An online message board has been created for people to share
their stories and memories about Dan's life. Please note that the link is
case sensitive. The "M" in "Magik" is capitalized.
http://members.boardhost.com/Magik/
Here you can also see some memories of Dan in photographs.
(editor note:
unfortunately, this message board seems to have been deactivated)
The officers and membership of the San Antonio Theatre
Coalition, wish to express our profound sadness at the death of our friend and
colleague Dan McLaughlin. The loss of so talented and vital an artist,
administrator, organizer and activist, leaves our community measurably
diminished. As a founding member of SATCO, Dan worked tirelessly through the
difficulties of our formative years, and shared in our triumphs. He served
tirelessly as co-chair of the SATCO Living Legends Galas, and the Performance
Sampler, at the same time he tackled a professional work-load as director,
actor, teacher and publicist for his theater company that can only be described
as awesome.
While Dan McLaughlin is irreplaceable, we are heartened by the
legacy he left behind of bountiful creativity, good humor, and artistic
integrity. No one who worked with him, no one who was touched by his work, and
there are many, will ever forget him. We deeply regret his untimely passing, and
we are deeply grateful that he lived.
Message from SATCO President, Laurie Dietrich:
I am saddened to announce that Dan McLaughlin, most recently of
the Magik Children's
Theatre but an actor, director, and personality who has been a fixture in the
San Antonio
theatre community for many, many years, died the afternoon of July 6, apparently
of
complications related to heart disease, in the hospital where he had been for a
little
over a week.
There will be a memorial service on Tuesday evening, July 10, beginning at
7pm at the
Magik Children's Theatre. Free parking is available next to Beethoven Hall
and in the
SAISD lot on the corner of Alamo and Durango.
Anyone who has worked with Dan in a show or elsewhere is urged to bring a photo
if they have one. A collage will be built with photos from Dan's life
Richard Rosen will give a short talk about someone who started working with him
as an intern when he was 16. Then, anyone who wants will be able to share
a memory of Dan with all of us. The intent is to make this a joyous
celebration. As Rosen says, "this theatre is filled with Dan and
always will be."
His Magik Theatre family are asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made
to a fund
that will be established in Dan's name that will benefit the community he was so
much a
part of. The specific uses of the fund will be determined by three
appointed trustees, as
yet un-named.
Call the theatre at (210) 227-2751 for more information on donating to the fund,
for
directions or other details about the service.
I wish to extend, on behalf of SATCO and personally, my heartfelt condolences to
Richard Rosen, the people at Magik, Dan's friends and all those whose lives his
touched. This is a great loss to our community.
Laurie Dietrich
SATCO President
Diana Brown
SATCO Playbill editor
Ayn Philips
SATCO "E-Auditions, Etc." editor
DANIEL LEE McLAUGHLIN - 07/09/2001
October 16, 1953 - July 6, 2001 Dan McLaughlin, a renowned local actor and
director, died Friday at 2:30 P.M. in University Hospital from complications due
to heart problems. Dan's resume is so long, it can't be listed, but he has
appeared at almost every theatre in San Antonio during the last 31 years. He
began his professional career as an intern at the Melodrama Theatre in 1971. He
worked there until the company went on the road with the hit rock opera,
'ALICE'. He later performed with Mister Moons Magic Theater, a touring group.
Dan was a graduate of South San High School where he was a student of Charley
McCauley. He got his BA from Incarnate Word College under Maureen and Ronnie
Ibbs, and spent one year of Graduate School at Portland University. He later
worked for The San Antonio Library Foundation, and in 1993, became one of the
founders of The Commerce Street Stage which later became The Magik Children's
Theatre. Since that time, Dan appeared in over 70 productions and over 400
performances. He directed hit plays like Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and
Ramona Quimby, and was in charge of public relations for the theatre. Dan was
also a teacher in the MCT Academy and summer camp, and his love for children
touched and changed the lives of countless numbers of young people. Dan was
honored with Globe Awards as well as the love and respect of the entire theatre
community, most of whom worked with him at one time or another. He is survived
by his sister, Dorothy from Wharton, TX, and the entire resident company of The
Magik Children's Theatre, who in the course of time became true family members.
A Memorial Service will be held at The Magik Theatre at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday,
July 10, 2001. Anyone who has appeared in a play with Dan and has a picture they
want to add+ to a collage of memories are asked to bring them. In lieu of
flowers, a memorial fund will be set up in Dan's name to contribute a
significant gift to the children who attend theatre and classes in San Antonio
originally
posted on Express News website
