Elizabeth Anne Mawson (; 14 February 1927 – 16 February 2008) was a Canadian

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

who appeared in opera,

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

, and

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

Life and career

She was particularly known for her performances as Marilla in ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'', a role which she performed annually at the Charlottetown Festival for nearly 30 years, as well as in Canadian touring productions in 1970, 1973, 1980, and 1986. She was married to the

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

singer

Howard Mawson Howard Allan Mawson (23 May 1920 – 28 March 2004) was a Canadian bass-baritone, particularly known for his performances in the operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan. Born in Toronto, he was married to the Canadian mezzo-soprano, Elizabeth Mawson, and ...

and frequently performed with him in the Toronto Light Opera Association. After its demise, she appeared in 1957 as Hanna in ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt t ...

'' and Carrie Pipperidge in ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

'' with the Opera Festival Association of Toronto, and in the 1960s with its successor, the Canadian Opera Company, as Martha in '' Faust'' and Flora in ''

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

'', and also at the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

as Hebe in ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...

'' and Marcellina in ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

''. Other roles included Miss Todd in Gian-Carlo Menotti's '' The Old Maid and the Thief''. Mawson was born in Toronto and died in her native city at the age of 81.Wardrop, Patricia
"Mawson, Elizabeth"
'' The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Retrieved 9 January 2013.Lawlor, Allison (11 March 2008). "Elizabeth Mawson: She found her calling in long-running Prince Edward Island musical Anne of Green Gables". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', p. S8Gallant, Doug (16 February 2008)
"Elizabeth Mawson, wbo portrayed Marilla in Anne of Green Gables, dies at 81"
''

Charlottetown Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a daily newspaper published six days a week in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The paper was originally launched in the 1870s as ''The Presbyterian and Evangelical Protestant Union'', owned by Presbyterian mini ...

''. Retrieved 9 January 2013. CBC News (18 February 2008)
"Elizabeth Mawson, Marilla in Anne musical for 33 years, dies"
Retrieved 9 January 2013.

Legacy

Her sons Douglas and Allan have launched an endowment fund in her memory. The Elizabeth Mawson Theatre Legacy Fund will ensure support is available for scriptwriters, choreographers, performers, songwriters and directors and make sure that read-throughs and workshops are made possible for new development projects at The Charlottetown Festival. The fund is held within the Confederation Centre of the Arts Foundation.

References

20th-century Canadian women opera singers Canadian musical theatre actresses Canadian operatic mezzo-sopranos 1927 births 2008 deaths Singers from Toronto Actresses from Toronto Neurological disease deaths in Ontario Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Canada {{Canada-opera-singer-stub