Vaughn McBride, a playwright and regional theatre actor with credits at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Long Wharf Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse and elsewhere, died Nov. 24 of cancer in Salt Lake City, according to colleagues in the theatre community.
Mr. McBride, 66, was a longtime Actors Theatre of Louisville company member who was also a founding member of Long Wharf in New Haven, CT, where he appeared in The Crucible, the Hostage, Private Eye and The Public Ear. He also wrote plays, taught and directed, becoming an important presence in Louisville for more than 20 years. Between 1970-1994, Mr. McBride was a resident acting company member at Actors Theatre of Louisville, logging 18 years of A Christmas Carol (playing a high-stepping Mr. Fezziwigg and others) and many classic works. He established the still-continuing apprentice program there. He also created the State Tour program for Actors Theatre as well as Adventure Theatre. He toured overseas with ATL to Hong Kong and Poland.
Also in Louisville, Mr. McBride was a co-founder of Walden Theatre's Young Playwrights program starting in 1981, and was the troupe's Playwright in Residence. He taught playwriting to school-age children, and the program led to several published collections of monologues for young actors. Mr. McBride's plays, Let's Us, New Girl and Good Old Boy, were produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Manhattan Theatre Club staged his play, Elba, in 1983, starring James Whitmore and Audra Lindley.
He performed in more than 50 productions at the Cleveland Playhouse 1961-1971, including Creon in Antigone. He also acted for several summers as a member of the Chautauqua Summer Theatre in New York state. He served several seasons as a resident director of the Timberlake Playhouse.
Mr. McBride's other published and produced writings include Small Halos, Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son, The Lie, Echoes, My Name is Linda and more. Mr. McBride is survived by his mother, Oleta, sister Carolee Baumgart, and nieces and nephews, all of Salt Lake City.
— By Kenneth Jones
