Andrew Allan
Andrew Allan was a significant figure in Canadian broadcasting, particularly known for his contributions to radio drama. Born in Scotland and raised in a religious household, he moved to Canada at seventeen and began his artistic journey at the University of Toronto. Allan's early career included announcing for a dance band at CFRB Radio, but he soon transitioned to writing and producing radio dramas for CRBC, which later became CBC. His experiences during World War II, including a near-fatal encounter with a torpedoed ship, profoundly impacted his life and work.
Relocating to Vancouver, Allan became a prominent CBC radio producer, eventually leading the national radio drama division in Toronto. The period that followed is often regarded as a golden age for Canadian radio, during which he produced over four hundred plays, showcasing a wide range of dramatic styles. Although he experimented with television, his enduring passion remained with radio drama, leading to innovative projects like the successful series "Q for Quest." In recognition of his contributions, he received several accolades, including the John Drainie Award. Allan’s autobiography was published shortly before his death, and he is celebrated for significantly shaping Canadian radio theatre.
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Andrew Allan
- Born: August 11, 1907
- Birthplace: Arbroath, Scotland
- Died: January 15, 1974
Biography
Born in Scotland, Andrew Allan was the son of a church minister. He moved to Canada at age seventeen and enrolled in the University of Toronto, where he began acting in a basement theater. Radio would prove to be his favorite medium, and his first broadcast came from CFRB Radio in Toronto, where he announced for a dance band. Allan began doing freelance work: writing radio drama for CRBC (later called CBC). He also produced plays for CFRB. Shortly before World War II, Allan tried his hand at theater and radio drama in England. On his return to Canada at the debut of World War II, he experienced tragic, real-life drama on the high seas. The ship on which he was returning was struck by a torpedo, and a rescue ship caused the breakup of the lifeboat. Allan’s father died, and Allan and his fiancé were among the few rescued.
Allan moved to Vancouver, where he worked as a CBC radio producer until 1943, when he was called to Toronto to lead CBC’s national radio drama. The decade that followed was considered by some as Canadian radio’s golden age. Allan worked with many of the finest actors and served as a mentor in all aspects of the business. He taught production at the Academy of Radio Arts and displayed a gift for timing and boldness im his work. His Sunday-evening radio plays covered the dramatic spectrum, ranging from Elizabethan to modern drama, tragedy to comic satire. In that highly fruitful period, Allan wrote or produced more than four-hundred plays for radio and acted in many. His style was autocratic but bold, cautious on language but nevertheless criticized by conservatives. Among his adaptations for radio were The Thing That Walked, Uncertain Glory, and The Lady Knows Too Much. Audio tapes of some of these broadcasts were still being sold internationally at the debut of the twenty-first century.
When television began to dominate, Allan did not find it to his liking. He tried his hand at various productions, hosting a TV show and producing some broadcasts. Q for Quest, which Allan helped develop, proved to be a highly successful television series. For thirty years, it mixed music, drama and documentary in experimental and innovative forms. But Allan’s love would always be for radio drama, a form to which he returned often, especially, in the later years, for essays. In 1969, he received the John Drainie Award for exceptional performance in broadcasting, and in 1972 he received an honorary doctorate from York University. His autobiography, Andrew Allan: A Self- Portrait, appeared the same year he died from a stroke. Many consider Allan to be responsible for the development of Canada’s radio theatre.