Martin Benson, founding artistic director of South Coast Repertory, has died. He was 87.
Benson, an award-winning director of 119 SCR productions, served as SCR’s co-artistic director alongside David Emmes for 46 years. Together, Emmes and Benson established SCR as a regional theatre powerhouse.
“Martin and I enjoyed a friendship and partnership for more than 60 years,” Emmes said in a statement. “Our artistic vision, a lofty dream, was realized through the extraordinary leadership and support of our SCR Boards. Their guidance, along with the relentless commitment of our artists and staff, has made our dream a reality.”
SCR Artistic Director David Ivers called Benson “a shining light for South Coast Repertory, a pioneer here and in our field.”
“Kind, thoughtful and deeply curious, Martin was always ready with a poignant word, a handshake of support and an appetite for the work,” he said in a statement. “He will be sorely missed, but his fine example of craft and leadership endures. We owe him much and vow to honor his great legacy.”
Under Emmes and Benson’s leadership, SCR earned numerous honors, including the 1988 Tony Award for Outstanding Resident Professional Theatre from the American Theatre Wing and the 1995 LA Ovation Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2002, their $50 million Next Stage campaign culminated in the opening of the Folino Theatre Center. In 2014, the complex was renamed the David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center, honoring the founders at the request of its previous namesake, philanthropist and former Board President Paul Folino.
SCR will dedicate the Dec. 20 performance of “A Christmas Carol” to Benson, dimming the theatre’s lights to celebrate his legacy, alongside many artists with longtime affiliations with the company.
