Kathryn Dene Beall, longtime artistic manager of Olympia Little Theatre, died March 16. She was 55.
Beall, who directed 19 plays in her 20 years with the theater company, was a woman of many facets — a self-proclaimed Southern belle who could be fierce when necessary, a gifted director of farces, a skilled data analyst, and a single woman with a big and loving theater family.
She was also, as best friend and fellow OLT mainstay Toni Holm can attest, a woman of big ideas.
“We were sort of Lucy and Ethel,” Holm said. “Kathryn was Lucy. She always had the wild ideas.”
Those ideas included sets that rolled, major renovations to the theater, and an impromptu trip to Sheffield, England, to see Sir Derek Jacobi in “The Tempest.”
Though her creativity flowed freely, Beall also had a gift for organization, planning and details. She had a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Virginia and worked for more than 20 years as a data analyst for the state Department of Social and Health Services.
She also spent 20 years as the primary force behind Olympia Little Theatre, Olympia’s oldest live theater. She was artistic manager for seven years and worked on more than 40 plays.
“She was a leader,” Holm said. “She brought a certain order to the theater. It was important to her that things be done right.
“Kathryn loved all kinds of theater,” she said, “but her forté as a director was meticulously crafted farces.”
Beall was slated to direct another farce in June, Alan Ayckbourn’s “Communicating Doors,” which included not only the usual mistaken identity and accidents of timing, but also time travel.
“We decided there was no one else at the theater who could do it justice,” Holm said, so the theater has changed plans and will instead stage “Love Letters” by A.R. Guerney.
Beall was known for encouraging others, including Holm, to get involved in theater.
One of her many protégés was Julia VanDerslice, who was 13 when she began volunteering backstage.
“I was going through a rough time, and it was a wonderful safe spot,” said VanDerslice, now studying veterinary medicine at Washington State University in Pullman. “Kathryn and Toni really welcomed me into the theater. They taught me so much about theater and about life in general.”
She worked backstage at the theater for nearly 10 years, going on to direct 2013’s “Premiere.” Beall backed her up as stage manager.
Most recently, VanDerslice helped at the theater while in Olympia over spring break, doing the lighting design for “The Trip to Bountiful,” which will run through April 9. That show’s director, James Patrick, has dedicated it to Beall.
Though she was kind, soft spoken and known for her smile, Beall was strong, too, Holm said. She stood up for herself — taking tools in hand to rebuild a set when she spotted a problem with it. And she stood up for others — including standing between a violent husband and the wife who’d recently left him.
She stood up to cancer, too. After her diagnosis with metastatic breast cancer 2 1/2 years ago, she went through treatment and kept on going. She continued to travel, direct plays (her last was September’s “An Act of the Imagination”), and recently adopted a shelter cat. She worked for DSHS until weeks before her death.
Beall, born Aug. 2, 1961, in Charlottesville, Virginia, died at home, surrounded by friends. She is survived by her brother, Edwin “Dale” Beall, of Richmond, Virginia.
There will be an open memorial celebration from 7:25-9:25 p.m. April 22 at the theater, 1925 Miller Ave., Olympia. In lieu of flowers, donations to the theater may be sent to P.O. Box 7882, Olympia, WA 98507.
Those who knew Beall or saw her productions are encouraged to contribute to a memory book. Email memorybook@olympialittletheater.org or send postal mail to the address above.
Among the memories that will be shared at the celebration are the hats Beall collected in her travels.
“She left many, many hats behind,” Holm said. “Her friends and theater family have been coming by, and each of them has a hat, and we’re all going to wear them at her memorial service.”