Director Bill Gile Remembered at Goodspeed, 11/3

This Thursday, November 3, Goodspeed Musicals will celebrate the life and artistic contributions of longtime Goodspeed Director and Broadway luminary, Bill Gile. His tremendous talent, devotion and passion for theatre will be recognized with the dedication of Goodspeed Musicals' 7:30 p.m. performance of City of Angels on the very stage where Mr. Gile brought joy to thousands with his numerous productions in the 1970s and 80s. Beginning with Bloomer Girl in 1971, Bill shepherded a dozen shows onto the Goodspeed Opera House stage and beyond. He brought his productions Very Good Eddie and Going Up to Broadway earning a Tony Award Nomination for Best Director in 1975. Goodspeed Musicals' Executive Director and longtime friend Michael Price stated, "We are proud of Bill's contributions to the world of musical theatre. We will miss him greatly." His other Goodspeed shows included Girl Crazy (1971), Hubba Hubba (1971), Good News (1972), Sunny (1972), Where's Charley (1972), Dearest Enemy (1976), Sweet Adeline (1977), Lock Up Your Daughters (1982), and Miss Liberty (1983).

Later in his career, Mr. Gile took on the role of Creative Director and Producer of Theatre at NJIT. He taught and directed plays and musicals for nearly forty years introducing scores of young people to the world of theatre. The memorial for Bill Gile, to be held at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Jim Wise Theatre, Kupfrian Hall, will be hosted by The Rutgers-New Jersey Institute of Technology Theatre program and friends. The memorial service will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday November 3, with refreshments to follow.

Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional productions at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The first regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre.

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