20 Facts About Ellen Stewart

Ellen Stewart was an American theatre director and producer and the founder of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.

Ellen Stewart was born in either Chicago, Illinois or Alexandria, Louisiana.

Around 1939, Ellen Stewart may have become the second wife of Larry Lebanus Hovell, a Chicago waiter who was a native of Alexandria, Louisiana, though it is possible they never wed legally.

Ellen Stewart moved to New York City in 1950, where she worked as a trimmer in the brassiere-and-corset department at Saks Fifth Avenue and later as a dress designer under the direction of Edith Lances, head of the custom-corset department of the store.

Ellen Stewart continued to work as a fashion designer throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Ellen Stewart had no background in theatre, yet she became a key figure in the beginnings of the Off-Off-Broadway movement.

In 1961, Ellen Stewart founded Cafe La MaMa together with Paul Foster and others.

Ellen Stewart had an incredible work ethic and dedication, and her influence on experimental theatre was enormous.

In 1974, Ellen Stewart converted a former television studio at 66 East Fourth Street into a 295-seat theatre entitled, La MaMa Annex.

In 1992, Ellen Stewart was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Ellen Stewart was the first Off-Off-Broadway Producer to receive this honor.

Ellen Stewart directed the Great Jones Repertory Company in Mythos Oedipus at the Delphi Stadium during their 1985 tour of Greece.

Ellen Stewart's work was produced internationally in Uruguay, Argentina, Austria, Italy, Turkey, the Philippines, Cameroon, Central Africa, Republic, Senegal, Nigeria, Brazil, Haiti, Morocco, Israel, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia.

Ellen Stewart both presented theatre and taught in many of these nations.

Ellen Stewart was a visiting professor at the Institute of Drama in South Korea and was a member of the Seoul International Theatre Institute.

The New Eastern European Theatre was introduced to La MaMa when Ellen Stewart brought Jerzy Grotowski, Ryszard Cieslak, and Ludwig Flaszen to visit the United States with support from Ted Hoffman of New York University.

Ellen Stewart was appointed an officer in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France and received a Distinguished Services to Art and Culture Award in Ukraine.

Ellen Stewart received an award from Japan and a human rights award from the Philippines.

Ellen Stewart died on January 13,2011, at the age of 91.

Ellen Stewart had a history of heart trouble and died at Mount Sinai Beth Israel after a long illness.