An invitation to education about teacher Rose McQueen
By: Lisa Chester
An afternoon celebration of the legacy of teacher Rose McQueen is planned for Oct. 4. There is so much to learn about this greatly admired woman who taught in Stratford from 1912 to 1946 at what was then Stratford Central Secondary School.
She is most famously credited for inspiring Tom Patterson, through an essay assignment, to develop the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. As Judy Maddren explained it to the Times, Patterson came to McQueen some time after graduating when he was feeling at loose ends with what to do with his life. His former teacher recalled the essay and suggested, “What about that essay you wrote?”
The essay dealt with a reimagined town, an economic catalyst to replace the furniture business lost and the collapse of the train industry. Patterson pondered the many connections to Shakespeare already in Stratford and thought, why not create a festival of Shakespeare plays that he had come to love in McQueen’s English class?
“Rose McQueen is one of those unsung heroes. We can all think of someone who has encouraged us, teachers, and that was her role with Tom Patterson, for sure. She mentored a lot of students, and, in fact, she paid for some of their education,” explained Maddren.
A group of modern-day citizens, lead by Laura Pogson, began about a year ago to plan how to celebrate Rose McQueen and the event of Oct. 4 is the first event to be held. Beginning at 2 p.m. at Stratford Intermediate School, 60 St. Andrew St. (formerly Central Secondary School where Rose taught) there will be a short presentation by Lauri Leduc of Stratford Walking Tours. After that, take a short walk to Here For Now Theatre, 24 St. Andrew St., where a performance at the Rose McQueen Stage by Scott Beaudin will take place.
“That group of people thought it would be nice to honour her with a bursary, funding for students from kindergarten to post-secondary levels, to take theatre courses. The Rose McQueen Legacy Fund goes to the festival’s educational department and is administered by Stratford Perth Community Foundation,” said Maddren.
The fund helps students access Shakespeare Workshops, post show chats with students, tours of festival assets, busing to plays, overnight theatre arts summer camps for Grades 7-12, multi-day courses for secondary students, partnership courses with Ontario universities and RISE UP youth mentorship ensemble for IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, person of colour) students.
This fundraising event is free to attend with the hopes that donations would be made to the Rose McQueen Legacy Fund. Seating is limited; registration can be emailed to friendsofrosemcqueen@gmail.com to confirm attendance.
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