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One of Toronto’s most beloved theatres is currently undergoing a major renovation, but that doesn’t mean concert fans should stop telling stories about her. David Binks is on a mission to collect stories for a new book about Massey Hall, the great venue and icon, and he’s hoping you’ll be willing to help.
“I love concert halls,” he said. “When I was a teenager, going to a show was just the highlight of everything… I have this love for a set of venues that really do something for me, that make the event memorable as well. And then I went to Massey Hall.”
Massey Hall changed his life
As someone who’s lived in Toronto on and off for nearly 20 years, Binks has his own favourite memories of the theatre. It’s a place he and his wife have gone so frequently, she’s bought tickets for them as he’s returned home from a trip to Europe, just because she knew he’d want to go out that night. Many times, they don’t even know who will be filling the stage that evening.
One night, Binks’ wife was double booked, so he went to see a performance by himself.
As he was wandering around Massey, he got to thinking about his grandfather.
“My grandfather immigrated to Canada back at the start of the last century and then he left to fight the war. He didn’t come back,” Binks said. “He’d spent some time in Toronto. I can’t find anything else about his time in Toronto because it was brief and he didn’t come back. I was reading old posters and that was the one thing I knew about him. I have no proof about it at all but I know he went to that hall.”
He started thinking about telling his grandfather’s story and then started thinking about how many people probably also have stories about nights at Massey.
What’s your Massey Hall memory?
There’s at least another year of work to be done as Massey Hall is restored to its original glory, including the renovation of some until-recently covered stained glass windows. That makes it a perfect time to collect memories, Binks said.
Joan #Baez is still doing her thing. If you saw her perform at Toronto's #MasseyHall, share your memories here: https://t.co/QFC30Vn39C https://t.co/wNxiiUiWEC
— That Night At Massey Hall (@ThatNightAtMas1) August 2, 2019
“Tell us the story of Massey Hall,” he said. “I think we all say it often to friends when we’re reminiscing – do you remember that night? Do you remember that night at the football game? Do you remember that night at Massey Hall? For me, it’s about gathering people’s stories, but it doesn’t have to be the story of the show. I expect we’ll get plenty of those, but as we’ve used in some of our promotional materials, it could be the story of the kiss, or the first date, or the last day, or it could be you were working at the hall and something happened when you were there.”
The book will be a love letter to the hall itself, written by people who’ve been there, loved it and want to share their memories.
There’s no timeline for when the book will be published, or when he’ll stop collecting items, so people are encouraged to collect their stories and send them in for the foreseeable future.
All stories can be submitted via the project’s website. They’re also teasing out snippets on the project’s Facebook page and Twitter account.
Great Bryan #Ferry concert in #Toronto last night. Has anyone seen Ferry/Roxy Music perform at #MasseyHall? share your memories in a new book here: https://t.co/QFC30Vn39C @bryanferry @RoxyMusicFans
— That Night At Massey Hall (@ThatNightAtMas1) July 31, 2019
“We’ll do an outstanding job of capturing those stories and isolating the right images to make it something special,” Binks said.
As for the performer to take the stage when the hall is ready to reopen? Binks has some ideas on who it might – and should—be.
“I’m sure it will be somebody Canadian,” he said. “I think it would be somebody with a lot of history with Massey Hall. I think there are a couple of good contenders for that. Or maybe they’ll spread it around. I think it might be a Canadian folksinger. My money’s there.”
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