Stratford Festival legacy award gala, Toronto
Martha Henry is a legend in Canadian theatre, her bond with the Stratford Festival spanning six decades. On Sept. 29, she was awarded this year’s Stratford Festival Legacy Award at a gala dinner in Toronto, joining the ranks of past inductees including William Shatner, Christopher Plummer and Dame Maggie Smith, who all appeared on the Stratford stage during their illustrious careers. Henry made her Stratford debut in 1962, playing Miranda to William Hutt’s Prospero in The Tempest. She went on to play just about every one of Shakespeare’s women as well as Olga in Three Sisters, Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Agnes in A Delicate Balance. She has also directed productions including Brief Lives, Of Mice and Men and this season’s Mother Courage and Her Children. During the awards dinner at the Four Seasons Toronto, tribute was widely and effusively paid. “Martha is not only the heart but also the soul of the festival and it is an enormous pleasure to celebrate her legacy,” said artistic director Antoni Cimolino, who presented her with her honour. Also in attendance were actors Cynthia Dale and Brent Carver, Karen Kain of the National Ballet of Canada and gala co-chairs Barry Avrich, Sylvia D. Chrominska and Nada Ristich.
Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award presentation, Toronto
That same night, Veuve Clicquot presented its Business Woman Award to Quebec-based Cora Mussely Tsouflidou, the founder of Cora’s Breakfast and Lunch, a national chain of eateries. “With this trophy tonight, I get a sense of how important it is to follow your mission and to be an example for women to follow,” Tsouflidou said to an intimate crowd at Michael’s on Simcoe in Toronto, adding with a smile: “You can have it all.” Veuve Clicquot, the venerable champagne maker, was itself established by a female entrepreneur: In 1805, a 27-year-old widow called Madame Clicquot Ponsardin, the veuve of the brand name, took over her late husband’s business and developed early versions of the sparkling wine. In 1972, Veuve Clicquot began handing out its Business Woman Award around the world as a tribute to its founder, honouring female business leaders who share the same virtues as Mme. Clicquot Ponsardin. Among the international recipients have been designer Anya Hindmarch and starchitect Zaha Hadid. In Canada, previous winners include hotelier Christiane Germain and cosmetics queen Lise Watier.
Lise Watier Foundation fundraiser, Montreal
Speaking of Watier, the matriarch of makeup welcomed more then 600 guests to a Paris Paillettes themed ball in Montreal’s Windsor Station on Oct. 16. The third annual fundraiser for the Lise Watier Foundation, a national not-for-profit that supports organizations helping women move out of poverty and toward financial independence, raised $500,000. Isabelle Hudon, president of Sun Life Financial Quebec, was the evening’s honourary president. Among the attendees were interior designer Scott Yetman, Ogilvy’s Steeve Lapierre, Katerine Rocheleau and husband Guy Côté, Holt Renfrew’s Normand Ciarlo and Serge Rocheleau (aka Mr. Watier).
