Producer Guy Bergquist Retires After 25 Years with Arena Stage

As of December 31, 2010 Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater's Facility Project Director Guy Bergquist, who for most of his combined 25 years with the company served in one lead producing role or another, has officially retired.

"There may never be another who knows the history of Arena's operations inside and out like Guy," shares Artistic Director Molly Smith, who has worked with him during the 12 years she's been with the theater. "There's certainly no one who could have managed the construction of the Mead Center in the way that he did assuring that the center was on time and on budget. He has the sensibility of an artist and was particularly strong with his ideas on design through his years at Arena. I think of Mount Denali when I think of Guy-he always made sure we had the right team to make it to the top in any Arena undertaking."

Bergquist joined Arena's staff in 1982 and has served as production manager and producer for most of the years since then, supervising the allocation and use of all production resources and implementing the artistic vision. Since 2005, he served as facility project director, coordinating construction of Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. In addition to leading the work on the $135 million renovation and expansion, he served as the company's interim managing director from April 2008 to April 2009. Before joining Arena, Bergquist served as production stage manager for Hartford Ballet. He also co-owned Melodrama Theater in Austin, Texas. For 10 years, he was associated with the O'Neill Theatre Center, as stage manager for the National Theater of the Deaf and as production manager for the National Playwrights Conference. He served as producing director of the Theater and Interpretation Center at Northwestern University from 1993 to 1997.

Arena Stage Managing Director Edgar Dobie adds about Bergquist's retirement, "Someone as fierce, direct, feared, loved, humorous and loving can never really leave a place. He is one of the most skilled and full-hearted people I have come across in my 35 years in the business. He was out in front of every project, especially the Mead Center, and never took his eye off the ball. His wisdom and grace are baked into this building forever."

Bergquist is one of a handful of people who has worked for all three of the company's Artistic Directors: Smith, Douglas Wager and Founding Artistic Director Zelda Fichandler. He continues to keep a close relationship with Fichandler, who shared this about him during a going away gathering: "We were all especially dazzled by his amazing work on this magnificent building, which we know would not have been as dazzling and far less useable without him. He has deeply affected this institution."

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is a national center dedicated to the production, presentation, development and study of American theater. Arena Stage produces huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays through the American Voices New Play Institute. Now in its sixth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 200,000. www.arenastage.org

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