[NEohioPAL] A Tribute to Ron Newell, by Joyce Casey

[Fred Sternfeld]

*A Tribute to Ron Newell, by Joyce Casey*

Our tumultuous world has lost a genuine human being, a supremely endowed
artist who was kind, modest, always a gentleman, a hard working life
traveler who cared passionately about his wife, Mimi; about our world,
about his friends; about the theatre; and about his beloved dogs.
Ron was the ultimate theatre professional excelling as an actor, director,
scenic designer, and set builder. The only theatre aspect in which he did
not excel was hubris. He could have easily been employed by the
professional theatres in town but rather, I feel, Ron preferred the
adventuresome, communal aspect of the smaller developing theaters in
Cleveland. The legendary Claque Playhouse was his prime artistic home, we
were honored and enriched that Ron considered Dobama Theatre his “eastside
home”. Our basement theatre had the lowest ceiling in town, was the
noisiest thanks to a series of bars above us, and, I am sure, the smallest,
most ill-equipped backstage area. Add to that the fact that Dobama, at that
time, was a totally volunteer organization living on the financial edge. It
was a nightmare scenario for a theatre professional. We were blessed when
Ron Newell first descended Dobama Theatre’s decrepit back stairway as a
cast member in a Don Robertson play in the mid 70’s, and decided to become
a member of the Dobama Company. The sets that Ron designed and built
staggered our imagination, and so beautifully supported and articulated the
life of each production.

Dobama Theatre had a tradition of ending each season with a free
production. After the death of Marilyn Bianchi, Dobama initiated the
Marilyn Bianchi Kids’ Playwriting Festival which became our free theatre
event. We did not have funds for staging these winning plays. I was amazed
and charmed by the creative wonderful set pieces that Ron Newell designed
and built, with existing materials, for each of these plays. I cannot think
of another designer who would place such value on the work of a 2nd or 3rd
grade student.

The artistic quality of Dobama Theatre was also enhanced by Ron Newell as
actor, and director. Ron’s “method” was initiated by an in-depth study of
the script accompanied by a respect for the intent of the playwright. He
was then able to delve into his own rich emotional life to find passage to
the life of a character and the vision of the playwright. Ron was not a
“solo” actor, but rather enhanced his characterizations by relating, in an
intimate manner, to the characters built by the actors who shared his
stage. Ron, as director, had great respect for his actors. He was timely,
and always prepared. Moreover, he trusted his actors, often willing to
incorporate their instincts and ideas into the developing production.

Ron Newell was a critical architect in building the reputation of Dobama
Theatre. His work enhanced our artistic expressions. His respect for all
artists illuminated and furthered Dobama Theatre’s motto of “love &
respect”.
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