BWW Special: Albert Poland Remembers Ellen Stewart

Earlier today, we confirmed the sad news via general manager Albert Poland that the legendary founder of LaMama, Ellen Stewart, had passed away at 91.

We asked Albert to share some of his memories of Ellen with us, and here's what he generously sent.

"Ellen was one of the leading lights of an era I will never forget. I lived above the Astor Place Theatre and off off Broadway was a vibrant, thriving community. We were all part of each other's lives and there was a real pioneer spirit. The OOB companies were hotbeds of activity. They were like miniature movie studios. Ellen, Al Carmines and Joe Cino were the supreme beings. Ellen was a triple scorpio and that particular cosmic dynamic was operative at all times. I have enough memories of her to fill a book. But in one memorable moment I got a phone call from her. "Baby, I have a show for you!" The show was Blue Man Group which I booked into the Astor Place. Ten years later they bought the theatre! Ellen Stewart is a major part of an entire tapestry of experiences: loving, fighting, and, most of all, passionate, that will never be seen again. She was a force of nature and is a towering figure of world theatre in the 20th century."

Albert Poland, Ellen Stewart and Astor Place owner Bruce Mailman

A Beautiful Letter that Ellen sent to Albert

Albert Poland has served in the capacity of general manager for more than 90 New York productions, including Talk Radio, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Boy From Oz, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Dirty Blonde, Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Grapes of Wrath, As Is, Little Shop of Horrors, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Mrs. Klein, The Waverly Gallery, Always Patsy Cline, Steel Magnolias, A Lie of the Mind, Vanities, A Life in the Theatre, One Mo' Time, Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Neon Woman, Tommy Tune Atop the Village Gate, Let My People Come, Marry Me a Little and Tomfoolery.