"Frances Hyland was a leading lady at the Stratford Festival of Canada for many of its formative years," said Stratford's current artistic director Richard Monette. "She was very courageous in her choices, and she was extremely dedicated to the art of the theatre. When I was in my 20s, I attended a lecture she gave, and in it she said something I've never forgotten. She said she'd become an actress because it was the best way she knew, given her particular abilities, of exploring the human condition. I was fortunate enough to work with her later on, and I can attest that that is exactly what she did: she dealt with the world, and all its problems and joys, through her art. She was a great lady of the theatre."