JOE MARCHI, LONGTIME CIRCLE MEMBER, LOCAL CRITIC & LECTURER, HAS DIED
         

     It is with great sadness and sorrow that we report that Joe Marchi passed away on April 3, 2012, after a year-long battle with cancer. Besides being a member of the Critics Circle almost since its inception, he was much-loved and respected as a friend and colleague, and will be sorely missed.
     Joe was born May 31, 1930, in San Francisco. He graduated from Mission High and SF State and earned a Masters in Counseling from Columbia. He taught at Aragon High and then at Canada College, where he was also Director of Counseling. He created a peer counseling program at Canada that inspired him to publish a collection of readings called, "Simple Gifts."
     Joe's love of theatre lasted his entire life, and for nearly 20 years after retirement he entertained and enriched countless groups across the Bay Area with his classes on American Musical Theatre. He hosted a radio show on KCSM and, until January of this year, a TV show called "Regards to Broadway" on Pacifica Community Television, celebrating local performances all over our region. He was well-traveled, working with the American Institute for Foreign Study to take groups to London, Paris, and New York; as well as visiting his extended family in Italy.
     Joe will be missed for his lively spirit, his great sense of humor and generosity, and his encyclopedic knowledge of musicals. All who had the good fortune to know him felt the better for it. Joe is survived by his wife Carol, his sons Joe (and his wife Laura) and David (and his partner Jim), and two granddaughters.

                   

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THEATRE CRITICS CIRCLE

ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THREE SPECIAL AWARDS FOR 2011

In addition to the 74 performance award categories for excellence in Bay Area productions in 2011, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle also presents three Special Awards. The SFBATCC is proud to announce the following recipients, who will be presented their awards at the 36th annual awards ceremony on April 2, 2012.

The Paine Knickerbocker Award is named for the former theatre critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and presented to an organization that has made a continuing contribution to Bay Area theatre.This year’s award goes to Shotgun Players. Having just celebrated its 20^th anniversary with a season of five commissioned works, this dedicated theater company continues to present original and thought-provoking productions. Shotgun’s mission is to create bold, relevant, affordable theater that encourages people to examine themselves as well as their community and world.

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The Jerry Friedman Award is named for the KGO Radio theatre critic who served as SFBATCC president for 22 years. This is a lifetime achievement award given to an individual who has furthered the creativity and growth of theater in the Bay Area throughout his/her career.

The 2011 recipient is James Dunn, a longtime faculty member at College of Marin (who discovered Robin Williams, among others). Dunn has been teaching, acting and directing in Marin County for over 50 years. This year's production of The Music Man on Mt. Tamalpais marks his 30th and final season as Artistic Director of the Mountain Play. 

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The Gene Price Award is named for the former arts editor and long-time theatre critic of the San Francisco Bay Times and honors a person who embodies superlative professionalism and passion for Bay Area theatre.
The Circle presents this year’s Award to Tom Kelly, the former long-time San Francisco Bay Times Arts Editor, who promoted theater and theater organizations for many years through his newspaper and arts various organizations. Kelly was also a long-time member of SFBATCC, serving as its president in 2010-2011 before retiring from the organization.