Zipporah Ritchie Woodward Explained

Zipporah Ritchie Woodward (July 23, 1885 - July 26, 1976).[1] was a theatre director, writer and supporter of the arts community in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from the 1920s to the 1970s.[2] She was described as the "Grand Dame" of Vancouver's establishment by Vancouver Life Magazine.[3]

Early history

Woodward, whose maiden name was Ritchie, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended Wells College in Aurora, New York, USA, in the early 1900's.[4] After marriage, she became known as "Mrs. E.A. Woodward" or "Mrs. Ernest Woodward".

Drama career

Woodward directed numerous plays for the Vancouver Little Theatre on Vancouver's Commercial Drive in the 1920s and 1930s.[5] [6] Her direction of "The Second Man" at the Vancouver Little Theatre in 1931 was described in the Vancouver Sun as "sure and deft".[7]

In 1945 she directed the University of British Columbia Alumni Players Club production "Claudia"[8] at the UBC Auditorium.

She was president of the BC Drama Association (now known as Theatre BC) from 1948 to 1950[9] and appeared as a Panelist on Canadian Playwriting at the Frederic Wood Theatre at UBC in March 1956.[10]

Personal

Woodward was known as a prolific letter writer, who would often share special quotations.[11] Her husband Ernest Austin Woodward ran a successful grain business on the Vancouver Waterfront, known as Columbia Grain Elevator.[12] In the 1920s, the family moved to Vancouver, residing on the city's affluent Point Grey Road in a home called "Seagate Manor".[13] Woodward was survived by her three children: Geoffrey Woodward, Shirley Woodward Grauer Owen, and Peter Woodward.[14] Upon her death, Vancouver columnist Mamie Moloney mourned her friend's loss to the city, describing her as "one of the last great ladies".[15]

Prominent family

Woodward's artist[16] daughter Shirley Woodward married Vancouver intellectual and businessman Dal Grauer, who became president of the BC Electric Company. Dal Grauer died in 1961.[17] Shirley Woodward Grauer subsequently married Walter S. Owen,[18] a lawyer who was appointed BC's Lieutenant Governor in 1973.[19]

Her granddaughter is artist Sherry Grauer.

Notes and References

  1. News: July 27, 1976 . Deaths: Woodward, Zipporah Ritchie . The Province Newspaper . 24 . .
  2. News: Wallace . Pat . July 23, 1975 . What people are doing . The Province newspaper . 33 . .
  3. Holt . James . March 1968 . Vancouver Establishment: What it's like underneath . Vancouver Life Magazine . 3 . 6 . 23.
  4. News: Chatterbox at the Breakfast Table . October 21, 2024 . The Minneapolis Tribune . April 21, 1907 . 18 . Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub from the Minnesota Historical Society.
  5. History of the Vancouver Little Theatre Association . Carol Dell . Nesbitt . MA . University of British Columbia . 1992 . October 3, 2024.
  6. News: March 3, 1934 . A Tribute to the Little Theatre . The Vancouver Sun . 15 . .
  7. News: B . RD . December 18, 1931 . Sex Problem Features Play - 'The Second Man' Proving Most Enjoyable Performance . The Vancouver Sun . 7 . .
  8. News: May 7, 1945 . UBC Students Star in Play . The Vancouver Sun . 25 . .
  9. Web site: TheatreBC: Our History . theatreBC . 2024-10-04 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200812201244/https://theatrebc.org/tbc-history/ . 2020-08-12.
  10. News: March 1, 1956 . Canadian Playwriting to be discussed here . The Vancouver Sun . 23 . .
  11. News: October 14, 1977 . Mamie Moloney . The Vancouver Sun . 26 . .
  12. News: April 19, 1954 . Ernest Woodward, Grain Expert, Dies . The Vancouver Province . 5 . .
  13. News: March 12, 1973 . Future of Stately Residence Problem for Parks Planners . The Vancouver Province . 12 . .
  14. News: 2011-02-25 . Peter C. Woodward . 2024-10-04 . The Chilliwack Progress.
  15. News: August 20, 1976 . Mamie Moloney . The Vancouver Sun . 14 . .
  16. News: Godley . Elizabeth . November 7, 1987 . Through a screen brightly: It's the unique art of Sherry Grauer . The Vancouver Sun . 39 . .
  17. Web site: Buchanan . Kari . A.E. "Dal" Grauer, LL.D. (Hon) (1906 – 1961) . Business Laureates of BC . 2024-10-04.
  18. Web site: Walter Steward Owen . Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M. . 2003-07-15 . 2024-10-04.
  19. Web site: The Walter S. Owen Lecture . Peter A. Allard School of Law . 2024-10-04.

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