Burton Lancaster was also the founder of six professional theatre companies. He passed away in 2019. Burton Lancaster worked in the professional theatre in both North America and Europe for over fifty years, mainly as a Producer, Artistic Director and Theatre Administrator. Burton Lancaster was also the founder of six professional theatre companies of which Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay continues
today. He grew up in Brixton, an area rich in music halls, theatres and entertainers. Burton developed a love and passion for theatre as a teenager. He trained at the famed Central School of Speech and Drama as a Stage and Production Manager in the 1950’s. Prior to coming to Canada, Burton had ten years of experience in the British theatre working with such companies as the Old Vic, the Royal Court, Regent’s Park and the New Shakespeare Company. Burton worked on fifteen West End productions and toured extensively throughout Europe, the U.K. and North America. Burton originally came with his young family to North America to work with Les Grands Ballets at Expo ’67. After Expo ’67, he toured Canada and the United States with the ballet company’s production of Carmina Burana. In 1968, he became the Theatre Director of the Confederation Centre, PEI. While at the Confederation Centre, he expanded the theatre programming to include theatre for children, a young people’s company, cabaret and concerts to complement the Charlottetown Summer Festival. While at the Confederation Centre, he founded “Stage C”, a professional company which toured the Maritimes and played at the Centre during the non-festival season. In 1970, Burton returned briefly to England and was the Associate Artistic Director of the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. Returning to Canada in 1971, Burton founded Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Magnus Theatre originally started as a school touring company, but with the support of the community, it grew very quickly into a main stage professional company with its own theatre located in a Slovakian Hall in the East End of Thunder Bay. The ‘70s were a very creative time for theatre in Ontario and some of Burton’s best work was done at Magnus Theatre. Upon leaving Magnus Theatre in 1977, Burton worked in various capacities including Artistic Director with a variety of theatres across Canada. In 1983-86, he founded the Lakeshore Summer Festival in Cobourg, Ontario. From 1998-2003, Burton worked at the Showboat Festival in Port Colborne, Ontario. From 2005-2008, Burton was Artistic Director of Theatre One in Nanaimo, BC.
