It was like a honeymoon: a month in a fully furnished apartment within a short walk from Hyde Park, so fully furnished that ti it included champagne flutes. We had Bill’s Uncle Matthew and his wife for champagne and cheese straws from Fortnum and Mason’s before we took them to the Connaught for dinner. This was a thank-you for the last time we were in Britain when we ran out of money and spent our last days before the flight home as their guests, and Bill wanted to show them that he could afford it now.

We went to theatre every night, plus matinées, in London. We also went to the Bristol Old Vic and to the Shakespeare theatre in Stratford-on-Avon where Bill had good talks with the administrative director. And of course, we went to HADRIAN VII at the Mermaid Theatre. We had tea one Sunday afternoon with Bill Freedman and his beautiful wife, the actress Toby Robbins. Perhaps some of you are old enough to remember her from “Front Page Challenge”?

We were immersed in theatre, good grounding for both of us. Bill read every play that his directors were considering and helped them fulfil their artistic goals with practical prognoses of the box office income. He used to spread out his arms to them and say, ”I’m here for you. Tell me what you want.” And he worked very hard to make it happen. And, incidentally, his theatre was the first in North America to use the computer. They didn’t own one; it was too big and expensive then. Every week the papers with the numbers were driven to a computer in Guelph— better than a desk drawer. I think I’m right; I wrote an article about it after he died and no one contradicted me. As a matter of fact, Bill was a legend in his own time. Other theatres started asking ,“What is Stratford doing about this?” And my/our Stratford has kept on being in the vanguard. Any time I criticise something I remind myself and others that Ii’m talking about world-class theatre.

I learned a lot about Stratford (Canada) in London (England).