Veteran stage manager Joseph E. McGuire II died on March 10 due to natural causes in his New York City home. He was 66.
Born in Worcester, Mass., he graduated from Catholic University in 1978 with a B.F.A. in drama. McGuire first began his career as an actor, touring as Thomas Edison in “Young Tom Edison” and then performing in the pre-Broadway run of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Olney Theatre.
After his time on the stage, McGuire then moved behind the curtain, becoming a stage manager for many off-Broadway shows including “Toni and Tina’s Wedding,” “The Kathy and Mo Show,” “Maybe Baby It’s You,” “Closer Than Ever,” “Sight Unseen,” “Hurly Burly,” among many more.
McGuire had said his favorite job was serving as the “Blue Man Group’s” production supervisor. McGuire was also the production supervisor at The La Gran Scena Opera, and worked on touring productions, managing the European tour of “Phantom of the Opera” and the Tokyo tour of “Beehive.”
In addition to tours and off-Broadway productions, he was the resident stage manager at the Westport Country Playhouse, the National Actor’s Theatre, the Yale Repertory Theatre and the Pirate Playhouse. Towards the end of his career McGuire established his own production company, My Friend Entertainment and pivoted to freelance production, contributing at Hemming and Gilman Productions. At Hemming and Gilman Productions, McGuire advanced to vice president in charge of production, which allowed him to plan, design and manage many events, including the opening and closing ceremonies for the New York Yankees, The Ellis Island Awards and the reopening of the Statue of Liberty.
He is survived by his siblings, John K. McGuire Jr., Christopher C. McGuire, Caroline J. Llewellyn, Julia A. Whitney, and his nieces and nephews, Megan McGuire, Connor McGuire, Callie Llewellyn, John Llewellyn, Joseph Llewellyn, Ella Whitney, Jack Whitney and Julia Whitney.
