Mary Hitch

Mary Hitch and James Blendick met as first-year students in 1963 and married during the year following their graduation, in 1966. They both attended the NTS Homecoming in October 2011, reconnecting with old friends, discovering the School’s St. Denis Street campus and marvelling at the renovated Monument-National. Here, they share their stories of their early days at the School and the ensuing years.
Interviewed on February, 2012.
Mary, tell us about your arrival at the School.
I first auditioned in 1962, but Powys Thomas felt that I needed more experience and suggested that I work in the theatre for a year and reapply. I was a school teacher at the time and I was so sure that I’d get into the School that I’d already quit my job! So, I spent the following year acting as often as I could, supplement teaching here and there. I auditioned again in 1963, this time successfully. My original plan was actually to go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, in London; I’d had auditioned for Michael Langham and had been accepted. But I wanted to stay in Canada.
Jim, what led you to the NTS?
I came from the music world. I had left school early and was singing with a band, working in nightclubs. I was pretty seasoned for a young fella. We played the supper-club circuit throughout Manitoba and Western Canada. The club would seat about 200 to 300 people for dinner and we’d do two shows a night: an hour or an hour and a half with a big band, material, skits, songs…
After the group split up, I carried on as a solo act and eventually did a few musical comedies. But I’d never done a “legit” play before in my life, never even read Shakespeare – I had no idea who he was! It was John Hirsch, whom I’d met doing musicals at the MTC, who suggested that I audition for the National Theatre School. He even raised money for me so that I could attend. At first, I was rather reluctant about it all. But he had mentioned Montreal, and that really interested me. I liked the whole idea of being there. I auditioned for Powys Thomas, Jean Gascon and Jimmy Domville and they asked me on the spot to come to the School.
Jim, did you come from a theatrical family?
No, we really didn’t even have a book in the house. The Bible, and that was it.
How did your parents react when you wanted to go into the arts?
They thought it was crazy. They didn’t think there was any future in it. They wanted me to do something more substantial, like study medicine or law…but show business? Oh, forget it!
Mary, what was your family’s reaction?
They supported it. I’ve always had a great love for the theatre, I absolutely adored it. The Festival Theatre opened when I was going to high school and we’d be bussed in to see plays when I was in grade 12 and grade 13. My mother also used to take me to Stratford; I just fell in love with the theatre. It was always a great joy for me, to be on stage.
What were those first days at NTS like for both of you?
Jim: One of the first projects we worked on was Romeo and Juliet… and I was the worst… it was a most embarrassing experience for me.
Mary: I remember sitting in the class that day. Jimmy had dyslexia and was struggling with the text, as were some of the other actors. I wondered how they ever got into the School. As a school teacher, I could read very well! I was thinking it was all so awful. Jim: A terrifying experience Mary: And yet, they were the ones that shone, so you never know!
How did your relationship begin?
Jim: I’ll leave that question to Mary!
Mary: I remember my first glimpse of Jim – he was kind of leaning on the wall at the back of the classroom (we were at Place des Arts on our first day). He had on sunglasses and a trench coat and was feeling the effects of a party the night before. I thought, Oh my goodness, who is this? And my opinion of him didn’t change much after that reading of Romeo and Juliet. But eventually, I did fall in love with him… he’s a very joyful person, happy and fun to be around. I remember seeing him working on something, off by himself, and I was impressed by how talented he was. I don’t know what Jim thought of me when he first saw me…. Jim: I thought you were a knock-out!
You’ll be celebrating your 46th wedding anniversary next fall. What’s the secret?
Jim: The secret is to remain committed to each other.
Mary: For both of us, divorce has never been an option. You may encounter difficult times, but you work through them. At one point, we could see the toll that spending so much time apart was having on marriages in our business and I didn’t want that to happen to us. I choose to stop working and I think I made the right choice. The last show I did was Love Letters, with Jim, at the Grand Theatre, which was a lot of fun. I remember the day Jim and I got married and we were leaving my home, in St. Thomas – we were returning to Stratford because Jim had a show that night – and my mother buttonholed him and said: The Hitches do not have divorces!
What other memories do you have of your School experience?
Jim: In the beginning, I found it so stressful. It was out of my comfort zone. The first year was very tough; it wasn’t until the third year that I came into my own and started to really enjoy it. Our teachers were terribly encouraging, despite one’s inadequacies. They obviously saw something that I didn’t see at the time. We had wonderful teachers like Eleanor Stuart who was a vocal coach and was absolutely brilliant.
Another great advantage were the summers spent at Stratford. We’d see a lot of plays and intermingle with Company members, it was very exciting.
We had classes at the same time and would perform at the end of the summer before the Company members, directors, etc. So that when we left the School, some of us were invited to join the Company. In fact, after our 2nd year, Michael Langham wanted me to leave the School and join the Company. But I hadn’t ever finished anything in my life and I said I wanted to finish my third year and I get that diploma, which I did and joined the Company after graduation.
You later worked in Los Angeles for 10 years, what brought you back to Canada?
I had a successful run in television and the movies, but I got homesick for the theatre. I thought of all these parts I’d miss if I didn’t get back to the stage. In 1985, John Hirsch was at the Stratford Festival and he asked me to return, so Mary and I moved back. And we’ve been here ever since, off and on.
