Ellen Stewart (1919-2011)
Theater Director
Ellen Stewart was the Founder and Director of the La MaMa E.T.C. on 4th St between 2nd and 3rd Ave, the theatre that began in October 1961, and to this day continues to be of great importance to world culture. To date, La MaMa E.T.C. has presented more than 1,900 productions. Its resident theatre troupes have performed throughout the world including Colombia, Venezuela, Lebanon, Iran, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Scotland, England, Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Croatia, Korea, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Australia, Greece, Ukraine, Siberia, The Netherlands, and Macedonia.
Ms. Stewart was instrumental in introducing to America some of the world’s most influential artists including Andrei Serban and Tom O’Horgan, and was proud of La MaMa’s long heritage as an international theatre, having hosted artists from more than seventy different countries.
Ellen Stewart staged, composed, directed and written librettos for original folk-opera/ spectacles, presented in America, Uruguay, Argentina, Austria, Italy, Turkey, the Philippines, the Cameroon, Zaire, Central African Republic, Senegal, Nigeria, Brazil, Haiti, Morocco, Israel, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. She has lectured in all of the above countries, was a visiting professor of the Institute of Drama in South Korea, and was a long-standing member of the Seoul International Theatre Institute.
Ellen Stewart was the recipient of many honorary doctorates and awards, among which are the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Award and the National Endowment for Arts and Culture. She was appointed an “Officer” in the “Odre Des Arts Et Letters” of the Republic of France and received the Les Kurbas Award for “Distinguished Services to Art and Culture” from the Ukraine. In January 1993 Ellen Stewart was inducted into the “Broadway Theatre Hall of Fame,” becoming the first Off-Off-Broadway Producer to ever receive this honor. In December 1994 Ellen Stewart was awarded the “Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette” by the Emperor of Japan. She also received the Human Rights Award of the Philippines from President Corazon Aquino.
References from/Credits to:
The New York Times, "Ellen Stewart, Off Off Broadway Pioneer, Dies at 91," Mel Gussow and Bruce Weber
The Villager, Ellen Stewart: Still Pushing that Pushcart, Jerry Tallmer
Ellen Stewart was the Founder and Director of the La MaMa E.T.C. on 4th St between 2nd and 3rd Ave, the theatre that began in October 1961, and to this day continues to be of great importance to world culture. To date, La MaMa E.T.C. has presented more than 1,900 productions. Its resident theatre troupes have performed throughout the world including Colombia, Venezuela, Lebanon, Iran, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Scotland, England, Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Croatia, Korea, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Australia, Greece, Ukraine, Siberia, The Netherlands, and Macedonia.
Ms. Stewart was instrumental in introducing to America some of the world’s most influential artists including Andrei Serban and Tom O’Horgan, and was proud of La MaMa’s long heritage as an international theatre, having hosted artists from more than seventy different countries.
Ellen Stewart staged, composed, directed and written librettos for original folk-opera/ spectacles, presented in America, Uruguay, Argentina, Austria, Italy, Turkey, the Philippines, the Cameroon, Zaire, Central African Republic, Senegal, Nigeria, Brazil, Haiti, Morocco, Israel, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. She has lectured in all of the above countries, was a visiting professor of the Institute of Drama in South Korea, and was a long-standing member of the Seoul International Theatre Institute.
Ellen Stewart was the recipient of many honorary doctorates and awards, among which are the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Award and the National Endowment for Arts and Culture. She was appointed an “Officer” in the “Odre Des Arts Et Letters” of the Republic of France and received the Les Kurbas Award for “Distinguished Services to Art and Culture” from the Ukraine. In January 1993 Ellen Stewart was inducted into the “Broadway Theatre Hall of Fame,” becoming the first Off-Off-Broadway Producer to ever receive this honor. In December 1994 Ellen Stewart was awarded the “Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette” by the Emperor of Japan. She also received the Human Rights Award of the Philippines from President Corazon Aquino.
References from/Credits to:
The New York Times, "Ellen Stewart, Off Off Broadway Pioneer, Dies at 91," Mel Gussow and Bruce Weber
The Villager, Ellen Stewart: Still Pushing that Pushcart, Jerry Tallmer
