Bygone Theatre, with the involvement and generous support of Michael & Brian Wayne and Rosie Shuster, are pleased to celebrate comedy legends Wayne & Shuster in a special presentation at Hart House Theatre, where their career began.

We are seeking $25,000 to pay our Artists and help us tell the story of Wayne & Shuster. All donations are eligible for a charitable tax receipt, which provides a tax credit for 2023.

Johnny Wayne & Frank Shuster began performing in High School, at the Harbord Collegiate Institute. Later, during their studies at the University of Toronto, they began performing at Hart House, as a part of the storied UC Follies, before joining the war effort as performers. The Army Show was a huge success, and launched a long career on CBC radio and television. As the most prolific guests on the Ed Sullivan Show (67 appearances!), Wayne & Shuster represented Canada internationally as well as domestically and became some of the most popular comedians of the 1950s-70s.

As the children of Jewish immigrants, Wayne & Shuster represent in every way what it means to be Canadian. They built their comedy around representation, inclusion, and kindness (if occasionally a little biting). They represent everything Canada aspires to be, even if we fall short sometimes.

Our celebration will tell their story and share, once again, Wayne & Shuster’s incredibly comedy.

We are seeking donations which will be used to pay the artists involved - the director, performers, and crew.

Bygone Theatre works to provide good wages for artists, which is why we focus our fundraising efforts to pay for this group which has been hard hit by the pandemic. 100% of our donations will go to paying people – not administration, salaries, or goods. We ensure that our community sees the results of their contribution, which is to help rebuild after three years of stagnancy.