Amazing Stages
Memories from a British-Canadian actress
by Marye Barton

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Amazing Stages is the riveting memoir of actress Marye Barton who emigrated to Canada in the mid-twentieth century where she worked hard to continue her career as a performer and to work through the “demons” of her childhood. Ms. Barton shares her heartache of trying to reach out to a distant father, and her varied experiences with therapy and the Therafields “Great Experiment.” Woven throughout are her successes and disappointments in the theatre, the fascinating personalities she encountered and the engaging performances she was part of at iconic theatres, such as Ontario’s Shaw Festival and Stratford Shakespeare Festival. In all these venues, Ms. Barton made a name for herself as an independent, strong woman at a time when such a reputation was considered countercultural. Her experiences as an actress, partner, voice coach, or writer, Ms. Barton draws readers into her life with vivid descriptions, humour, and compelling narrative.

www.maryebarton.ca

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"A truly marvelous ride. Amazing Stages is a multi-layered, very well written unfoldment of a wise and beautiful soul, an outstanding autobiography." —Alan McKee, author of Embracing Radiance “Amazing Stages: Memories from a British-Canadian Actress is a must-read for cultural historians documenting English-Canadian theatrical life from the Sixties and Seventies onward. Viewed through the prism of her own varied and highly successful acting career, Marye Barton’s text connects us with the astonishing array of talent which flourished in Canada in the latter part of the twentieth century and into the present. Packed with anecdotes, personal detail and more than a few household names, this is both primary-source reading and an entertaining foray backstage and on-stage with a gifted actor.” —Carole Giangrande, author of The Tender Birds and All That Is Solid Melts Into Air

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Marye Barton was born in England before WWII. She graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 1956, a year before emigrating to Canada. For over half a century, she has enjoyed performing (including her own writings) on many stages, instructing, and offering psychotherapy. Ms. Barton belongs to the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists and Canadian Actors Equity. She graduated from the Toronto Centre for Training in Psychotherapy (CTP dip. 1996), and is an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT Speech Arts, gold medalist, 1974) Originally named Mary, in 1995 Ms. Barton changed to Marye. Amazing Stages is her first published book. She lives now at Toronto’s Performing Arts Lodge (PAL) with her cat.

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Contributors

Author

Marye Barton

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