Theatre Lab, Florida Stage Founder Louis Tyrell Dies

Florida Atlantic University Theatre Lab announced the sudden passing of Founding Director and Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in the Arts, Louis Tyrell.

A beloved theatre actor, director, producer, and passionate advocate for the arts, Tyrell passed away after a brief illness on April 10, 2026. The announcement was made on the opening night of Theatre Lab’s 20th World Premiere Production and the second annual Owl New Play Festival, which has been dedicated to Tyrell’s memory.

Tyrell’s golden retriever-like spirit was omnipresent, whether he was producing a new play or preparing gourmet meals for close friends every week. According to his obituary, “he created spaces where people felt seen, valued, and heard.”

Tyrell began his South Florida theatre career in 1981 as the founder of the Learning Stage, which was conceived after he received an individual artist grant from the State of Florida to produce a solo show based on the life of Hans Christian Andersen. Over several years, Learning Stage would produce up to four original productions a season that toured various Palm Beach County schools.

Tyrell later established the Theatre Club of the Palm Beaches with Nancy Barnett serving as Managing Director. The company would later change its name to Florida Stage and move to a permanent home at Plaza Del Mar in Manalapan.

In its first 20 seasons, Florida Stage produced over 100 plays, including 25 world premieres. Florida Stage was a pioneer in the development of new plays, serving as an artistic home to playwrights like Deborah Zoe Laufer, Michael McKeever, Christopher Demos-Brown and Carter W. Lewis.

After relocating to the Kravis Center’s Rinker Playhouse in 2010, Florida Stage would cease operations in 2011. Tyrell then founded Theatre at Arts Garage in Delray Beach, which would later become Boca Stage.

In 2015, Tyrell partnered with FAU to form Theatre Lab. Despite initially performing in a former frozen yogurt shop, Theatre Lab evolved into a professional laboratory for new works, staging 25 critically acclaimed world, regional, and US premiere productions.

Tyrell stepped down as Theatre Lab’s Producing Artistic Director in 2018, but remained influential in the company’s continued growth. Matt Stabile, who first met Tyrell while working at Arts Garage, serves as Producing Artistic Director to this day.

In a statement posted on social media, Stabile writes that Tyrell “was an undeniable force in both the South Florida Theatre Community and the American Theatre ecosystem…[His] incredible passion for the Theatre was not fueled by the accolades or applause that came with it. What enchanted him about this art form was the people. The people who make it. The people who love it as he did.”

Tyrell is survived by his wife of 46 years, Kathleen Holmes, along with four-legged friends T, Vivian, Olivia, Clea Rose, Harry Pajamas, Ruby, and Maybelline. Theatre Lab plans to schedule an event celebrating Tyrell’s life later this month.