Grace Viola Dill, kindly refered to as ‘The Theatre Lady’, was recently honoured for being Bermuda’s longest-serving theatre worker.

The 92-year-old got her start in a lifelong career in ‘showbiz’ when she confidently marched into the Ole Colonial Opera House looking for a job at age 17. Her mother had just passed away, so she could no longer attend the Berkeley Institute and had to find work.

Little did she know that day would mark the beginning of a rewarding 67-year career.

Mrs Dill was honoured earlier this month at a special luncheon hosted by the Bermuda General & Liberty Theatres.

She admitted it was a big surprise to see her family, friends and former colleagues packed into the Henry VIII Restaurant to pay homage to her.

“When I entered the door and looked into the room and saw all these people, my legs started shaking. I said ‘Don’t fail me now’,” she told The Royal Gazette. “I realised they were all there for me and felt like queen bee for the day. I was honoured.”

Mrs Dill worked in the local theatre at some pivotal points in Bermuda’s history.

Local theatres were still segregated early on in her career, but she was around to see how the Theatre Boycott of 1959 would usher in more rights for people of colour on the island.

Daughter Janette Musson could recall that time a little clearer than Mrs Dill.

“I was in Berkeley just starting high school in 1959,” Ms Musson said. “I wasn’t very politically aware then, but it was a crucial moment in Bermuda history.

“One wouldn’t think that integration came through the theatre boycott, but the idea behind it was how could black people impact what was happening in society?

“They decided that one way they could get the attention of those making policy was to boycott the cinemas and not go to the movies. And over a few days that was very effective and led to integration of the hotels and other public places that prior to that were segregated.”

A lover of romantic films, Mrs Dill said she enjoyed working in the various theatres partly because it gave her a chance to watch films after she got off work.

It also provided her the opportunity to meet and talk with new people; as well as gave her flexible hours during the day so she prioritise time with her husband and four children [Ms Musson, as well as Ray, Andre and Patrice Dill] at home.

Ms Musson remembered her mom was always home when her and her siblings came home from school and would have dinner ready for them before dashing off to work.

“I can honestly say that all of us children probably grew up in the cinema. It was a place we would go after-school to meet up with mom and then we would all go home together. And if she wasn’t ready to leave when we came back we would go in to see 15 or 20 minutes of a movie, so it became a big part of our lives as children as well.”

Mrs Dill was known for being dependable, flexible, congenial and hardworking.

She worked in almost every area of local cinema including as an usherette showing people to their seats and as a cashier giving people their tickets.

In addition to serving at the Old Colonial Opera House, she also worked at the Island Theatre, Little Theatre, Open Air Cinema and occasionally when the need arose the St George’s Theatre.

And while she loved her jobs, she said she never intended to stay in the theatre business for so long.

She retired from the Rosebank Theatre in Hamilton at 65, however, just a year later she was asked by the Bermuda Industrial Union’s (BIU) former President Ottiwell Simmons to help get the Liberty Theatre up and running.

She left retirement and worked at Liberty until she was 85 years old.

Ms Musson said she grew up understanding that her mother was well liked and respected by people in the community, but she never really stopped to think about the important role her mom had until recently.

“People would always approach me and say ‘I know your mom’ and they would say nice things about her because she had such a public face and interacted with so many people. But I think at the luncheon it really hit me that the contribution and relationships she had forged over her long years working had really made a difference to many people,” Ms Musson said.

“There were people there who didn’t want to stand up and make a public speech [at the luncheon], but who came over and said some wonderful things to my mom.

“And I realised, that most of us hope we make a difference in someone’s life, and she was privileged to hear first hand from people about how she had made a difference to so many lives.

“That was very special and I was very proud of mom.”