Esse Ljungh

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Esse Willem Ljungh (August 3, 1904 - February 9, 1991) was a Canadian radio producer, most noted as the longtime head of radio drama for CBC Radio. [1]

Born in Malmö, Sweden, he emigrated to Canada in 1927. [2] He initially settled in Radville, Saskatchewan as a farmer, but after losing his farm during the Great Depression, he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he worked as editor of a Swedish-language newspaper. [1] He subsequently joined the Winnipeg Little Theatre, acting on stage for the first time in a production of Peer Gynt and having his first directorial experience on a production of Charles Gounod's opera Roméo et Juliette . [2] In this era, he also served as an adjudicator for the Dominion Drama Festival. [2]

After doing freelance production work for the CBC since 1938, he joined the network as a staff producer in 1942. In 1946 he began working in the drama department under Andrew Allan, and became head of the department in 1957. [1] He was briefly also the supervisor of CBC television drama in 1959, but remained in that role for only about a year. [3]

He left the CBC in 1969, and subsequently taught theatre at Mount Royal College and the University of Victoria. [3] After retiring from teaching he moved to Kingston, Ontario, where he died in 1991. [4]

He was one of the winners of ACTRA's John Drainie Award in 1968. [5] He was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, [3] and was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1981. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "'Giant' of Canadian drama dies". Ottawa Citizen , February 13, 1991.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gaetan Charlebois, "Ljungh, Esse". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.
  3. 1 2 3 Jerry Fairbridge, "Esse Willem Ljungh (1904-1991)". Canadian Association of Broadcasters, April 2003.
  4. ↑ "Esse Ljungh: Friends mourn death of ex-CBC head". Kingston Whig-Standard , February 16, 1991.
  5. ↑ "Broadcasters Honor W.O. Mitchell". Calgary Herald , October 5, 1968.
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