{{short description|Canadian opera and theatre director (born 1933)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Use Canadian English |date=August 2025}} {{Infobox person | image = Leon Major CTM Interview 2013.jpg | image_upright = | alt = Leon Major in a Theatre Museum Canada Interview, 2013 | caption = Leon Major in a [[Theatre Museum Canada|CTM]] Interview, 2013 | other_names = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birthyearandage|1933}} | birth_place = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada | education = | alma_mater = [[University of Toronto]] | occupation = {{Flatlist | * Director * Educator }} | years_active = 1955–2013 | employer = | organization = [[Order of Canada]] | spouse = | children = | mother = | father = | awards = | website = | honorific_suffix = }}
'''Leon Major''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}} (born 1933)<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Lumley |editor-first=Elizabeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1vXnt0fkFa4C&dq=%22Major,+Leon%22&pg=PA828 |title=Canadian Who's Who |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2001 |page=828 |isbn=0-8020-4958-3}}</ref> is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[opera]] and [[theatre]] director who has directed in North America and Europe. Besides directing, Major has been artistic director for several companies and taught academically. He is a Member of the [[Order of Canada]].
Major was born in 1933 in [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada, where his father had a ladies' clothing store. In his neighbourhood on Queen Street West, he was the only Jewish kid on the block.<ref name="Tesher"/> In childhood, he had a dream of becoming a concert pianist.<ref name="Tesher"/> He attended [[Parkdale Collegiate Institute|Parkdale Collegiate]] where his Latin teacher gave him his "first break" in theatre, lending him and [[Stan Daniels]] {{CAD|200}} to stage a review at the Museum Theatre. It was successful enough to pay back the loan, and earned Major a "wunderkind" reputation.<ref name="Tesher"/>
Major then attended [[University of Toronto]] (U of T), studying theatre under Robert Gill. He also studied at U of T's [[Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada)|Royal Conservatory of Music]].<ref name="cantheatre"/> He graduated in 1955 from U of T with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in English.
After graduating from U of T, Major directed ''[[The Fifth Season (play)|The Fifth Season]]'' at [[Jackson's Point, Ontario]]'s Red Barn Theatre in the summer of 1955.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Toronto Star |title=Showplace by Jack Karr |first=Jack |last=Karr |date=3 August 1955 |page=29}}</ref> Major worked at the university's [[Hart House Theatre]], directing ''The Troublemakers'', ''[[Kiss Me Kate]]'' and [[Patricia Joudry]]'s ''Teach Me How to Cry''.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Toronto Star |title=On-Stage |first=Jack |last=Karr |date=21 January 1956 |page=12}}</ref> ''Teach Me How to Cry'' was taken to London, England by its artistic director John Steele with Major to direct. The play, retitled ''Noon Has No Shadows'' in London, was the second Canadian production, and first fully all-Canadian production (playwright, director and actors), put on in London's [[West End theatre|West End]].<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Toronto Star |title=All-Canada Play First in West End |agency=Canadian Press |date=19 June 1958 |page=31}}</ref>
Toronto's [[Crest Theatre (Toronto)|Crest Theatre]], committed to supporting Canadians in live theatre, offered Major the chance to direct and he signed on with the young Canadian company. Major developed his directing skills as one of Crest Theatre's main directors from 1959 through 1962, directing ''[[My Three Angels (play)|My Three Angels]]'', ''[[The Hollow]]'', ''[[Two for the Seesaw (play)|Two for the Seesaw]]'', ''[[Long Day's Journey into Night]]'', ''[[The Heiress (1947 play)|The Heiress]]'', ''[[Zoo Story]]'', ''[[The Madwoman of Chaillot]]'', ''[[Caesar and Cleopatra (play)|Caesar and Cleopatra]]'', ''Spring Thaw '62'', and ''[[The Enchanted (play)|The Enchanted]]''.{{sfn|Illidge|2005|pp=130-139}}
In 1959, Major, along with actor Les Lawrence and Wally Russell formed LRM Productions and produced ''The Hamlet of Stepney Green'' at Radio City Theatre in Toronto. In an original move, the play's scene was changed from London to Kensington Market.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Toronto Star |first=Nathan |last=Cohen |title=Nathan Cohen's Corner |date=7 November 1959 |page=27}}</ref> It was a failure and LRM was dissolved, leaving Major disillusioned with Toronto theatre,<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Toronto Star |title=Toronto Actors 'Too Phony' |date=5 December 1959 |page=23}}</ref> however he continued at the Crest until the spring of 1962.
