Stratford theatre director remembered for hard work

Hours after hearing about the death of Robin Phillips, Antoni Cimolino went home and opened a card he had been given years earlier from the venerated Stratford Theatre director complimenting him on his early production of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost.

It was a full-circle moment for Cimolino, now himself artistic director of Ontario's premier classical theatre festival, and who credits Phillips with changing his life.

“When I was a kid I watched his production of Love's Labour's Lost and ... I left everything to go into the theatre,” said Cimolino. “I basically went into the theatre because of the beauty and the quality of what he put on stage.

Phillips died in his sleep at his home outside Stratford, Ont., on Saturday morning. He was 73.

His hard work, talent and teaching are celebrated for attracting to the stage aficionados and newcomers alike, as well as shaping theatre across Canada and around the world.