, entrepreneur and art collector. A passionate supporter of the theatre and Canada’s artistic community, Mr. Mirvish is the owner and operator of Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre, Princess of Wales Theatre, Ed Mirvish Theatre and Panasonic Theatre. Mr. Mirvish and his father, Ed Mirvish, also purchased and restored the renowned Old Vic Theatre in London, England which they operated from 1983 to 1998. The Toronto facilities were renovated, refurbished and, in the case of the Princess of Wales built by the Mirvish family, providing the city with premiere theatre space where they have mounted outstanding productions such as Les Miserables, The Lion King Horse, The Wizard of Oz and many others. Mirvish Productions, a company founded by Mr. Mirvish in 1986, has produced plays and musicals for these and other venues throughout Canada, on Broadway and in London’s West End. In addition Mirvish Productions has presented over 500 touring productions in the city of Toronto. The Mirvish family is widely credited with making Toronto a major centre of theatre. David Mirvish is also the owner and operator of Honest Ed’s, the beloved discount emporium and Toronto landmark, which was opened by his father in 1948.
Christopher Hume is the architecture critic and urban issues columnist of the Toronto Star. In 2009, he won a National Newspaper Award, Canada’s highest award in print journalism, for his columns. Since the 1980s, when he began working for the Star, he has received five NNA nominations. In 2009, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada gave Hume its President’s Award for Architectural Journalism. He has also received a certificate of appreciation from the Ontario Association of Architects. His book, William James’ Toronto Views, won a Toronto Heritage Award in 2000 and in 2004 he received a Landscape Ontario communications award. NOW magazine named Hume Toronto’s best newspaper columnist in 2005. He hosted and wrote a one hour special about Canadian cities for CBC TV’s flagship series, The Nature of Things. He appears frequently on radio and television as a commentator on city issues. Hume was educated at the University of Toronto and Glendon College and lives in Toronto.
Moderator:
Christopher Hume, Columnist, Toronto Star
Speaker:
David Mirvish, Owner and Operator, Toronto Royal Alexandra Theatre, Princess of Wales Theatre, Ed Mirvish Theatre and Panasonic Theatre
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