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Thomson, Joy

Actor/director born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1921, died in Whitecourt, Alberta in 1996.

She studied at McGill University and at the Piscator Theatre in New York. She was a leading figure in the creation of English language theatre in Quebec, particularly in Montreal where she founded the Canadian Art Theatre in 1944 and the Mountain Playhouse in 1948. She also founded the Mount Gabriel Tent Theatre in Ste-Agathe, a resort north of the city, in 1956.

In 1958 she moved to New York and became a specialist in mime. Critic Herb Whittaker described her as "rich, eccentric, and dynamic, so talented and gifted in many different ways."

She had one son.

Last updated 2003-01-28