Best of our Community

Will Schutz was my friend. To my great regret, I hadn't seen him for years and I was unaware of how badly his health had deteriorated in the past six months. Will died of pancreatic cancer on May 25, just a few days before his 48th birthday. I'm very saddened by his death. There are many more who knew him better than I who feel the pain of his loss deeply. He was an integral member of the Chicago non-Equity theater community who gave everything he had to Chicago Theater because he loved it so much. I can safely say the feelings were mutual. Will illustrated many things about Chicago Theater in both his life and death.

I find the Chicago Theater community to be incredibly close yet scattered at the same time. We are a small group and many close bonds are formed during the course of rehearsals and performances. Though friendships remain, sometimes we lose close touch with each other over the years due to circumstances, life changes, and simply not being in shows together. We warmly greet each other when we do come in contact, regardless of the circumstances, but maintaining close contact with our castmates can be difficult, especially because plenty of us do so many shows all over the city. Regardless of circumstance, I feel I failed Will as someone I knew well when I did a show with him in 1999. I should have checked up on him better, especially when I discovered his health was worsening. However, Will was the kind of person, I believe, who would not begrudge me for lack of contact over the years. Within the community, losing touch over time isn't discounting anyone's friendships; part of that is the assumption that we'll always see each other later, and we usually do. Will was like that, but he was also a much, much better person than most. This was abundantly clear during his memorial service as a large contingent of Chicago's non-Equity theater community came to pay their respects.

Hundreds of people gathered in the Viaduct for a very moving service. This show of love plus an article by Catey Sullivan detailing Will's battle with cancer, and Kris Vire's Time Out article are just a few examples of how well regarded Will Schutz was in all he did. Will was someone who endeared himself to many and, through his prolific talents and work with many companies, ended up becoming a unifying force for Chicago Theater. Will's death brought our scattered, close-knit community together for one night to mourn and celebrate what he gave to us. I spoke to people I hadn't seen in years, renewing contact with old friends while sitting alongside my beloved Factory company members. In a way, it felt like Will was giving ME a parting gift, even though I owed him time and support I can no longer give. Will was a good guy that way. He'd give to everyone else first, and that's why he was among the best of our community.