Steven Woolf, Former Artistic Director Of The Repertory Theatre Of St. Louis, Dies at Age 75

Steven Woolf, the longtime esteemed artistic director of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, died Monday, July 12, in a local hospital after a short illness. Born Dec. 23, 1945, he was 75.

"Steve always had his finger on the pulse of the St. Louis community, programming plays that resonated in the here and now, and showcasing the work of outstanding directors, designers and actors," said Mark Bernstein, managing director at the Rep. "St. Louis audiences responded by filling the seats, night after night, week after week, year after year. Steve would be in the lobby to greet people every night, making theatergoing into a very personal experience. The way that Steve and his passion for theater touched people's lives and expanded their horizons will be remembered for many years to come."

"Steven, my friend and mentor, was a force in St. Louis theater, and I am proud and honored to have spent 28 years of my career working with him," said Edward M. Coffield, artistic director and producer of the New Jewish Theatre and former production manager at the Rep. "Steven loved theater and he loved sharing theater. He literally saved The Rep when it was about to disappear, and he has left an indelible mark on the St. Louis cultural landscape."

For 33 seasons, from 1986 to 2019, Mr. Woolf shepherded more than 300 shows onto the Rep's stages before retiring in May 2019. Among the shows he directed there were "Oslo," "Admissions," "The Humans," 'Heisenberg," "Constellations," "The Winslow Boy," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Red," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "Frost/Nixon," "The History Boys," "The Pillowman," "Humble Boy," "Pirandello's Henry IV," "The Retreat From Moscow," "The Crucible," "The Goat or Who is Sylvia?," "Copenhagen," "ART," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," "Death of a Salesman," "As Bees in Honey Drown," "Skylight," "Arcadia," "The Life of Galileo," "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial," "Six Degrees of Separation," "Terra Nova," and "Company."

"Steve Woolf and The Rep are synonymous. His life and legacy live on as long as we remain true to the excellence he espoused," said Gwen Middeke, President of The Rep's Board of Directors.

Repeatedly honored for his dedication to superlative theater, Mr. Woolf received the St. Louis Arts Awards for Individual Excellence in the Arts and Lifetime Achievement in the Arts from the Arts and Education Council. The Missouri Citizens for the Arts awarded The Rep its Arts Award for Advocacy and he was among the first recipients of "The Good Guy Award," given by the St. Louis Women's Political Caucus.

Mr. Woolf was on the faculty of the Drama Division of The Juilliard School under John Houseman and later served as an adjunct faculty member at Webster University, where he taught in Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts. Locally, he also directed for the Conservatory and The New Jewish Theatre. Mr. Woolf also directed shows at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Cleveland, the Totem Pole Playhouse in Pennsylvania, The Lyceum Theatre in Arrow Rock, Mo, and at many other theaters around the country.

While living in New York, he directed Off-Off-Broadway and worked on The Acting Company's Broadway season at the Billy Rose Theatre. Stock work took him to the Lakewood Musical Playhouse and the Ivoryton and Cecilwood Theatres. He also held long-term residencies at the world-famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va., and at StageWest in Springfield, Mass.

He served as a panelist and an on-site evaluator for the theater program for the National Endowment for the Arts and served on the advisory panel for the Regional Arts Commission and the ad hoc committees for program assistance and touring for the Missouri Arts Council. Mr. Woolf also served on the executive committee and the national negotiating committee for the League of Resident Theatres, as well as on the board of Missouri Citizens for the Arts, and he was a trustee of the IATSE Local #6 health fund. He served on the board of the Kevin Kline Awards.

Mr. Woolf received his B.A. in theater and M.F.A. in directing from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is one of the first recipients of Webster University's Declaration of Merit.

He is survived by a brother, Tom Woolf, who lives in Tampa, Florida. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Photo Credit: courtesy of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

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