Anne Redish (1924-2022) was a driving force behind the Dundas Little Theatre for over a half-century. With her legal background and love of art, she became the perfect catalyst to propel the DLT into the future with the building of the Garstin Centre for the Arts in 1980.
For Anne, theatre was also a family affair, with husband Ken and most of her seven children all contributing in various areas of production. She was our Chairperson, head cheerleader and champion from the time she joined this fledgling group. She was an actress, a backstage worker, a set carpenter, and an usher even well after she lost most of her eyesight.
She appeared in The Mouse Trap, The Chalk Garden, You Can’t Take It with You, All My Sons, Habeas Corpus, and the Garstin Centre’s premiere production of The Constant Wife, amongst others. Her acting performances ranged from Albee to Anouilh and from Shakespeare to Wilde. She also performed on the stages of The Aldershot Players, Theatre Burlington, McMaster University and at Ontario Renaissance Festivals.
But her absolute favourite performance was the time she played a German tourist in The Night of The Iguana back in 2007. She delighted in wearing a swimming costume on stage at over 80 years of age and sharing the stage with her beloved Ken.
Anne also served this community as a two-term Dundas Town Councillor, a member of the Niagara Escarpment Commission, and as the first President of the Bay Area Restoration Council.
She also volunteered in various capacities with the Hamilton Conservation Authority for fifteen years and was recognized for her environmental contributions with the 2002 Hamilton Environmentalist of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
Contributed by Stan Nowak
Please also see the obituary by Daniel Nolan in the Hamilton Spectator, 3 January 2023.
Dundas Little Theatre 