Biography
Walter Learning was born in the small village of Quidi Vidi in Newfoundland, which was then an independent nation. At eleven years old, along with 321,000 other Newfoundlanders, he became a Canadian citizen. Around the same time, an American serviceman fishing off the village pier saved him from drowning—a heroic act likely unrecognized for its impact on Canadian theatre’s future.
Before pursuing his career, Walter gained experience as a plumber's apprentice and a used car salesman. These experiences, especially the latter, would later benefit his work in the performing arts. In 1957, he enrolled at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, where he earned a BA. He then received a Teaching Fellowship to pursue his MA and a Commonwealth Scholarship to work on his PhD at the Australian National University in Canberra. Walter returned to Canada in May 1966, served as Director of Drama at the UNB Summer Session, and in the fall joined Memorial University of Newfoundland as a Philosophy Lecturer, a post he held for two years.
In May 1968, Walter moved back to Fredericton to become General Manager of the Beaverbrook Playhouse. There, he founded Theatre New Brunswick, which staged its first production in January 1969. Theatre New Brunswick remains Canada’s only full-time touring regional theatre. Walter served as General Manager of the Playhouse and Artistic Director of Theatre New Brunswick for ten years, overseeing more than 85 productions. In June 1978, he left Fredericton for Ottawa to become Head of the Theatre Section at the Canada Council for the Arts.
Walter stayed at the Canada Council until 1982, when he moved west to become Artistic Director of the Vancouver Playhouse. After five years, he returned east to Prince Edward Island to lead the Charlottetown Festival as Artistic Director.
Throughout his career, Walter guest directed at numerous theatres, including the Stratford Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Persephone Theatre, Festival Antigonish, Lighthouse Theatre, and Bastion Theatre, among others. He was also a frequent director at Canberra Repertory Theatre in Australia. Additionally, he acted at many Canadian theatres and appeared as a guest star in several television shows and films.
From 1992 to 1995, Walter worked as a freelance broadcaster, writer, actor, and director. In 1995, he returned to Theatre New Brunswick as Executive Producer, a position he held until 1999 before focusing on freelancing as an actor and director.
