The National Theater Conference mourns the loss of member Scott L. Steele,
who passed away on March 24, 2018.
who passed away on March 24, 2018.
In Memoriam – Scott L. Steele
Scott L. Steele, Executive Director of The University Resident Theatre Association, passed away on March 24, 2018 at the age of 65. The cause was pancreatic cancer. Scott had led URTA since 1994, greatly expanding in his 24-year tenure the membership and programs of the largest consortium of professional, graduate theatre programs and partnered professional theatres in the country.
An innovator in the world of theater even in his early years, Scott was President of the Drama Society at The Pomfret School, establishing its first café theater, as well as valedictorian of his class, before proceeding to Dartmouth College where he majored in Drama and was recipient of the Marcus Heiman Award for achievement in theater. Scott began his professional career as general manager of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA), during which ANTA produced the American Off-Broadway premieres of The Elephant Man and Tintypes, both of which transferred to Broadway and earned Tony Awards. Scott also held posts as general manager of The Williamstown Theatre Festival and The Acting Company, and served as Deputy Director of The Lincoln Center Theatre Company for six years, during which time he worked with such artists as Woody Allen, Blythe Danner, John Guare, and Jerry Zaks on productions including The Philadelphia Story and The House of Blue Leaves. He also produced such plays as Medusa, Poor Little Lambs, and Stephen King's Ghost Stories, worked on various television projects as associate producer/production manager, and consulted for numerous theater organizations. Scott was elected to the National Theatre Conference in 2002, and served as a member of its Membership Engagement Committee. An advisor to numerous theaters throughout his career, he remained an active participant in the professional theater world while working at URTA to push back the boundaries between the worlds of undergraduate/graduate theater education and the professional theater. Noted for his reticence regarding his own achievements and for being a good listener and cherished advisor, Scott was particularly proud of his expansion of URTA’s Contract Management Program, bringing professional artists to educational institutions; inventing the assistant designer contract for LORT theatres to promote the early employment of young design professionals; and establishing the URTA Panelist Bureau, which provides teacher-artists to conferences and workshops on campuses. Scott’s long-time partner and spouse, Robert C. Pridham, predeceased him in 2017. Scott is survived by his brother, John Lawrence Steele, his niece Jean-Louise Ivy Steele, and his niece Natasha Khandekar. |