Steppenwolf Theatre Mourns Longtime Ensemble Member Frank Galati

Steppenwolf Theatre Company today mourns the loss of longtime ensemble member, actor, director and adaptor Frank Galati, who died Monday evening in Florida at the age of 79. Galati, who joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 1985, won two Tony Awards in 1990 for his adaptation and direction of Steppenwolf's pivotal production of The Grapes of Wrath on Broadway.

In a joint statement, Steppenwolf Theatre Co-Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis said of Galati, "Frank had a profound impact on Steppenwolf, and all of us, over the years. For some, he was a teacher, mentor, director, adaptor, writer, fellow actor and visionary. Regardless of the relationship, Frank always made others feel cared for, valued, and inspired in his ever-generous, joyful and compassionate presence."

During his illustrious career, Mr. Galati was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1998 for directing the musical Ragtime. Although Galati is known primarily as a director of epic plays and musicals (Steppenwolf's Homebody/Kabul, Broadway's Ragtime), he was an equally adept actor (Steppenwolf's The Drawer Boy, The Tempest) and adaptor (Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for The Accidental Tourist). Galati directed his adaptations of Murakami's after the quake (2005-2006) and Kafka on the Shore (2008) at Steppenwolf, along with his adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's The March (2012). His productions at The Goodman Theatre, where he was an associate director from 1986-2008, include The Visit, She Always Said Pablo, The Winter's Tale, The Good Person of Setzuan and Cry the Beloved Country. He was also an artistic associate at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. Most recently, he directed Asolo Rep's 2022 world premiere musical Knoxville, which he adapted from James Agee's novel A Death in the Family. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Galati was also a professor emeritus in the Department of Performance Studies at Northwestern University.

Tributes for Galati poured in today from Steppenwolf's storied ensemble:

"I am deeply saddened at the passing of our friend and colleague, Frank Galati. When I was Artistic Director of Steppenwolf in 1985, having only met Frank a few times prior but being familiar with his work, we invited him to direct a production of Kaufman and Hart's classic comedy You Can't Take it With You. Within days of his working with our ensemble, it was evident to everyone that we wanted to continue the relationship beyond this one play, and by the time the play opened we had invited Frank to become a member of the company. It was during this period that I asked Frank if he had any projects he'd always wanted to do and he mentioned Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. We secured the rights and after productions in Chicago, La Jolla California and London, in 1990, Frank won a Tony award for Best Director and the production won for Best Play. And this was only the first five years of his time with the company. So many productions would follow. He was a brilliant writer, director and actor, a tremendous talent and while his loss will be felt with sadness by all of us, his legacy of great work and his genuine kindness and generosity as a wonderful person will live on and on." - Steppenwolf Co-Founder and ensemble member Gary Sinise

"Frank's storytelling skill and wisdom, fed by boundless compassion and curiosity have been a towering force in our ensemble. His spiritual, moral, and life-affirming humanity lit a path for us of exploration, inspiration, and excellence. He was our crucial and constant reminder of what we need to keep reaching for." - Steppenwolf Co-Founder and ensemble member Jeff Perry

"Frank was the most eloquent person I've ever met, bar none. And he spoke with humility and a giant open heart, in words that were accessible to all. His expression was a sublime marriage of deep feeling and keen intellect. He experienced the world, and shared his vision of it, as something startling and magical and sacred. When Frank began to talk, we all sat quiet and awed as we experienced this man who was somehow scholar, poet, raconteur and sage rolled into one. l've never seen anyone hold a room rapt as Frank did. And on top of that, he was the warmest, most generous soul around - always interested, always supporting, always offering love. I was blessed to know Frank in various contexts - as a director I looked up to, as a friend - but also as his director when he so brilliantly played Prospero in my production of The Tempest at Steppenwolf. As Frank understood so profoundly, 'We are such stuff/ As dreams are made on, and our little life/ Is rounded with a sleep.' In his time on 'the great globe itself,' Frank indeed brought us "spirits to enforce, art to enchant" - and now I can only say to him, my beloved friend and Prospero, 'then to the elements/ Be free, and fare thou well!' His words, his wisdom, his spirit, live on." - Ensemble member Tina Landau

"Steppenwolf may seem like a pretty artistically homogenous place, but the truth is that there are so many different points of view, so many different aesthetics. Frank was the one person whose heart and brain were big enough to not only span it all, but to impact it all. You won't find one of us who was fortunate enough to work with him who wasn't changed by him. He made us all better and there will never be another one like him." - Ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro

"Being in a rehearsal room with Frank was being a gleeful and grateful student in the workshop of a master. I never worked with any other director who would laugh over and over at the same jokes in a play with the delighted sense of wonder and discovery anew. It was infectious. Every actor will know what I mean when I say that Frank waited for me. He waited for me. He cast you and then he trusted you. Sometimes he knew me as an actor better than I knew myself. When the theatre was planning to do Aunt Dan and Lemon, I desperately wanted to play Lemon and campaigned for it. Frank asked me to play Aunt Dan and I couldn't figure out why. But it turned out well and, of course, Martha Lavey was brilliant as Lemon. Now they are both gone and it is a devastating loss for the theatre world and Steppenwolf in particular. But I'll bet Frank and Martha are probably in heaven discussing Ulysses. With James Joyce. His combination of searing intellect, passion, kindness, patience and love were unequalled in my experience." - Ensemble member Molly Regan

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theater that is home to America's ensemble. The company began performing in the mid-1970s in the basement of a Highland Park, IL church-today Steppenwolf is the nation's premier ensemble theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Deeply rooted in its ensemble ethos, the company is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to all. Groundbreaking productions from Balm in Gilead and August: Osage County to Downstate and Pass Over-and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards-have made the theatre legendary. Artistic programming includes a main stage season; a Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; LookOut, a multi-genre performance series; and the Steppenwolf NOW virtual stage. The nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education engages more than 20,000 participants annually in Chicagoland communities promoting compassion, encouraging curiosity and inspiring action. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. 2021 marked the opening of Steppenwolf's landmark Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Arts & Education Center-deepening the company's commitment to Chicagoland teens and serving as a cultural nexus for Chicago. Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis are the Artistic Directors and E. Brooke Flanagan is Executive Director. Keating Crown is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

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