Today I opened the Theatre Department's mailbox. In the rubber-banded bundle were the usual assortment of catalogs to get tossed into recycling, a couple of notices about summer programs to post on the call board, and a strange little publication. It wasn't a monthly or an annual, at least, not one I had seen before.
It was the newsletter of the Shubert Archive, chronicling Jerry Schoenfeld's passing.
For those of you who may not know, Gerald Schoenfeld was the chairman of The Shubert Organization from 1972 until his death in 2008. The Shubert Organization currently owns or operates 17 theatres in New York City, as well as the Shubert Theatre in Boston, the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, and the National Theatre in Boston. It is not a trifling matter, this organization.
Jerry Schoenfeld is credited with saving Broadway: catching American Theatre by the bootheels as it entered a downward spiral. When historic theatres on Broadway were being turned into porno clubs, and theatre attendance was so low that the Shubert Organization was on the verge of bankrupting, Jerry Schoenfeld mounted huge advertising campaigns, battled to clean up the theatre district, and fought to remind the American public that theatre was an expansive, rewarding, enriching part of human experience.
So here is this beautiful publication, littered with anecdotes from family members, co-workers, actors, theatrical lawyers -- at least 40 responses, and only a fraction of the immense spectrum of lives and careers that Jerry touched. It is sitting here and I am leafing through it, recognizing names from my time working at 101 Productions in NYC, gladdened to think that anyone could have such a lasting impact.
Then I flip to the back page. The publication was addressed to Douglas McDermott.
Doug McDermott taught theatre here at CSU Stanislaus for decades, touching the lives of dozens of students, both the theatre majors/minors and the general education students. Jack has very fond and loving memories of all the classes he had with Doug and Doug's profound impact on Jack's furthering his theatrical career. Doug was a genuine scholar with a hunger for knowledge and a powerful analytical mind.
Doug McDermott passed away about three months ago.
Seeing this loving tribute publication addressed to a man who was just as loved, just as influential, and who has also passed on...well. It makes my heart wrench just a bit.