After directing at the Crest, Major then helped found the [[Neptune Theatre (Halifax)|Neptune Theatre]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]].{{sfn|Illidge|2005|p=74}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nstp.ucis.dal.ca/zouppa_5252.html |title=Profile: Neptune Theatre, Halifax |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311040954/http://nstp.ucis.dal.ca/zouppa_5252.html |archivedate=11 March 2007 |website=Nova Scotia Theatre Project |accessdate=18 March 2009}}</ref> He was the artistic director from 1963 through 1968.<ref name="cantheatre"/>
Major then returned to Toronto. From 1968 to 1970, he was director of productions for Hart House Theatre.
Starting in 1970, Major was hired by [[Mavor Moore]] as artistic director for the new [[St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts]]. Under the Toronto Arts Productions/CanStage company, he directed productions such as Pinero's ''Trelawny of the ‘Wells’'' and Brecht's ''Caucasian Chalk Circle''.<ref name="cantheatre">{{cite web |url=https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Major%2C%20Leon |title=Major, Leon |publisher=Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia |accessdate=6 August 2025}}</ref> Major had hoped to set up a permanent theatre company at St. Lawrence, but he felt thwarted by "the short-sightedness of some boards and some artistic directors." In Moore's opinion, he felt that Major was dealt a poor hand. In the first year, the Centre wasn't finished, and the season was ruined. Therefore, the second season was a "play-it-safe" season, which was a disappointment to many who had expected more innovation from Major. As well as theatre, Major directed productions for the [[Canadian Opera Company]], including ''Louis Riel'' by Harry Somers and Moore, and ''[[Heloise and Abelard]]'' by Charles Wilson and Eugene Benson. Moore thought those were "brilliant work." Major resigned in 1980, a move he described as made in "bitterness, anger and fatigue from repeated accusations by some board members and theatre critics that his ten years at the job were a wipeout."<ref name="Tesher">{{cite news |newspaper=Toronto Star |title=Curtain Up: The Return of Leon Major |first=Elie |last=Tesher |date= 10 June 1984 |page=D5}}</ref>
After St Lawrence, Major worked independently. He directed at the [[Stratford Festival]] in [[Stratford, Ontario]], and the [[Shaw Festival]] in [[Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario]]. His 1981 Stratford production of ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' was later presented for broadcast on television and is available on DVD.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369503 |title=H.M.S. Pinafore (1981) |accessdate=18 March 2009}}</ref> In 1983, Major spent six weeks in [[Amsterdam]], directing opera.<ref name="Tesher"/>
In 1984, Major returned to Canada to produce ''[[The Dining Room]]'', an independent production of Major's Gemstone Productions partnership. The play was an off-Broadway smash and Major bought the Canadian rights. Starring [[Douglas Rain]], it played in Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto (at the St. Lawrence Centre) and Winnipeg.<ref name="Tesher"/> It was well-received by critics.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Toronto Star |title=Only three more weeks to visit The Dining Room |date=11 August 1984 |page=F8}}</ref> He also was hired by Toronto's [[York University]] as a professor in its graduate school theatre department, teaching directing and scene study.<ref name="Tesher"/> He remained with York until 1987.<ref name="cantheatre"/>
From 1987 until retirement in 2013, Major was a member of the faculty of the [[University of Maryland]], College Park campus (UMD) and was the first artistic director of The Maryland Opera Studio at the university. ''[[Shadowboxer (opera)|Shadowboxer]]'', an opera based on the life of [[Joe Louis]] and conceived and directed by Major, premiered on 17 April 2010 at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.<ref>{{cite news |last=Midegette |first=Anne |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/16/AR2010041603030.html?hpid=moreheadlines |title=Inspired by Joe Louis, opera 'Shadowboxer' scores one for reality |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=17 April 2010}}</ref> From 1998 to 2003, he was artistic director of [[Boston Lyric Opera]]<ref>[http://www.wgbh.org/pages/laplaza/feature_article?item_id=967154 Producer Interview with Leon Major]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]], Boston. Retrieved on 18 March 2009</ref> and from 2003 to 2007 he was artistic consultant for [[Opera Cleveland]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.clevelandopera.org/Media/LeonMajorAnnounce.pdf |title=Artistic Director Leon Major to Depart at end of 2007 Season |publisher=Cleveland Opera |date=15 January 2007 |accessdate=18 March 2009}}</ref>
