HOUSTON – The founder of Theatre Under the Stars, 77-year-old Frank M. Young, has died, theater officials said Tuesday.
Young, a Houston native, passed away last Wednesday.
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He grew up in Pasadena, and produced his first show -- a production of “The Boy Friend,” which earned rave reviews -- in 1964.
Young went on to form several theatrical endeavors beginning with Trio Productions, which produced shows that toured the southwest United States and Mexico, including a production of “West Side Story” starring Chita Rivera. From there, he created Theatre IV in Houston -- so named because Houston already had three major theaters at the time -- the Alley, the Playhouse and Theatre Inc., according to a theater news release.
“In 1968, Frank was offered the opportunity to produce a musical for the new Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. He established a nonprofit company to produce this show and called it Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS),” the release goes on to say. “That show, Bells Are Ringing, began a tradition of TUTS performing two shows at Miller every summer. The production was lauded by critics and audiences alike. TUTS grew from that first performance to gain a national reputation as a go-to for quality musical theater. Stars like Patrick Swayze, Debbie Allen, Tony Randall, Cathy Rigby, Tommy Tune, Debbie Reynolds, and many more came to perform in productions at TUTS. In 1993, TUTS collaborated with Walt Disney Theatrical Productions on the world premiere of 'Beauty and the Beast.' Forty-nine years later, TUTS has done more than 300 productions."
Dan Knechtges, artistic director for Theatre Under The Stars, called Young a “visionary leader.”
In 1989, Young founded The 5th Avenue Theatre Association, a nonprofit group that was under his artistic management from 1989-2000.
Frank also created the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in April 1985, when the directors of 43 theaters and operas came together at TUTS to discuss the state of the industry in America, the release said.
Officials didn't reveal his cause of death.
