Obituary: Bob Hinitt, who nurtured generation of theatre-goers

The following articles celebrate the life of Robert Hinitt (BA’47, MA’49, BEd’52), one of the College's first 100 Alumni of Influence, who passed away on Nov. 11.

Beloved citizen Hinitt dies at 86
By Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix November 12, 2011

Bob Hinitt, a pillar of the Saskatoon arts community and architect of legendary Christmas displays, died Friday.

"It was sad to see him go. He is an icon in this city," said Wendell Owen, Hinitt's friend for more than 40 years.

Owen sat with Hinitt until 1 a.m. Friday at Oliver Lodge, where Hinitt had been placed for the past few months due to diabetes complications. Shortly after another friend arrived to spend the night, Hinitt died. He was 86 years old.

Owen and Hinitt met through the summer players drama company. Owen and his wife would host Hinitt every June 24 for Hinitt's birthday. Hinitt always had one request.

"He loved egg salad sandwiches. He'd ask us to make him egg salad sandwiches," Owen said with a laugh.

Hinitt was born in Winnipeg but spent most of his life in Saskatoon. Never married, Hinitt taught for decades at Aden Bowman Collegiate, the University of Saskatchewan and other schools. Accomplished in drama, but also sculpture and other art forms, Hinitt had worked on the sets in Straftord, Ont.'s theatre. He used that knowledge to build Castle Theatre at Aden Bowman.

But many knew Hinitt for his elaborate Christmas displays in the front yard of his Wiggins Avenue home.

Using various children's or cartoon themes, he would often labour 18 hours a day for months. He continued the practice for 59 years, stopping several years ago when his health declined. The displays raised thousands of dollars for various animal charities such as the SPCA.

Owen said it was impossible to go anywhere in Saskatoon without a former student coming up to talk or thank Hinitt for changing his or her life.

Hinitt, a recipient of both the Order of Canada and the Saskatchewan Award of Merit, was in pain for the last several days. Owen had a "great" visit with his friend a couple of weeks ago.

"It was a Sunday afternoon. He squeezed my hand and I squeezed his, and we just talked about old times," Owen said. "We will miss him."
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

Saskatoon arts legend Bob Hinitt dies
CBC News
Posted: Nov 13, 2011 7:58 PM CST
Last Updated: Nov 13, 2011 7:50 PM CST

Saskatoon's arts community is mourning the death of Robert (Bob) Hinitt this weekend. He was 85.

Hinitt, who had been suffering from diabetes in recent months, passed away on Friday afternoon.

A longtime educator and drama producer, Hinitt founded the drama department at Aden Bowman Collegiate and was instrumental in building the school's Castle Theatre. He was also a founding member of the Saskatoon Gateway Players and Saskatoon Summer Players.

Hinitt was also behind the fantastic Christmas displays that have raised money for the local SPCA every year.

"It was amazing how many people wander over and say, 'Mr. Hinitt, you don't remember me, but…' and usually he would say, 'Oh yes, I remember you,' and I think that's just part of his legacy," Wendell Owen, a longtime friend, told CBC News.

Shirley Kolbeinson, Hinitt's sister, said her brother did not want a funeral but family members will hold a memorial service for him.

The date and location of the service has yet to be determined, but she said it could possible be held at the Castle Theatre.

"I'll miss him because he was a very good brother to me, very kind. Did lots for me. So I'll miss him a great deal," Kolbeinson said.

Hinitt was named a member of the Order of Canada and invested in 1983 and was inducted into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2000.

Hinitt nurtured generations in the arts
By Bronwyn Eyre, Special to The StarPhoenix November 16, 2011

As a society, we talk a good game about the importance of role models and promoting "excellence" in schools and extracurricular programs.

But the reality is, very few teachers and mentors actually manage to inspire passion in students to the point they decide to pursue a given subject or discipline beyond school.

One dramatic exception was local luminary Bob Hinitt, who died Friday. Friends say his funeral will be held sometime next week, with upwards of 500 people expected.

The one-time French and drama teacher, who taught at City Park Collegiate, Aden Bowman Collegiate and the U of S, inspired countless students - most famously, singer Joni Mitchell - to pursue acting and performing. His friend Wendell Owen says former students frequently approached Hinitt to thank him for changing their lives.

Hinitt was influential in integrating drama into Aden Bowman's core curriculum. He designed the high school's theatre, Castle Theatre (now Robert Hinitt Castle Theatre) - based on the thrust stage at Stratford, Ont., where he spent a year working on set designs.

During his years with Gateway Players and Summer Players, both of which he co-founded, he introduced Saskatoon actors and audiences to everything from Tartuffe to The Sound of Music.

As a child, I was lucky to perform in a number of musicals Hinitt directed, including Heidi (1980), Mr. Scrooge (1981 and 1982), Hans Christian Andersen (1982) and Oklahoma! (1983). And although I went on to act in a number of plays in high school and university, I never again experienced the same fun, the same delight in acting as I did in those early productions.

Bob Hinitt got drama. He was a downright anglophile when it came to his love of London and its theatre scene and would carefully research plays by studying production notes and costume designs from famous West End productions before he began rehearsals.

A renowned perfectionist, Hinitt tolerated no anachronisms. Accents and pronunciations - be they cockney or southern U.S. - had to be accurate. Sailor suits had to be the "right" navy. Ringlets had to be perfectly curled. Playing poor Elsie Cratchitt, I was asked to dip my bonnet and apron in tea to yellow and age them.

One Summer Players performer recalls how Hinitt spent an entire intermission backstage sewing a flower onto the back of her dress. Others remember his determined (and successful) efforts to secure a real horse for Oklahoma! and some live goats for Heidi.

During breaks in rehearsals for Mr. Scrooge, cast members were asked to hand-shred drycleaner bags, which were later used for falling "snow" to frame a Christmas card-like montage behind a lightsoftening scrim at TCU Place.

You realize how important such fastidiousness is to the overall theatre experience when you visit somewhere like the Welsh National Opera's world-renowned costume and set department, which I did last summer. Shoes, hats and coats are specifically labelled 1900s, 1940s, 1960s, etc., while candlesticks, mirrors and other props are labelled Renaissance, Victorian or Upper East Side apartment.

Hinitt would have approved. In a recent local production of Oliver, one actor walked on stage in a modern-day Saskatoon police uniform. That would have been anathema to Bob, who would surely have sewn a Victorian police uniform himself before he allowed anyone on stage that way.

More than anything else, the ever dapper, ever gentle-mannered Bob Hinitt instilled a respect in his performers for the entire production and for the volunteers who helped make it happen behind the scenes - from longtime producer Owen and musical director Gary Gullickson, to rehearsal pianist Patricia Deibert and choreographer Lusia Pavlychenko.

Hinitt's professionally-run productions began with formal auditions and ended with colourful cast parties at his, er, eclectic house on Wiggins Avenue, where his famous Christmas light displays were also set up every year. Children were as welcome as adults and got to have their own cast party in the basement.

Hinitt received the Order of Canada in 1983, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2000 and was inducted into the Woodward Theatre Hall of Fame in 2001. He was called "an educator whose passion for theatre and design nurtured generations of theatre-goers, practitioners and artists."

I couldn't have put it better.

Very few people manage to bring joy and, indeed, excellence to what they do. Hinitt was a community builder in the truest sense of the phrase.

He will be missed.

bronwyn.eyre@sasktel.net
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix