Stage Door News
Stratford: Bobby Garcia, who was to make his Stratford Festival debut in 2025, dies at age 55
Thursday, December 19, 2024
The Stratford Festival is mourning the loss of a “good person and talented artist” who was preparing to make his debut with the company in 2025.
Bobby Garcia, who stepped aside earlier this month from his role as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels director, died on Tuesday, his family announced.
“He was such a nice guy, such a smart person and experienced person in the theatre,” Stratford Festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino said. “He pretty quickly became a friend, and I was looking forward to seeing his work this coming year. (His death) was a bit of a shock.”
Cimolino met Garcia, 55, for the first time last year, but the pair had spoken “quite a lot” during the past 12 months about Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and in meetings for the upcoming season.
“Everybody around him (in the production) is not only top drawer but also great people – people who are collaborative, generous and kind,” Cimolino said. “The decisions that he made as far as who is in the cast and on the creative team are what will help the new director succeed. They will be able to bounce back and be inspired by (Garcia’s) generosity and brilliant energy and persona to make this something his spirit will be very proud of.”
The Filipino Canadian was “brilliant” and “worked with exceptional people throughout his career,” Cimolino said. Garcia, who co-founded one of Asia’s most prolific and successful theatre companies in 1999, directed more than 50 musicals across Canada and Asia, and gave countless opportunities to Filipino artists.
He co-produced Here Lies Love, a musical about former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos, that received four Tony Award nominations for its Broadway run.
“Bobby was one of the most beautiful persons inside and out,” Boy Abunda, a Filipino journalist and one of Garcia’s best friends, said on his talk show Wednesday. “You will be missed, and wherever you are, I know you’re in heaven. But Bobby, I want you to know that you’re loved.”
Garcia was nominated for and won other major awards, including three Aliw Awards, which recognize achievements in the live entertainment industry in the Philippines, and was inducted into the Aliw Hall of Fame.
“It was one of those stories of a Canadian who had an outstanding career, and I wanted to bring him to Stratford,” Cimolino said. “As I watched the creative process unfold (with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), the decisions he was making . . . he brought together an extraordinary group of people.”
The Festival announced that Tracey Flye will fill Garcia’s role. Flye has worked in Stratford before, both as a director and choreographer, but will have the chance to do both in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Cimolino said. Colleagues, especially those on the production’s creative team, said Flye “will be fantastic,” Cimolino added.
“Given . . . her outstanding experience and talent, it felt like the right decision to make.”
It’s not the first time the Festival has had to pivot due to health issues affecting a cast or creative member. Cimolino recalled the 2013 season, his first as artistic director, when legendary actor Brian Bedford had to withdraw from his role as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, which Cimolino directed. Bedford, who died in 2016, also directed Blithe Spirit in 2013.
News of Garcia’s death, just days after he was forced to step aside, struck the company hard, Cimolino said. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will be dedicated to Garcia’s memory.
”He was a good person and a talented artist,” he said. “It’s a lot to wrestle with. We’re not only a group of professionals, but we become great friends and colleagues. It becomes personal in the best way. It becomes hard news to take, and you want to do everything you can to support each other.”
by Cory Smith for www.stratfordbeaconherald.com.
Photo: Bobby Garcia. © Laura Baldwinson.