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Frank Wittow,
The Academy Theatre's Founder and Visionary
1930-2006
Frank Wittow Tribute
a visual composition designed by Sabina Maja Angel
music excerpt: Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, II Adagio assai,
Louis Lortie, piano, London Symphony Orchestra,
Rafael Frhbeck De Burgos, Conductor
Frank, originally from Lorain, Ohio, founded the Academy Theatre in 1956. He was the Artistic Director of the Academy Theatre from 1956 until his death in April, 2006. During his life he directed over 200 productions: plays, musical theatre and opera, in New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Montreal, Philadelphia and L.A. As an actor, he appeared in over 150 roles, including leading roles in A Touch of the Poet, Waiting for Godot, King Lear, Macbeth, and Death of a Salesman. He established community outreach programs at the Academy Theatre which included play development with at-risk youth and the Academy Theatre for Youth Artists-In-Schools Southeastern tour which is an issue-oriented theatrical touring team which performs for students in grades K-12. He was the recipient of an Atlanta Critics Circle Award, Man of the Year in the Arts, Georgia Governor's Award in the Arts, and the Coca-Cola "Abby" Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Arts Leadership. He worked as a director/dramaturg with Barbara Lebow over the past thirty years, most recently directing Lurleen at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
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