I don’t know what to say. Page Hearn, a dear friend and co-conspirator in theatre and life, had a massive heart attack this afternoon and died. I’m writing this because I know there are friends who haven’t yet heard who stop by here. As a final – irony? tribute? – his episode of LAW & ORDER: SVU just started playing on USA. It just aired two weeks ago. I had watched it, but didn’t call him to congratulate/tease him about it. Thank god, Jan did.
The Artistic Director of CityLit Theatre until he left Chicago for New York, Page directed me in, what, a half dozen shows? Including my first full shot at Macbeth, as well as R&J, Midsummer, and his original play AN ECSTASY OF DRAGONFLIES. He wrote the script for a bunch more shows, and he help me produce THE COMPLEAT WRKS OF WLLM SHKSPR (abridged) in Chicago. But more than that, he helped Jan and me join the Chicago theatre family. That family is calling around tonight, from backstage at intermissions to the bars and rehearsal halls – we’ve gotten calls and made them, and everyone is shocked and mournful. Together with his partner, Steve, Page touched more lives than most of us could hope to.
I’ll write more when I know more.
