Artie Gaffin

Last updated
Artie Gaffin
BornNovember 26, 1948
DiedSeptember 13, 2019
Known forBroadway Stage Manager

Artie Gaffin (born Arthur Paul Gaffin on November 26, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York) was an American stage manager known for his charismatic, generous, and kind work ethic. [1]

Contents

Early life and career

Artie Gaffin was born November 26, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York. His father Seth Gaffin was a shoe importer, and his mother Helen Barish was a housewife. [2]

Artie Gaffin began his Broadway career in 1986 as an assistant stage manager on Wild Honey starring Kim Cattrall. He quickly transitioned to become the stage manager of Three Penny Opera starring Sting in 1989. [3]

Other notable Broadway credits include Oh, Hello! on Broadway , the 2014 revival of Cabaret, Pacific Overtures, Nine, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, George Gershwin Alone , and Betrayal. [3] He worked often with Stephen Sondheim, and was considered a top choice to stage manage new musicals. [4]

During his career as a stage manager, Artie taught at the Yale School of Drama.

Artie was known to be a kind and generous stage manager. He often supplied copious amounts of snacks and beverages for company members and gave many gifts to his casts and coworkers. [1] Perhaps his greatest legacy is as a mentor to dozens of younger stage managers.

Death and legacy

Artie Gaffin died September 13, 2019, of an apparent heart attack. After his death on September 18, 2019, The Marquis, American Airlines, New Amsterdam, St. James and Broadhurst Theatres dimmed their lights in honor of Artie Gaffin and his contributions to Broadway. [5]

After his death, outpourings of grief and support for Artie were shared. Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin said the following about Artie:

"As the backbone of any production, a good stage manager must be a reliable leader, a creative problem solver, and a wise counselor. A great stage manager also has a generous spirit, a big heart, and an unshakeable commitment to the theatre. The outpouring of tributes makes it unanimous: Artie Gaffin was one of the greats. His influence and mentorship touched so many in the industry. He will be missed." [4]

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS made a contribution in honor of Artie Gaffin to the Stage Managers' Project of the Actors' Fund.

Gaffin was survived by his long time partner Danny Baron since 1980. Baron made a $100,000 contribution to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in Gaffin's honor on the first anniversary of his death. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Laurents</span> American playwright, theatre director and screenwriter (1917–2011)

Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter. With a career spanning seven decades he received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actors' Equity Association</span> American labor union for theater performers

The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a book or through-storyline may be represented by the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). The AEA works to negotiate quality living conditions, livable wages, and benefits for performers and stage managers. A theater or production that is not produced and performed by AEA members may be called "non-Equity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernadette Peters</span> American actress and singer (born 1948)

Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two, and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Channing</span> American actress (1921–2019)

Carol Elaine Channing was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Prince</span> American theatre producer and director (1928–2019)

Harold Smith Prince, commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinton Battle</span> American actor (1956–2024)

Hinton Govorn Battle Jr. was an American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer. He won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical. He was the first to portray the Scarecrow in the stage version of The Wiz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Palillo</span> American actor and teacher (1949–2012)

Ronald Gabriel Palillo was an American actor and teacher. He was best known for his role as the endearingly dim-witted character Arnold Horshack on the ABC sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constantine Maroulis</span> American singer

Constantine James Maroulis is an American actor and rock singer. He was the sixth-place finalist on the fourth season of the reality television series American Idol, and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Rock of Ages. He starred in the title role in Jekyll and Hyde on Broadway, for which he received a Drama League Award Nomination for a Distinguished Performance Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris Eaton Travis</span> American actress

Doris Eaton Travis was an American dancer, stage and film actress, dance instructor, owner and manager, writer, and rancher, who was the last surviving Ziegfeld Girl, a troupe of acclaimed chorus girls who performed as members in the Broadway theatrical revues of the Ziegfeld Follies.

Seth Dennis Rudetsky is an American musician, actor, writer and radio host. He currently is the host of Seth's Big Fat Broadway and Seth Speaks on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's On Broadway. The show focuses on Rudetsky's knowledge of Broadway theatre history and trivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marin Mazzie</span> American actress

Marin Joy Mazzie was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Luker</span> American actress (1961–2020)

Rebecca Luker was an American actress, singer, and recording artist, noted for her "crystal clear operatic soprano" and for maintaining long runs in Broadway musicals over the course of her three-decade-long career. The New York Times compared her to actresses such as Barbara Cook and Julie Andrews.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is an American nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is the theatre community's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, BC/EFA has raised over $300 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, and other critical illnesses since its founding in 1988. The organization awards annual grants to over 450 AIDS and family service organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico & Washington D.C., and is the single largest financial supporter of the social service programs of The Actors Fund.

John Gore is British entertainment producer, known for his live theatre company the John Gore Organization.

Broadway Barks is an annual animal charity event held in New York City to promote the adoption of shelter animals. Founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore, the event has been held every July in Shubert Alley, starting in 1999. Performers, many from Broadway shows, present adoptable cats and dogs, with the participation of many animal groups from the New York City area.

The Isabelle Stevenson Award is a non-competitive philanthropic award presented as part of the Tony Awards to "recognize an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre." It is named for Isabelle Stevenson, a dancer who performed for audiences all round the world and was president and later chairperson of the board of the American Theatre Wing until her death in 2003. A single recipient is chosen by the Tony Award Administration Committee and may not be presented at every ceremony. The international press regards the Tony Awards as America's most prestigious theater awards.

Arthur Butler is an American arranger, composer, songwriter, and session musician. In a long career, he has been involved in numerous hit records and other recordings, and has been awarded over 60 gold and platinum albums.

Annoying Actor Friend is a satirical Internet personality, created to make cultural commentary on the Broadway theatre industry. For over three years, Annoying Actor Friend operated anonymously, and on December 9, 2015, its identity was revealed as writer Andrew Briedis.

Samuel "Biff" Liff was an American Broadway stage manager and producer.

Brooklyn Shuck is an American actress best known for her role as Lynn Bouchard in the CBS/Paramount+ supernatural drama series Evil (2019–present).

References

  1. 1 2 "Remembering Artie Gaffin". www.roundabouttheatre.org. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  2. ↑ "Historical records and public records", Information Rights, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2020, doi:10.5040/9781509922246.ch-036, ISBN   978-1-50992-2-246, S2CID   240711971 , retrieved 2021-12-29
  3. 1 2 Wild, Stephi. "Broadway Stage Manager Arthur Gaffin Has Passed Away". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  4. 1 2 Meyer, Dan (September 17, 2019). "Broadway to Dim the Lights for Late Stage Manager Arthur Gaffin". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  5. ↑ "Arthur Gaffin". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  6. ↑ Meyer, Dan (September 13, 2020). "$ 100,000 Gift Made to Broadway Cares in Memory of Artie Gaffin". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.