Pasadena Playhouse mourns the loss of a beloved artist and friend.

The staff of the Playhouse was saddened to hear that Horton Foote; one of America's great playwrights, a Pasadena Playhouse alum, and an enormous supporter of our theatre; has passed away. He was 92.

From Artistic Director, Sheldon Epps:

"All of us at Pasadena Playhouse deeply mourn the loss of Horton Foote, a true American playwright. Mr. Foote has acknowledged many times that his days here as a student at the Playhouse theatre school were enriching, inspiring, and a source of great happiness for him. This theatre is fortunate to have had a connection with this true gentleman of the theatre, and we celebrate the joyous fact that his huge body of work will remain with us and alive on our theatre’s stages well into the future.”


Several of Mr. Foote's plays have been produced at the Playhouse including Only the Heart (1944), The Chase (1959), A Trip to Bountiful (1962) and The Traveling Lady (1964). Mr. Foote is the author of 60 plays and received the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1995 for The Young Man From Atlanta.

The New York Times had this to say about Mr. Foote and his work:

"A sense of existential isolation pervades the generations-spanning nine plays that make up The Orphan's Home Cycle, as well as his individual works... His plays are quiet, artful balances of everyday minutiae and an aching cosmic loneliness. Mr. Foote, whose career in the theater encompassed more than six decades, also wrote numerous screenplays. He received Academy Awards for his adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and his original screenplay, Tender Mercies. -- Ben Brantley

To read the complete New York Times article, click here.

Pictured above, Horton Foote. Courtesy of WGA. org.

Pasadena Playhouse Alumni and Associates Brunch: 2007

From Pete Parkin:

Kudos to Jerry Bono and his steadfast Brunch committee for putting on a great party! And what a great turn out! The last count rumor I heard was in the neighborhood of 180. The room was a tad cozy for all those people, but we never expected that many people. And I don’t think any of you who were there had any major complaints. As usual Valerie and Bridget were valuable assets, along with most of the Board members who were able to lend a hand.

We had no “official” MC so Jerry chose to divide the introductions among board members. As a result the membership got a chance to see most of us and put faces to names. It also made the program go very smoothly.

But in the end it was Sheldon’s day. Celebrating his tenth anniversary at the helm of the Playhouse. Neva’s annual poem began the proceedings and was aimed directly at him. It was, as usual, clever and I think Sheldon really appreciated the sentiment.

Even the food was good.

Congratulations to Gail Shoup on his man of the year award. It was my honor to present him with his award. He was my mentor at the Playhouse, and I was very nervous about introducing him.

Laurie Smith Johnson was the woman of the year. Ann LaRose made that presentation. Laurie’s whole family was present and it was very touching when she introduced her parents as her biggest fans and supporters.

Gene DeWild was presented the Gilmore Brown Award by past pres. John McElveney. A most deserving recipient. He was the glue the last years of the College of Theatre Arts. And I have always had great admiration for him.

Finally Valerie presented the Keeper of the Flame to Don Frabotta who gave a very humorous “acceptance” speech. Something along the lines of “ now I’m an official flamer”, or words to that effect.

Then we really surprised Sheldon with a special presentation that was not listed on the program. A beautiful glass “award” with the Playhouse fountain etched inside. And a $5000 check for his outreach program. He was very moved by this and the standing O he received from all present.

Sorry if you missed it but put next year on your calendar. It will be our 55th Anniversary and the Playhouse's 80th.

Pete