Oliver Gaffney, builder
In 1953, Oliver Gaffney, a Stratford construction company owner and builder (see Downie Street), made it possible for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival to open on time. In fact, ihe Festival may not have opened at all, if it had not been for Oliver Gaffney.
Here’s what the Festival itself says on its website. Timeline | Stratford Festival Official Website | Stratford Festival: "A concrete amphitheatre was built to hold a revolutionary thrust stage conceived by Tyrone Guthrie and designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch – the same stage that is the heart of the Festival Theatre today. For the inaugural season, though, and the three that followed it, the stage and auditorium were housed under a giant canvas tent. The road to completion was fraught with difficulty. In May 1953, it seemed as if the entire daring venture would founder for lack of funds. But (Stratford) building contractor Oliver Gaffney kept his men working regardless, until last-minute donations by Governor General Vincent Massey and the Perth Mutual Insurance Company which saved the day.
Gaffney’s decision to keep building was a magnificent one. In A Star Danced, Barbara Reid said, “No one ever said a negative word about Oliver Gaffney. He was described as 'marvelous,' a 'saviour,' and a 'rock' by Stratford residents.
When rehearsals began at the Stratford fairgrounds (24 Glastonbury Drive), Gaffney built a mock-up stage, just like the Tanya Moiseiwitsch thrust stage. When rehearsals shifted to the tent, he and his men worked at night so rehearsals could proceed during the day. When terrible acoustics of the concrete bowl proved a near insurmountable obstacle, Gaffney called in huge tarpaulins from projects across the country to drape the concrete until coco-matting could be laid to absorb the sound.
One man summed up Oliver Gaffney’s contribution this way. “He came to our rescue, calmly and without a hint of excitement or doubt, over and over again.”
Gaffney was involved with the Rotary Club of Stratford, the Children’s Aid Society and Stratford General Hospital. He was awarded a bicentennial medal in 1984, and was president of the Stratford Festival's board of governors. He received Stratford’s Bronze Star Award for his contributions to the Festival. It is located near the Royal Bank. Source: Barbara Reid and Thelma Morrison, A Star Danced. Compiled by Gord Conroy.
Photo Peter Smith