He has independently directed opera and theatre throughout the Americas and Europe for companies that include: the [[New York City Opera]], [[Washington Opera]],<ref>{{cite news |last=McLellan |first=Joseph |title=Stages of His Career: Leon Major, Giving Opera a New Look |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=31 December 1988 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025033845/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1298293.html |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1298293.html |archivedate=25 October 2012 |access-date=18 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Glimmerglass Opera]], [[San Diego Opera]], [[Vancouver Opera]], Teatro Municipale (Rio de Janeiro), The [[Opera Company of Philadelphia]], [[Florentine Opera]], [[Austin Lyric Opera]], [[Wolf Trap Opera Company]], the [[Canadian Opera Company]], and The Opera Festival of New Jersey.
Major's first opera production was Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci'', which he directed in Toronto in 1961. Among the opera productions he has directed are: ''Macbeth'', ''Falstaff'', ''Intermezzo'', ''Volpone'', ''Don Pasquale'', ''Don Carlos'', ''Resurrection'', ''Aida'', ''Don Giovanni'', ''Roméo et Juliette'', ''La traviata'', ''L'elisir d'amore'', ''Carmen'' (on [[Boston Common]]) ''Eugene Onegin'', ''The Aspern Papers'', ''Cosi fan tutte'', ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', and ''Peter Grimes''. Of his New York City Opera production, the ''[[New York Times]]'' said: "''Falstaff'' [was] directed with vitality and imagination by Leon Major."<ref>{{cite news |first=Anthony |last=Tommasini |author-link=Anthony Tommasini |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E6D81338F93BA15753C1A96F958260&scp=1&sq=%22leon%20major%22%20falstaff&st=cse |title=Opera Review: No Buffoon, This Falstaff But Proud, Even Sad |newspaper=New York Times |date=28 October 1999 |accessdate=18 March 2009}}</ref>
Aside from his work as a director, Major has given master classes in Mexico City, The [[Shanghai Conservatory]], Tel Aviv (Israeli Vocal Arts Institute) and Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music.
Major was awarded an honorary doctorate from [[Dalhousie University]] in 1971<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.convocation.dal.ca/The%20Ceremonies/Honorary/pastrecipients.html |title=Dalhousie University Honorary Degree Recipients, 1892-1999 |access-date=20 March 2009 |archive-date=31 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531013319/http://www.convocation.dal.ca/The%20Ceremonies/Honorary/pastrecipients.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and is a Member of the [[Order of Canada]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-13795 |title=Recipients |publisher=Governor-General of Canada |accessdate=6 August 2025}}</ref>
Major and his wife Judith have four children, all born in the 1960s.<ref name="Tesher"/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
===Sources=== * {{cite book |last=Illidge |first=Paul |year=2005 |title=Glass Cage: The Crest Theatre Story |publisher=Creber Monde (Canada) |location=Toronto |isbn=0968634796}} * {{cite book |last=Schabas |first=Ezra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4g8OCCWk5SQC&dq=%22Leon+Major%22&pg=PA176 |title=There's Music in These Walls: A History of the Royal Conservatory of Music |publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd. |year=2005 |pages=176–177 |isbn=1-55002-540-6}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150710060600/http://theatremuseumcanada.ca/legend.php?aid=2970652 Leon Major Interview], Legend Library, TheatreMuseumCanada * {{IMDb name|id=1390504}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Major, Leon}} [[Category:1933 births]] [[Category:Canadian opera directors]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]] [[Category:People from Toronto]] [[Category:University of Toronto alumni]] [[Category:University of Maryland, College Park faculty]] [[Category:Canadian artistic directors]]