Syracuse Stage Artistic Director, Arthur Storch, Dies at Age 87

Arthur Storch, founding producing artistic director of Syracuse Stage and former chair of Syracuse University's Drama Department, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87.

Storch was an actor, director and producer. He acted in several Broadway productions, including "Look Homeward, Angel," and played a psychiatrist in the blockbuster movie "The Exorcist" (1973) before coming to Syracuse. As a director in New York, he worked with Al Pacino in "The Local Stigmatic," Geraldine Page in "Clarence," JoAnne Woodward in "Hay Fever" and Alan Alda in "The Owl and the Pussycat," to name a few.

Storch's last production at Syracuse Stage was A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters" in 1992, his final year as producing artistic director. He not only directed but acted in the play and cast his former wife, Virginia Kiser, as his leading lady.

Storch was married five times and is survived by his three children, two sons and a daughter.

The Syracuse Stage and Syracuse University Drama Department co-production of "A Midsummer Dream's Night," which opens Friday, will be dedicated to the memory of Storch.

The Syracuse Stage Facebook page had the following statement:

"We feel and see his impact and contribution to the performing arts in Syracuse everyday."