Gordon Henderson on The Trial of Egerton Ryerson

In this special episode of History Matters Allan welcomes Gordon Henderson, a veteran television producer, documentary film maker, and historical novelist to introduce a live stage performance of the “The Trial of Egerton Ryerson,” a play commissioned by the CIHE, researched and written by Gilbert Reid and Gordon Henderson. Reid did the bulk of the original research which Henderson turned into a play set in a courtroom. Framed as an appeal hearing after Ryerson’s “conviction” in the court of public opinion, the play explores questions of presentism, historical context, responsibility, and legacy and how public institutions decide who is honored, criticized, or removed from commemoration. The play was performed before a live audience at the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto on Sunday, February 8th 2026, with Gordon Henderson in the lead role of Dr. Ryerson, Paul Duder in the role of the Judge, and Matthew Chapman in the role of the Journalism Student; the play was directed by Elizabeth Trott.

A longer video of the event, including an audience Q&A session after the performance with Henderson and Reid and facilitated by Professor Patrice Dutil, is available on the CIHE website, www.CIHE.ca.