We Remember
Dedicated to all those who we’ve lost in our community.
Gloria Levy
Gloria a dear friend and funder for the theatre, we love you and appreciate everyday you spent with us at the Theatre. May you rest in peace.
Randy Ross
Dr. Ross was a consummate jazz saxophone artist for over half a century and was currently a member of the classical jazz quintet The Blue Morning Quintet. He was a long-time member of The Robey Theatre Company Playwrights Lab, and the Robey was honored to present the world premiere of his play Birdland Blue in 2019. Dr. Ross also served on Robey’s Creative Team, Robey Fund Development Committee and as Musical Director.
Rhonda Stubbins - White
(April 12, 1961 - December 6, 2021)
Our sister Rhonda Stubbins- White, career began after starring in Diana Ross' Out of Darkness in 1994. In 2000, she appeared in a recurring role on Days of Our Lives in which she played the role of Lady Vi in a 17-episode arc. Other shows she has appeared on include series like Charmed, ER, Shameless and The West Wing. White’s most recent role was two years back on Tyler Perry's BET+ original series Ruthless in which she played the role of Agnes. And she has left her heart on our the Robey’s stage.
Phillip Hayes Dean
(1931 - 2014)
Pillip Hayes Dean, was born in Chicago Illinois. After serving in the army he arrived to New York City to become an actor. He was a playwright, director and actor in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and various regional theatre.
His play, Paul Robeson, has had three Broadway productions, a Londong Production, and has toured across the United Staged and Europe. He made his Los Angeles directing debut with this play.
Services were held in Los Angeles. He was 83.
Jayden Thomas Gillespie
May 11, 1999 - January 23, 2022
In the loving memory of Jayden Thomas Gillespie a special scholarship fund has been established to support the acting dreams of young people at The Robey Theatre Company.
Jayden was a remarkable, kind, smart, and vibrant young man who was an aspiring filmmaker. His interest in film and production began in elementary school with roles in community theater and oratory competitions. Filmmaking was Jayden's passion, and he poured his heart and soul into every film he made and collaborated.
Jayden loved performing. May his memory will live on in the dreams of other young people.
We honor Jayden’s memory by setting up the Jayden's Class Act Scholarship. Donations will be placed in a scholarship fund for underprivileged kids to take acting classes. Click here to Donate
Charles Henry Fuller Jr.
March 5, 1939 - October 3, 2022
Charles vowed early in his life to write about the African American Diaspora.
Charles Henry Fuller Jr. won an Obie Award in early in his career for Zooman and the Sign. He was known for A Soldier’s Play, honored with Pulitzer Price in 1982. He was recognized with a Tony Award 40 years after its original run. The screen adaptation of A Soldier’s Play was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Writers Guild Award of America, and it won an Edgar Award. He was the co-founder of the Afro-American Arts Theatre in Philadelphia.
David McKnight
Tom Ormeny
(1946-2023)
Tom Ormeny, born on Apr 17, 1946, in Budapest, Hungary, has passed away from cancer. Tom and his wife, Maria Gobetti, are the co-founders and Artistic Directors of The Victory Theatre Center. Since 1971, Tom had produced, directed, and/or acted in over 100 productions, many at the Victory, many of them world premieres. Most recently, “Who’s Your Daddy?,” dramaturged and directed by Tom, went on to be a critical hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. During their tenure at The Victory, Tom and Maria have produced many world premieres. Thirty years ago, for the debut production of “On the Money,” Tom took over the role of Jack when the actor who played the role had to take more remunerative work. Tom then performed the role for the next five months of that very successful run. I worked with Tom and Maria during the hectic days of Equity’s stomping on and revisioning of the Equity waiver code for L.A.’s 99-seat theaters. Tom worked so actively for arts advocacy. He was instrumental in forming Los Angeles Municipal Promotions (LAMP) that successfully lobbied for the “one percent for the arts” tax for the City of Los Angeles. Since 1989, he has served on the actor/producer side of the Actors’ Equity Review Committee for the Los Angeles 99 Seat Theatre Plan. He served eight terms as the president of the Los Angeles Theatre Alliance. Tom and Maria have also graciously opened the doors of The Victory Theatre Center to ongoing projects such as “Backstory,” a “bi-monthly evening of true stories, poetry, and flights of fancy.” Tom’s passing leaves a hole in the fabric of the Los Angeles theater community.
Excerpt from L.A. Stage Insider by Julio Martinez
Deborah Lawlor
Deborah grew up in Riverside, California. Her father, Arthur A. Culver, was president of the Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper from 1969 to 1984. He remained on the board of directors until his death in 1994. Deborah's brother, Tony Culver, passed away in 2002.
"The Fountain Theatre, as it now exists, would not be if not for Deborah Lawlor," says Sachs. "More than anyone I've ever known, she is the foremost example of utilizing one's privilege for the benefit of others. She will be deeply missed, but she lives on: in Auroville, at the Fountain, and in the hearts of those she touched and the countless lives she changed."
Kristy Johnson
Nobu McCarthy
Emmanuella “Ella” Florence Turenne
(July 4, 1974 - December 25, 2021)
Ella was the beloved daughter of Mathieu and Marie Jocelyne Turenne. Ella was an artist, activist, educator and entrepreneur. Her theatrical career started at the age of 5, and her credits have also extended to the small and large screen. Her first one-women show, Love, Locs and Liberation was a winner of a 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival Scholarship and an Encore Producer Award. At the age of 19, she starred, directed and produced her own television talk show, The Ella Show. As a filmmaker, her work has been showcased in numerous national and international venues.
Ella's passion for creative expression led her to become a prolific poet, writer and journalist. She was a member of several grassroots organizations that empowered communities of color, and she was an avid activist for social justice, equality and positive social change.
Ella will be deeply missed by family and friends.
(November 13, 1934 - April 6, 2002)
Nobu McCarthy was a Japanese Canadian actress who got her start in the 1958 Jerry Lewis comedy, “The Geisha Boy.” Her career spanned the 1950s and 1960s, where her other works include “The Hunters,” “Wake Me When It’s Over,” and “Walk Like a Dragon.”
After taking a small break from acting in the late 1960s, she returned to the stage in the 1970s with the East West Players, the nation’s first Asian American theatre company. After playing various roles onstage, she assumed the role of Artistic Director in 1989. During her time there, The Los Angeles Times reported, "the group's board and fund-raising were expanded, and she made an effort to open up the theatre's programming and behind-the scenes activities to non-Asians and, within the Asian American community, to non-Japanese Americans."
In 1999, she and Danny Glover, our co-founder, starred in Yohen, a play depicting the married life of an American soldier dealing with the traumas of war and his wife. She was described by Julio Martinez of Variety as acting “[perfectly]” in the role, bringing “a riveting level of emotional intensity” to the character of Sumi Washington.
Her significant contributions to the world of Asian American theatre led her and her second husband, William Cuthbert, to receive a lifetime achievement award from East West Players in 1996. Her later credits encompassed notable works such as the 1976 television movie "Farewell to Manzanar," depicting Japanese American relocation camps during World War II, as well as roles in "Karate Kid II" (1986) and "Pacific Heights" (1990).
Nobu McCarthy is survived by two children from her first marriage and three brothers.