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Bay area theater community mourns Tampa Rep’s C. David Frankel

Bill DeYoung

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C. David Frankel and Connie Lamarca-Frankel. Photos: Tampa Repertory Theatre.

The lights of Tampa Bay’s stage community dimmed considerably last week with the passing of longtime University of South Florida professor C. David Frankel, a co-founder of the professional, nonprofit Tampa Repertory Theatre.

Frankel lost a three-year battle with lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) March 5, at the age of 65.

Frankel, his wife Connie LaMarca-Frankel, Emilia Sargent and Ned Averill-Snell launched Tampa Rep in 2011. Frankel held the all-important Artistic Director title.

“It was really David’s brainchild,” Averill-Snell said. “He felt that there were a number of genres of plays that were not being terribly well served by the community as it was. Particularly American classics. Having a theater company was a dream of his. He’d wanted to do it for a long time.”

The company’s production of King Lear, scheduled for May 29 through June 14, will go on as planned, said Sargent, who was named Co-Artistic Director in February.

Frankel was a native of Long Island, New York. He held a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University, and an MFA in directing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He joined the University of South Florida faculty in 1994, as Assistant Director of Theatre in the Department of Theatre and Dance.

“We had lots and lots of talks about theater in general, and about how the classics were ignored, for the most part,” said Karla Hartley, Stageworks Theatre’s Artistic Director. “And then when he finally opened Tampa Rep, with a view of really making sure the American classic was not a thing that was going by the wayside, I certainly celebrated it. And he did a lot of good work there.”

Frankel, points out Averill-Snell, “was very, very funny. Unbelievably funny man. He was also very humble and very kind.

“He was brilliant, very well-read and educated in the theater – knew everything and knew everybody. But he was uncommonly gentle and sweet-natured, and a mentor to a couple generations of local actors and directors.”

Still, added Averill-Snell, “He would have never said anything about his legacy or his impact. In fact, he would have made a joke about it. He was not a believer in blowing his horn.”

Friends, colleagues and former students paid homage to Frankel on social media:

He was a great man who improved theatre in this community more than I think he even knew. Thank you, C. David Frankel – you loved what you did and it loved you right back. Cassidy Brooks

We shared a fondness for fried chicken and coffee. Not always at the same time, natch. And not that there is anything wrong with the combination. We also clearly both shared a love of theater. Not just in practice but in theory. He always struck me as someone who relished the world and was engaged in whatever it had to offer: if it was going his way or when he had grievances, when he saw hope, when he was disappointed. Etc. He was among the rarest of birds. I’m having one of those moments when you wish you would have just said things directly to a person with some kind of clarity when you had the time instead of eulogizing. He, if anyone, would find humor in this dilemma. David Jenkins, Artistic Director, Jobsite Theatre

He had the power to make his students weep when he explained existential crises, or bring an audience to awe with his acting/directing methods. Between David, his fantastic son and his wonderful wife, the Frankels gave me the opportunity to grow as a stage manager, actor and thespian. Taylor Cooper

His candor and optimism during his illness were inspiring, and somehow I thought that if anyone could lick this thing, it would be David. He was a brave and wise man in life as well as in his art, and we are all better for having known him. David Warner, editor-in-chief, Dupont Registry

I oftentimes wondered if he himself knew just how important he was to so many people. I think there were glimpses when he realized it, but there isn’t enough to be said about how instrumental he was to the growth, the lives of so many people. How I wish we could calculate how many lives he’s steered towards purpose, how many relationships were ignited through his work, and how much he cared for his people – and how that love echoed beyond his words. Nick Hoop

I am so incredibly thankful and grateful our paths crossed in this wild world we live in. When I first arrived in Tampa pursuing my acting career, you not only greeted me with open arms, but gave me opportunities and put your trust in me to expand and grow my acting. You believed in me and I will be forever grateful for that. Emily Belvo

He often inspired me to keep my passion for performing alive. From asking the thoughtful questions about the works we were studying, to making me chuckle and then smiling at me because it was something he said partially in Yiddish, and I was the only one who understood it. His is a bright light that will be dearly missed. Kimberly Schwartz

He made me fall in love with script analysis and learn to really get to the root as we brought shows to life. He taught with such passion and calm patience as we all leaned in to hear more. Anne Banning

I will miss his encouragement, infectious laugh, the lingering smell of pipe tobacco, encyclopedic knowledge, and our greasy diner breakfasts at the Westway Diner. I can’t help but smile at the thought of Frankel and James Lipton sharing stories of their students. Nathan Sheffield

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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    Falcon NA

    March 22, 2020at10:19 am

    In the early 1990s, as I was unpacking all my belongings into a storage unit near Dade City, David wandered in. These were terribly dark days for me – I’d lost my business and had to immediately transition to teaching in Florida. My family was in Atlanta. David bought us some Gatorade, which he never seemed to be without, and we began talking. Until I left Florida, a decision I still regret, I saw David nearly every day. We were close and we talked about everything – even rode bikes together. And Connie, she was amazing. I went back to “my place on the coach” a number of times over the years.

    David was amazing. Connie so loving. I feel as though the center of my family has been lost.

    (My name formerly was Tom Milazzo)

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