I learned only recently that my friend and colleague Bill Hart had passed away on Sunday, January 20th. I was deeply saddened by the news. I hadn't seen Bill for a number of years, and wasn't aware that he was ill. He apparently had pancreatic cancer.
Bill was well-known by everyone who worked in the downtown theater scene in New York. For many years he served as literary manager at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre. He also directed a famous production of a play starring Robert DeNiro - the only time Mr. DeNiro appeared on Broadway. Bill also had been a long-time friend and colleague of Sam Shepard, directing several of Mr. Shepard's early plays with Theatre Genesis at St. Mark's Church on the Bowery.
I came to know Bill through Joseph Chaikin, when I was invited to join the ensemble of a new collaborative play about disabilities. Bill served as the company's dramaturg, but in many respects was a co-director with Mr. Chaikin. We worked together on the disabilities project over the course of ten years, sometimes with breaks of several months or even a year in between rehearsal periods. Many other artists came to work with the company as writers and contributors. Among them: David Willinger, Charles Mee, Jr., Bell Chevigny, Elizabeth Swados, and John Belluso. The work was presented in its final form as bodySONGS at the Public Theatre in 2001.
Bill had a great sense of humor, although his ideas were sometimes a little dark for Joe Chaikin's tastes. I loved that about Bill. He was always willing to push the work to the edge - exploring the kinky, the perverse, the deviant. This was a nice counter-balance to the kind of humor and levity sought by Joe. It was really Bill who ultimately shaped the piece we performed. He kept track of all of the work that had been created over the ten years, and culled them into a dramatic structure. His intellect was razor sharp.
I enjoyed spending time with Bill. We had drinks and meals together on many occasions. I remember one evening when we dined with Joe Chaikin at the home of Anders Cato. Bill was completely uncensored in his humor. I also remember being at the Acme Cafe on Great Jones Street after a reading of The Late Henry Moss by Sam Shepard. Bill sat across from Sam and the two men talked for hours. Sam needed to hear what Bill had to say about the play. That's how much respect Sam Shepard had for Bill.
Here is the link to Bill's obituary in the New York Times. Like his life, it is much too brief. He will be missed by so many of us.
