Tom Cone was the librettist and Leslie Uyeda the composer in a one-act opera, Game Misconduct, produced for the Vancouver Festival.Brian Howell for the Globe and Mail
A ceremony has been hastily arranged for Thursday night to award playwright/librettist/curator/arts community stalwart Tom Cone the inaugural Mayor's Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
A who's who of Vancouver's arts community advocated for Mr. Cone to receive the award, and receive it early. Mr. Cone, 64, has cancer. And with the recent deaths of Jim Green and Milton Wong, there was a strong feeling that waiting for next fall's arts awards ceremony would be a mistake.
"He's made a profound impact on the theatre and opera scene in our own city and country, but also through a kind of community building," said Colin Browne, an author and professor at Simon Fraser University's school for the contemporary arts.
Mr. Cone is well-known for his many plays, including Herringbone and for operas such as The Architect and The Gang. But it's his unusual approach to philanthropy and the creation of new works that Prof. Browne highlights when he talks about Mr. Cone, as he will Thursday night when he emcees the award ceremony at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Wanting to donate works to the VAG, for example, but unable to do so on his own, Mr. Cone asked people he knew if they would kick in some funds. They did.
He found a way to commission new works by turning his living room into a performance venue – for music, opera and poetry. He and his wife, Karen Matthews, invite artists to perform in their Main-Street-area home. A collection for the artists is taken up at the door.
"There's no one else really like this in the city in terms of visual art, music, writing, opera and theatre," Prof. Browne said. "I think that he has a kind of a deliciously restless mind, always looking for a way to say something new."
"Tom Cone's remarkable contributions to arts and culture in Vancouver cannot be overstated," Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a statement. "His multidisciplinary talents have not only elevated his own work, but also inspired generations of artists and collaborators."
The Mayor will also proclaim Mr. Cone's birthday, March 25, Tom Cone Day in Vancouver.
Marsha Lederman