The fonds consists primarily of colour slides and black and white negatives that chronicle Lawson's activities over 25 years as a CBC production designer, particularly with colleague and friend, producer Norman Campbell, and their collaborations for CBC artistic television productions such as The Gondoliers (1962), Romeo and Juliet with Celia Franca (1965), Hansel and Gretel with Maureen Forrester (1970), Giselle (1975), Cinderella with Veronica Tennant, Jeremy Blanton and Lois Smith (1968), Swan Lake with Erik Bruhn and Lois Smith (1961 and 1967), the Nutcracker with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (1974), la Rondine with Teresa Stratas (1971), The Wonder of It All (1972), and the Karen Kain Super Special (1978). Other programs documented include More Joy in Heaven (1964), Hatch's Mill, The Masseys, Stephen Leacock, Wayne and Shuster television specials, A Case for the Court, Troubled Heart, Wojeck, and The Road among other programmes. There are also previously unseen photographs of pianist Glenn Gould with violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1965, and in conversation with Bruno Monsaingeon in 1980. The photographs include many candid shots of iconic Canadian stage and television personalities including Gordon Pinsent, Celia Franca, Karen Kain, Veronica Tennant, Nadia Potts, Erik Bruhn, Norman Campbell, Wayne and Shuster, Christopher Plummer, Maureen Forrester, Margot Kidder, Robert Farnon, and others. Records also include some storyboards, drawings, slides and notes related to the Chroma-Key technique developed by Lawson and Campbell, program reviews, clippings, complimentary and congratulatory letters to and from Lawson, and about Lawson's work.
Lawson, Robert A.