Jim, you are about to embark on your 29th season at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. How do you approach it year to year?
Well, you have a lot more experience after all those years, so my approach is that I have nothing to loose or to prove anymore. Over the years, you feel like you’ve validated yourself as an actor; I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve never had to work as anything else.
Do you still get the stage fright before an opening night at Stratford?
Oh sure, that doesn’t change. I remember hearing a comment by Frank Sinatra who said there’s something wrong if you don’t get nervous.
Mary, what’s opening night like for you?
Back in the days when I was acting, I always had a lot of nerves. It’s something I always struggled to overcome. And even now, when I have to speak in public, I still get the jitters. Or if I play the piano in front of someone, my hands will shake and it’s difficult to control. It doesn’t go away.
When Jim has an opening night, I need to see a preview. Then I know that opening night is going to pretty much be wonderful. I don’t have to be nervous about anything and I can enjoy it.
What was it like to come to the NTS Homecoming and experience the School after 45 years?
Jim: We were particularly impressed with the Monument-National. Our class was the first to open it; we did the first full production there. The theatre was in such a state back then! There were rats all over the place, the floors were eaten up and were full of holes. It was filthy. But we just loved it! Today, it’s phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. The production facilities are very impressive. The St-Denis campus is also impressive. In 1963, after our first few weeks in Place des Arts, we moved to a small space in the Le Royer building, at the bottom of St. Laurent Boulevard, near the waterfront. I remember that there was a restaurant on the first floor of this building and we would all go down and have French fries and gravy – that was our lunch! And then, for dinner, we would probably do down St-Laurent – and have hot dogs and sauerkraut… we didn’t have any money.
What did you learn at the School that is still helpful today?
Mary: I always had confidence in myself and in my talent, and when I left the School, I had great self-assurance. However, when I started auditioning, I thought it was very difficult. At that time, we weren’t really taught how to face rejection; that aspect was very difficult for me. I think a lot of women from my era experienced this as well. The plans and hopes and dreams that you thought were within reach, just didn’t happen and it was heartbreaking. It’s so important to have somebody behind you. Many of today’s actresses have directors who push them and mentor them, and that’s vital. But I do think I’m still using my training in my life today, even in terms of confidence, public speaking and ease in front of a group. I do some adjudicating and I also help some young people with voice training, which I enjoy. I’ve always loved the spoken work, that’s been with me my whole life. In that respect, I’m very grateful for my training at the School.
Jim: I learned that there is more potential in an individual than one thinks, and all you need is encouragement and nurturing. I really came out of my shell at NTS, in many, many ways. I had a certain sense of freedom from working in the music world, which was a comfort zone for me. But to all of a sudden to be able to speak the words of Shakespeare, Molière and so on, was really an eye-opener. Some of the best times of our lives were spent there, memories that will always be with us. It was a wonderful time.
What advice do you have for young actors?
Jim: I tell them to save their money because there will come a time when they won’t be working. I also try to give as much encouragement as I can. As Mary mentioned, it’s crucial to have someone to believe in you, to mentor you. You also need a lucky break, to be in the right place at the right time.
Talent is important in this profession, but it’s also hard work. You have to be honest with yourself, to know what to go for and what to stay away from.
Mary: It’s a learning process and sometimes, even the parts in which you feel miscast and cause you a real struggle will teach you something. You don’t always have a choice, you have to make a living and you have to make the best of it.
What are your dream roles?
Jim: At this point, I’ve played just about everything I’ve wanted to, except maybe Shylock and Lear…. Now whether that will ever happen, I don’t know. One of my favourite roles was Cyrano, which I played for Michael Langham years ago and which I wish I could play again, but I’m no longer the right age!
Mary: I wish Jim would’ve had the opportunity to perform in more of the modern American plays because he would be wonderful in those roles. He was a brilliant Big Daddy (in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) and I think he’d be great as Willy Loman (in Death of a Salesman). As for me, I understudied Martha Henry in Death of a Salesman at Stratford a number of years ago, but she never got sick so I never went on! So I would’ve loved to play Linda Loman or any of Shakespeare’s great ingénue roles. I would’ve loved to have floated across the Festival Stage in those wonderful gowns! But that didn’t happen and that’s okay. I enjoyed the parts I did play very much. I have reached an age of contentment. I’m happy when I see the other young actresses play these parts; I say, Good for you and enjoy it.
** If I’d have known then what I know now….**
… we would have liked to have left the school on graduation day with a fuller “arsenal of weapons” to help us navigate through the shark-infested waters of the industry!! We were so naive…we thought “talent” was enough…not so! We didn’t have any auditioning techniques for film or television…no audition material that had been worked on and developed in our last year….we had no idea about agents, etc. Had these been addressed at some point, leaving the wonderfully cloistered atmosphere of our school years would no have not been such a great shock to us.
These issues have obviously been addressed since then. The grads of NTS are the cream of the crop wherever they go and we are proud to have been part of it all. Our experiences may not be what our fellow classmates went through upon leaving. Our school years were a rich experience, that goes without saying, but these little “extras” sure would have been a help in the beginning of our careers! help in the beginning of our careers!