Playwright Edward Allan Baker Passes Away at 71
Ed Baker’s work touched thousands of audiences, actors, directors, producers, and theatre companies.
With great sadness, we announce the loss of Edward Allan Baker, beloved father, grandfather, brother, husband, playwright, teacher, colleague, and friend. Ed Baker passed away on Saturday evening, November 20th 2021, surrounded by love from friends and family, at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT.
"Edward Allan Baker is the real thing, a hard hitting East Coast playwright, with a firm command of the issues of the day," said John Patrick Shanley
Born in Providence, RI on June 18, 1950, Ed was the son of Rose Walsh Baker and Edward "Booker" Baker. He was a loving father to Marlena Aakjar, Dylan Baker, and Alexander Baker, father-in-law to Raymond Aakjar and Kirsten Haaland, and grandfather to Kai Haaland-Warwick and Adrienne Aakjar. He was the eldest of 8 children and uncle to 11 nieces and nephews.
Ed Baker was an extraordinary playwright with a unique voice, the voice of those he called "people born to brick and asphalt, who don't have bad days, they have bad years." He was an inspiring teacher and a hugely generous spirit to all who knew him.
Ed had devoted over 50 years of his life to the theatre. He was a member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre, a recipient of "The 25th Anniversary Award For Theatrical Excellence," by E.S.T., and a lifelong member of The Dramatists Guild. He taught playwriting at the University of Hartford and Sarah Lawrence College, and joined The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in 2006, where he created and led the hugely successful Playwriting Program.
He has written over 30 plays. His one-acts, "Dolores," "North of Providence" and "Rosemary with Ginger" chief among them, have been staged frequently in the US and translated and produced worldwide, including Mexico City, British Columbia, Dublin, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, and Hamburg. He has also written for HBO and Showtime.
Ed Baker's work touched thousands of audiences, actors, directors, producers, and theatre companies. His dedication to and thirst for truth and raw voices has inspired and will continue to affect many generations of artists. His work is done consistently and passionately in classes and colleges around the globe.
Ed was a lifelong fan of "The Honeymooners," the Boston Red Sox, Van Morrison, Jack Kerouac, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, fish & chips, drum solos, ironworkers, Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, yellow legal pads, reading The New York Times on Sunday mornings, typewriters, a wiffle ball home run derby, NBA playoffs, raking leaves, pastries with coffee, his cats, giving books as gifts with his words of love and wisdom always scrawled inside, reenacting comical occurrences that had previously happened to him, and mentoring troubled teens through life's twisted hardships. His greatest love was for his family, and his extended family.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit https://www.forevermissed.com/edward-allan-baker/about.
