Yvonne Firkins

Yvonne Firkins was born in Worcester, England. During WWI she lived in Birmingham where she was introduced to theatre. She came to Vancouver in 1920. Her husband, magistrate Walter H.C. Firkins, was a police court clerk for 31 years. She was a founding member of Theatre Under the Stars, Vancouver Little Theatre, Vancouver Ballet School and the Vancouver Dance Festival. She was president of the B.C. Drama Association and founder of the B.C. Dance Festival. She both produced and directed shows at Theatre Under the Stars, TUTS. From 1939 to 1945, during WWII, she was production manager of service shows for the Pacific Command. In1964 she opened the Arts Club Theatre performance space (then a former garage and Evangelical Temple) with Black Comedy and White Lies starring Alan Wallis, Eric Schneider and Susan Ringwood directed by Ron Perkins, The Arts Club Theatre Company then officially opened the theatre with Light Up the Sky, she also produced the then controversial play Who’s Afraid of Virgina Wolfe. Yvonne Firkins was known as B.C.’s First Lady of Theatre. She died in May 1966.