Poetic Obituaries: [Audrey M.] Ashley was encouraged in her

love of writing when, at age ten, a poem she wrote was heard on the BBC "Children's Hour." Her mum, she said, regarded creative writing as a nice fantasy but, like many parents who don't know how to deal with an arts-minded child, later steered her daughter to a night school to learn shorthand and typing.

Much later, those practical skills led to a door opening at the Citizen. And through the door, a curtain rose to a wider world that would benefit Canadian theatre for decades.

from Playbill: Audrey M. Ashley, First Lady of Canadian Theatre Critics, Dies at 83

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