Original commissioned portrait by Robert Carter
A Life In The Library
A Musical Tribute to Lillian H. Smith
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of children's libraries in Toronto, a musical about Lillian H. Smith has been written. Smith was born in London, Ontario and moved to Toronto in 1912. She received international acclaim for her forty-year career creating a model of children's services and became the first trained children's librarian in the British empire.
Written by Michael Manchester, this short film is an extension of an independent study that was completed while enrolled in the Masters of Library and Information Science program at the University of Western Ontario. A multimedia Web site was created and you can learn more about this extraordinary Canadian by visiting www.LillianHSmith.ca.
A production company with experience in digital media is being sought to guide the project through all stages of development. This Web site is intended to provide an overview and highlight existing participants. Please use the contact link at the bottom to request additional information and ask any questions.
CONTENTS:
Song SamplesProject Participants
Connect and Share
A Life in the Library is written as a one-woman show. The actress speaks to the audience as if they are visitors to the library, the same way that Lillian H. Smith would have conveyed information as a librarian. Smith's career is told primarily through seven original songs about different aspects of her work. A description follows with samples of three songs for review.
Listening to the songs requires the Adobe Flash Player.
I'm A Children's Librarian
Dewey Just Won't Do
Staff Meeting
Little Theatre
Where Are You?
A Lasting Tribute
The Final Page
Singer
J.M. Frey was trained from an early age in musical theatre and became a voice actor while in university. She holds a BA in Dramatic Literature, where she studied playwriting and traditional Japanese theatre forms, and a Masters of Communications and Culture, where she focused on fanthropology. She is the author of the science fiction novel Triptych.
Children's Illustrators
Rather than building sets for the different scenes, a more visually interesting and appropriate approach will be to commission children's illustrators to depict the background scenes in their own style. Using chroma key techniques, the illustrations will appear behind the performer giving the appearance of living in a picture book. Due to the international scope of Lillian H. Smith's career, illustrators from several countries will be included. The following artists have expressed an interest in the project. Their availability is subject to change. Follow the link to visit an individual's Web site.
(Canada)
Bill Slavin
(Canada)
Michelle Nidenoff
(Canada)
Chrissie Wysotski
(Canada)
Mike Boldt
(Canada)
(United States)
CB Canga
(United States)
Gerald Guerlais
(France)
Marcos Calo
(Spain)
Patricia Castelao
(Spain)
Puppeteers
Due to the historical and ongoing importance of puppet shows in children's libraries, one of the songs will be presented in this format. Based on A Lasting Tribute, the song that recounts the donation of the Osborne Collection to the Toronto Public Library, the puppet show will include the characters of Lillian H. Smith, Edgar and Mabel Osborne.
Apple Fun Puppetry
Michael Manchester - Copyright 2011 - E-mail: contact@alifeinthelibrary.com
Last updated March 3, 2012
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