Infinity Dedicates 2011 Season to Robert Kauffman - "Chief"
Submitted by Alan Ostroff on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 19:29
One night in the early spring of 2010, over crab cakes and chardonnay in an Eastport restaurant, Infinity founders Anna and Alan Ostroff talked theatre with “Chief” – the great Robert Kauffman.
Anna and Alan were considering where to take their mini-tour of the off-Broadway classic musical The Fantasticks. They had hatched a plan to take this production to different venues, and to see where there was the most interest and potential to build a professional regional theatre. They had looked at spaces from Maine to Virginia; when they began to look into Anna’s hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, they went right to the source.
The producers sought out Chief, whom Anna had first worked with as a child through Moonlight Troupers, when she played Wendy in Peter Pan. Following Peter Pan, Anna had the privilege of continuing to work with Chief on other theatre projects, and Chief always proved to be a wonderful mentor and friend, someone who greatly impacted and inspired her.
Chief had strong feelings about theatre in Anne Arundel County, where he touched so many lives working on a multitude of shows in the years before his passing on March 3, 2011. Chief was in love with theatre. His stories about going to New York to see shows as a young man conveyed the thrill of new discovery. These adventures early in life helped give him the fuel needed to live a life providing theatre to so many audiences, and guidance to so many young artists and technicians.
That night in Eastport was awash with memories and war stories from a life of devotion to the thing Chief loved - theatre. He instilled confidence in Anna and Alan that Annapolis would welcome professional shows with New York City theatre artists. So, Anna and Alan did bring The Fantasticks here – and were so happy to have Chief in the audience. Through Infinity Theatre Company, Anna and Alan now hope to carry on his passion of providing exciting theatre to the Annapolis area.
Infinity Theatre Company lovingly dedicates its first full season, in the summer of 2011, to the memory of Chief.
In memory of you, Chief – dialogue from Peter Pan:
“You won’t forget me, will you?”
“Me? Forget? Never.”
“Will you ever come back?”
“To hear stories…about me.”
We’ll be telling stories about…”oh, the cleverness of you…”
Click here to learn more about Chief's career, and for an exciting recent announcement from Anne Arundel Community College.
