Joan and Howard Golberg fell for Centaur Theatre over 45 years ago—and they’ve been hooked ever since.
Howard’s love of theatre dates back even farther, to his childhood, when he and his parents took in the big touring musicals like My Fair Lady and Oklahoma! at Her Majesty’s Theatre in downtown Montreal. He had close relatives living in New York City at the time so he also attended a fair share of Broadway productions.
Howard was actually responsible for introducing Joan to theatre in the 1970s, when they went to NYC for the weekend. From the moment the house lights went down, Joan was totally engaged – to the point where she screamed out loud during a particularly spine-chilling scene.
From then on theatre was a lively part of Howard and Joan’s social and cultural activities. The couple have been attending Centaur Theatre religiously since 1976. They also take trips to Ottawa, NYC, and sometimes London to catch a play.
Each of them enjoys different aspects of the theatre-going experience. As Howard puts it, “I watch the play but Joan lives it!” Joan likes to come out of a play with a smile on her face and feeling good.
For Howard, theatre is more than entertainment; it’s a learning experience. It introduces new interpretations of history, provokes self-reflection, and stimulates critical thinking. He is very proud that Centaur’s creative output embodies these values in addition to promoting local artists and presenting new plays alongside classic and contemporary masterworks.
Their different perceptions watching a play often baffle Howard, prompting him to wonder occasionally whether they saw the same play at all! He’ll rave about something that didn’t grab Joan’s attention at all, or she’ll gush about a play that allowed him to catch a few winks. But that never stops them from coming back year after year.
As Howard and Joan became more cognizant of the inner workings of a non-profit theatre company and contributed to its progressive betterment, they evolved from audience members to proactive members of Montreal’s theatre community at large. “We knew it was time to go beyond making an annual donation and subscribing every season” Joan says.
It’s no surprise then, that that Howard and Joan left a contribution to the Centaur Theatre in their Will. In so doing, they hope to encourage other patrons to transform their fervour for the performing arts into a meaningful gift that enables it to survive – and thrive – long into the future.
Thinking back on the four and half decades that they’ve been coming to Centaur, Joan and Howard have a hard time choosing their favourite experiences. The 1979 world premiere of Balconville, written by David Fennario (Montreal’s ‘enfant terrible’ of theatre at the time), immediately came to mind. More recently, the 2017 production of Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story held them spellbound. They were astonished to learn that the actor portraying Fleury in the one-man show had to learn to skate to create the illusion of being a professional NHL player.
“It’s been part of our lives for so long” Joan shares. “We just have to continue supporting Centaur.”
Topic: Donor Stories
