My friend Ken Chubb, who passed away at the age of 80, co-founded the Wakefield Tricycle theatre company in London in 1972 alongside his wife, Shirley Barrie. Eight years later, the couple established the Tricycle theatre in north-west London, creating a permanent venue for the company’s artistic endeavors.
For four years, Ken served as the artistic director of the theatre from its inception, collaborating with a small ensemble of actors until he and Shirley returned to Canada, their home country. During this time, and previously with the touring company, he emerged as a prominent advocate for new works by playwrights like Sam Shepard, John Antrobus, and Olwen Wymark.
The theatre continues to operate in its original location, though it has since been renamed the Kiln.
Ken was born in Hamilton, Ontario, to a Baptist minister named Laurence and his wife, Gladys (née Penny). He attended Annandale school in Tillsonburg and went on to study at Waterloo Lutheran University (now Martin Luther University College), earning a degree in English. He later completed a Master’s degree in the same field at Carleton University.
After teaching high school English, Ken returned to Carleton University in 1969 as a lecturer. In 1971, he and Shirley, whom he had married in 1967, moved to England with plans to stay for just one year.
Shortly after arriving, Ken visited a pub called the Pindar of Wakefield (now the Water Rats) on Gray’s Inn Road in central London to attend a lunchtime theatre performance. When he discovered the show was canceled, he struck up a conversation with the landlord and secured permission to stage his own productions in the pub’s back room, utilizing friends who were actors or educators.
He began by producing and directing a six-month run of Sam Shepard’s plays, and their success enabled him to secure Arts Council grants to create the touring Wakefield Tricycle Company.
Eventually, he and Shirley established a permanent venue for the company, launching the Wakefield Tricycle theatre in Kilburn. Under Ken’s artistic direction, they presented over 40 productions between 1980 and 1984.
In 1985, following their return to Canada, Ken transitioned to a role as a story and script editor in film and television, including working with CTV. In 1989, he initiated a series of workshops across Canada for CBC, aimed at discovering and nurturing minority ethnic writers for television.
After Shirley’s passing in 2018, Ken slowed his pace but remained engaged in scriptwriting, contributing to Shelley Niro’s film Café Daughter in 2023. He also organized a reading of Shirley’s play The Revelation at his retirement community in 2024.
He leaves behind his children, Alexis and Robin, as well as a grandson, Tristan.
