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theatre by Leanne Campbell Robert Clothier Orchard, and many o t h e r plays d u r i n g t h e c o m p a n y ' s 37-year history. C h r i s t o p h e r N e w t o n , artistic d i r e c t o r of the V a n c o u v e r Playhouse f r o m 1973 t o 1979. s a i d , " R o b e r t C l o t h i e r was a m e m b e r of the acting c o m p a n y at t h e V a n c o u v e r Playhouse in t h o s e heady days o f t h e 1970s relic Irelikl n. I. an object interesting becouse of its age or association. 2. a surviving custom or belief, etc., from a past age. 3. a memento (Oxford Dictionary, or souvenir 1996) I o r almost 20 years, actor R o b e r t w h e n w e had an acting c o m p a n y , t w o t h e a t r e s , and a s c h o o l . H e was an i m p o r t a n t c o n n e c t i o n w i t h the past because o f his long h i s t o r y as an a c t o r in V a n c o u v e r , and he was an inspiration t o t h e y o u n g e r p e r f o r m - C l o t h i e r w a s R e l i c , t h a t crafty o l d curmudgeon on The Beachcombers, arguably t h e m o s t p o p u l a r C B C Television s e r i e s ever. O n F e b r u a r y 10, 1999, at age 7 7 , this w i d e l y r e s p e c t e d artist and l o n g - t i m e North ers because he c o m b i n e d a successful T V c a r e e r w i t h a passionate c o m m i t m e n t t o t h e stage. A m e t i c u l o u s l y h o n e s t and u t t e r l y g e n e r o u s actor, he w a s a s u p r e m e e x a m p l e of w h a t is best in C a n a d i a n t h e a t r e . " Joy C o g h i l l , w h o h e a d e d t h e P l a y h o u s e f r o m 1967 until 1969, remembers, " R o b e r t was a wise, witty, a n d loving f r i e n d and c o l l e a g u e . H e w a s a brave a n d c h i v a l r o u s man. T h e patina o f his life g r e w m o r e beautiful w i t h age. A s a y o u n g man fresh f r o m W o r l d W a r II, R o b e r t w a s already a c o m i c genius, a masterful actor, and a s c u l p t o r o f originality, p a s s i o n , a n d brilliance. S c u l p t u r e w a s his first l o v e , a n d he o n c e e x p l a i n e d t o m e , ' U n t i l all t h e lines of a piece c r o s s in t h e c e n t r e , it is n o t c o m plete.' H e t h o u g h t , a n d t h e n he added,'It's t h e s a m e in acting.' S o that is t h e s e c r e t o f his e x t r a o r d i n a r y a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s as an actor." P r o f e s s i o n a l i s m is a n o t h e r w o r d that c r o p s up r e p e a t e d l y w h e n t h e atre p e o p l e r e m e m b e r C l o t h i e r . A r t s C l u b T h e a t r e A r t i s t i c D i r e c t o r Bill M i l l e r d r e c a l l s , " ! w a s a stage m a n a g e r at t h e V a n c o u v e r P l a y h o u s e back in the o l d days w h e n stage managers called the s h o w s f r o m t h e wings. It w a s T o m S t o p p a r d ' s play and Cilderstern Rosencrantz g o o f i n g a r o u n d . I recall h i m sternly, but n o t angrily, telling p e o p l e t o shut up, a n d t h e n h e t o o k a m o m e n t t o p r e p a r e himself t o e x p e r i e n c e this (painful) e n t r a n c e . H e n e v e r said anything a b o u t i t . . . s o m e a c t o r s go o n and o n a b o u t t h e i r a i l m e n t s , but h e n e v e r m e n t i o n e d it, a n d h e n e v e r o n c e c o m p l a i n e d . H e always g o t r e s p e c t f r o m t h e c o m p a n y . A n d he a d d e d an e l e m e n t of class, t o o . . . H e w a s s e r i o u s a b o u t his job a n d r e m i n d e d his f e l l o w a c t o r s t h a t hey, this is v e r y s e r i o u s , w h a t w e ' r e d o i n g , and w e m u s t t r e a t it that way." W h e n asked w h a t he'll miss a b o u t R o b e r t C l o t h i e r . M i l l e r d says, " W h e n an a c t o r leaves t h e s c e n e , y o u can't help but thinking a b o u t t h e m i s s e d o p p o r t u n i t i e s , the r o l e s he m i s s e d -- that he n e v e r did t h e p r o d u c t i o n of The Kingfisher ( w i t h his wife Shirley Robert widely friend Photo courtesy Clothier, respected Vancouver resident succumbed to a lengthy illness. Like t h e e n d u r i n g n a m e o f t h e c h a r a c t e r he p o r t r a y e d , he leaves many " r e l i c s " in his passing. Since its d e b u t in 1971, The Beachcombers has b e e n s e e n in o v e r = J2 < 22 4 0 c o u n t r i e s a n d c o n t i n u e s t o air in syndication w o r l d - w i d e . W i t h that k i n d o f e x p o s u r e , it's little w o n d e r that R o b e r t C l o t h i e r b e c a m e s y n o n y m o u s w i t h his character. H o w e v e r , Relic is o n l y o n e o f t h e c h a r a c t e r s t h a t C l o t h i e r b r o u g h t t o life. C l o t h i e r did n o t attend university until after a lengthy t o u r of duty flying Spitfires in W o r l d W a r II. W h e n he did b r e a c h c a m p u s , it was as a d e c o r a t e d s o l d i e r (he w a s s e r i o u s l y i n j u r e d in an air c r a s h just as t h e w a r e n d e d ) w i t h an eye t o studying a r c h i t e c t u r e . B u t destiny i n t e r v e n e d . C l o t h i e r m e t his wife o f 4 2 y e a r s , a c t r e s s Shirley B r o d e r i c k , w h e n they b o t h a p p e a r e d in a p r o d u c t i o n of The Tempest at U B C . ( T h e i r long-time as actor, artist, and Vancouver Playhouse u n i o n w a s i n c r e d i b l y happy, a s h o w business rarity. F a m i l y - f r i e n d M a r i a n D o d d d e s c r i b e d t h e m as " l o v e b i r d s . " ) It w a s t h e s m e l l o f g r e a s e p a i n t that r o s e a b o v e all o t h e r t e m p t a t i o n s , and C l o t h i e r b e c a m e o n e of t h e original m e m b e r s of t h e Vancouver Playhouse Theatre c o m pany's e n s e m b l e , appearing in Nothing Broderick) that we'd planned before his first s t r o k e . T h e brilliance o f his i n t e r p r e t a t i o n c a m e t h r o u g h at t h e reading, even t h o u g h he w a s in a wheelchair." B u t a b o v e all his sculpting, painting, roles o n the stage and f o r r a d i o d r a m a , C l o t h i e r is thought of as Relic. are Dead, and R o b e r t was playing P o l o n i u s . H e had t o be c a r r i e d upside d o w n f r o m the wings o n t o t h e stage, a n d , b e c a u s e he had a bad leg d u e t o a w a r injury, it was v e r y painful f o r h i m . It was a m a t i n e e , and t h e o t h e r cast m e m b e r s w e r e Sacred, Foxfire, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, The Crucible, Romeo and Juliet, Pygmalion. Arsenic and Old Lace, Of Mice and Men, Noises Off,The Cherry