Introducing The Rose McQueen Stage

With the generous financial assistance of Laura Dinner and Richard Rooney, we are proud to name the performance space in our theatre after a long-unsung heroine of Stratford’s cultural and theatrical scene: Miss Rose McQueen..

Who was Rose McQueen?

Rose McQueen was a school teacher who arrived in Stratford in 1912 to take charge of the English Literature department at Stratford Collegiate (later Stratford Central High School.)

But Rose wasn’t just any school teacher. She was that rare educator who inspired her students to become the best version of themselves. And she also left her own mark on the entire community. She accomplished this through a dedication to excellence, a belief in community service, and - above all - an abiding love for Shakespeare and the theatre.

Rose and the theatre

Rose’s love of theatre sprang first from her passion for Shakespeare and literature. And, like many before and since, she realized early on that Shakespeare’s words were best heard spoken and seen performed. 

Under Rose’s guidance, Stratford Collegiate became well known for producing annual Shakespearean works, and many of her students learned to share this passion. She also worked closely with the Normal School’s Shakespeare Society, and with the Stratford Little Theatre, which produced up to three shows annually at the Stratford City Hall Auditorium.

One of Rose’s biographers put it this way:

“To say she was setting the scene later on for Stratford is an understatement. For a small city, Stratford had established an environment where a plumber could recite Shakespeare and a nurse could take on a role on the Stratford Auditorium stage.” [Watson, p. 6.]

Rose’s students: future leaders and changemakers

Students who flourished under Rose’s tutelage include famed Canadian playwright James Reaney, two Rhodes Scholars (James Alexander Corry and Gordon Francis Frazer), many of Stratford’s civic and community leaders, and - perhaps most famously - journalist Tom Patterson, who later went on to found The Stratford Festival.

(images: Original Stratford Festival Tent and the new Rose McQueen Stage.

Stratford Festival Original Tent

Throughout his life, Patterson always gave Rose credit for inspiring the concept of a Shakespearean theatre festival in Stratford. In fact, the whole idea first arose during an exercise set by Rose for students who joined her After Four Club at the Collegiate.

This club was an extracurricular activity meant to encourage creative problem solving and civic participation. The challenge Rose set for her students that year was to envision ways to reinvigorate the city’s economy. The young Patterson’s response to this challenge -  a theatre festival -  was born largely of the passion for Shakespeare Rose had taught him and his fellow students over the years.

Decades later, when Patterson began trying to make this dream a reality, he found ample support from both City Council and the Chamber of Commerce - almost all of whom were also former students of Rose’s.

And, of course, Rose herself was a tireless champion, and served on the Festival’s first Board of Directors.

In short, without Rose McQueen, it’s unlikely Stratford would ever have become Canada’s most beloved theatre town.

Rose and Tom Patterson

Unsung heroine no longer

Despite her enormous influence on the City and its cultural and civic life, Rose has never been publicly honoured in a way that truly captures her spirit.

When our donors Laura Dinner and Richard Rooney stepped forward to support the naming rights to our performance space, they asked us to suggest an appropriate name other than their own.

It didn’t take us long to settle on The Rose McQueen Stage. While we ourselves do not perform the classics Rose so loved, our mandate has always included returning the stories of lost, forgotten or otherwise marginalized women to their rightful place on Canada’s stages. 

Additionally, we have always believed - as did Rose - that theatre is a window into a culture’s soul. And there is no better tool for building empathy, igniting passion, and bringing a community together.

We can think of no other name we could bear half as proudly as that of this truly remarkable woman.

  • YWCA

    centre

  • Rose and her siblings

  • Executive of the Women's Literary Society

    second from the top left

  • Women's Discussion Club

    bottom row forth from the right


With profound thanks to the McQueen Family, and to Laura Dinner and Richard Rooney for their generous gift and visionary leadership.


Sources: Watson, Andrew. Rose McQueen. No date. | Stabler, Ernest, Rose McQueen and Stratford. Ontario: E. Stabler, 1985. | https://fibergenea.wordpress.com/genealogy/biographies-3/rose-mcqueen-biography/