The final curtain has been drawn, and Juliana has left the stage. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Juliana Mary Saxton (née Gianelli); professor, teacher, actor, director, orator. For decades she taught theatre and drama in education at the University of Victoria; in her final weeks, the students whose lives she’d changed came to pay their respects—and the chair beside her bed was never empty.
She appeared on stage and screen with the Straw Hat Players, the Shaw Festival, and the CBC; those lucky enough to see her know she was a wonderful actress—sometimes sparkling, sometimes grand. She produced and directed shows for the Alumnae Theatre and UVic, and adapted and produced The Women of Margaret Laurence, which toured almost a thousand schools and theatres across two continents.
Along with her writing partners Norah Morgan and Carole Miller, she published more than half a dozen books, among them Asking Better Questions, Applied Drama, and Into the Story. She was fierce and curious about her work, and continued writing until the week of her death. Her insights into the importance of drama in education and citizenship have never—never—been more urgent.
Juliana was a person of great pride and dignity. She was sharp, she was fun; her smile and laugh were like a firecracker. She was capable of immense warmth and tenderness. She could be totally infuriating. We loved and love her so much more than can be said.
She lives on in Chris, Nadine, and Alexander; in Joanna, Greg, and Sydney; in her extended family of Aileen, Bob, Allan, Jeffrey and David; of Shelagh, Michael, and Rachel; of Matthew, Leslie, and William; of Liz, and Hazeley; in her adopted Morgans and Gardner-Sonmors, and in the dear friends too numerous to list.
Juliana is dead. Her life was extraordinary; our loss is profound.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations via e-transfer to the Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society: vvalsinfo@gmail.com.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
32 Responses
To say Juliana changed the trajectory of my life is an understatement. I had no idea what I wanted to do at UVic, and took drama in education on a whim. And this guided by her mentorship, her books, how she brought together all the great of TIE to her classes, workshops, I became a teacher. No matter what I’ve taught, the workbook she helped me create has been with me. Students led, beauty led, love of life to inspire ppl. What a gift you are, Juliana, and you will live on in so many of us. Love and light to family.
I have only just heard of the passing of Juliana. I was fortunate to have been a student of this remarkable woman. Her standards were high but so was her passion for theatre in education and her students. I owe my theatre teaching career to her. She was one in a million and I feel so blessed that I was a student of hers. My condolences to her family and friends. Juliana’s spirit lives on in all the lives she touched.