On behalf of our members and all our constituents, PAL Stratford is immensely grateful for Mary Haney’s generous legacy gift. Her thoughtfulness epitomizes the vision of PAL, that of being part of a caring community that recognizes and supports fellow arts professionals when they are most vulnerable.
Since the glimmer of PAL Stratford inspired Stratford Festival founder Tom Patterson, and Globe and Mail writer Herbert Whittaker, to join forces in 1999 to create Stratford’s own PAL, arts professionals have stepped forward, volunteering their time and talents to manifest PAL Stratford from vision to fruition. We want to acknowledge the artists and arts supporters from all over Ontario and beyond who have performed in and attended our fundraising events, have been Pal Members, and have volunteered their time and services to care for our senior arts professionals in our community.
Our work is not over, our vision continues and the seeds of our next phase of development are planted.
Thank you, dear Mary.
Memories of Mary Haney
Mary Haney was a dear friend and an actress whose talent I admired as an audience member and as a performer. Mary was a member of the Shaw Festival acting ensemble for 33 seasons and during the seasons I worked at the Festival Mary and I acted in many of the same productions. We also shared dressing rooms and sometimes I was Mary’s understudy. Mary, a trouper, never missed a performance. It was a treat to sit in on rehearsals and watch her begin the process of building a character, or stand in the wings and see how her performance grew deeper and richer as the Shaw season progressed.
Mary’s personality contained multitudes: she was sensitive, mischievous, direct, also wickedly and deliciously funny, honest, audacious, whimsical and passionate. All these qualities she channelled into her acting and love of theatre. She once told me that she was basically shy and her acting was a way of connecting with people. To me she was chameleon, which made her such a brilliant and gifted actress.
In her own quiet and unfussy way Mary was generous to and supportive of her fellow actors. Her respect for senior actors was deep and loyal. She offered a friendly ear to young actors joining the Shaw Festival; delighting in their growth and championing their success. Sometimes Mary would be feisty and fierce but she was also gifted with genuine tenderness. She wore her heart on her sleeve. Away from the stage this tenderness was on full display each summer in her seasonal gardens in Niagara On The Lake and at her home in Stratford. There the Actress transformed into the Gardener as she nourished and fussed over her favourite blooms bringing her many hours of pleasure and enjoyment. A welcome antidote to the energy and focus she drew upon as a performer.
Mary’s legacy to Pal Stratford is a reflection of her dedication to the lives of artists and their disciplines, as they continue to create and flourish.
Jillian Cook
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