Curtain Call for a force in Theatre in Saint Bruno de Montarville Peter Crooks, long-time resident of Saint-Bruno de Montarville, died peacefully at Charles Lemoyne Hospital, Longueuil, Quebec On Monday 19th August 2019 at the age of 83, after a short illness.
He leaves to mourn his two children Ian Crooks of Connecticut, USA and Carolyn Lavigne of Ottawa, Ontario, his sister Primrose, Ontario and his two grandchildren Kol & Victoria.
Peter was born in Kingston Jamaica in 1935. H studied at Jamaica College, apprenticed at De Havilland, UK, came to Canada & studied at McGill and Concordia (BSc) and then worked for Canada Packers, Pratt and Whitney Canada & Canadian Pacific Rail. He then founded Libra Bookstore in St-Bruno which was for many years a meeting place for bibliophiles of all persuasion.
He was a member of Trinity Anglican Church. A keen jogger, marathon runner, and a cyclist who rode in weather fair and foul, winter included. While he could he parachuted, scuba dived, liked to drive in car rallies, skied, and ran races. He believed in trying everything legal.
Founding Member of TSBP
Peter was a founding member of Theatre St-Bruno Players, and acted in its very first production in June 1975, in the role of Major Metcalf in Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”. Peter directed over 100 plays for Theatre St-Bruno Players, and designed and constructed sets for many of its productions.
An inveterate theatre goer he would travel far and wide to watch hundreds of amateur and professional theatre productions each year and during downtown Montreal festivals he would typically attend some 30 plays in a given week.
Peter developed and produced many seasons of summer plays for young adults under the auspices of Theatre St-Bruno Players and generations of Saint Bruno parents saw their children’s confidence grow through their work in successive years of summer theatre camps.
Peter acted in many plays and was a constant resource on the TSBP play selection and technical committees, and also frequently a member of the Executive Committee.
He was an active member of Theatre St-Bruno Players up to his admission to hospital contributing to plays, play selection, technical meetings and summer play readings thru to August 2019.
Peter Crooks will be sorely missed by his family and all his many friends in Saint Bruno de Montarville and the wider theatre community.