Malcolm James MORRISON

MORRISON, Malcolm James


Malcolm James Morrison of West Hartford, darling husband of Johanna (Rogan) Morrison, much loved father of Niki (Morrison) Balestra and devoted grandfather of Jennifer Balestra went gently into that good night on Friday, November 8, 2013, after an heroic fight against the dying of the light. For 10 years he successfully won the battle against cancer with his usual grace, dignity, and brilliant spirit. Malcolm's incredible legacy will forever live on in the hearts of his family, dear friends, students, and colleagues throughout the world. Malcolm was born in Eastbourne, England, on May 1st, 1940 to Doris Catherine and James Humphrey Morrison. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Johanna, of West Hartford; daughter Niki; granddaughter, Jennifer Balestra (or as Grandad called her "the divine"); son-in-law, James Balestra; identical twin brother, Ian Charles Morrison and wife Alison Morrison, of Hereford, England; and his sister Fiona (Morrison) Lane and her husband Rick Lane of Staffordshire, England; his nephew Robin Morrison and wife Caroline, and his niece, Sarah. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Francis Christopher Rogan and wife Janice Rogan, and nieces Rachel and Francine Rogan of Raleigh, N.C., niece, Claire Rogan of Basingstoke England, and brother-in-law Michael James Rogan of Manches-ter, England, in addition to very special nieces, nephews and godchildren in the U.S. and England. Malcolm led the Hartt School during a time of remarkable growth and achievement. He was Dean of the Hartt School for 10 years, adding vibrant majors in dance, theatre and music theatre to its internationally known programs in music, and in doing so attracted great artists from all over the world to join the brilliant long time faculty members. His gift was to nurture and support faculty and students. Outside of Hartt, Malcolm gave direction and encouragement for hundreds of dazzling performances over the years, and directed many spectacular productions of his own including at: Cleveland Playhouse; The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta Georgia; the Alley Theatre in Houston Texas; The Denver Center Theatre Company; Dallas Theatre Center; Monomoy Theatre in Cape Cod, Mass.; and many other regional theatre companies. Malcolm was the founding Artistic Director of the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival serving for ten years and has directed at the Utah Shakespearean Festival and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival where he received the Critic's Circles "Best Director" Award for his production of Loves Labors Lost. Internationally, in September of 2012, Malcolm was honored as a Fellow of the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in England from where he graduated with honors in 1964. He has been honored in Paris, France with the Jacques d'honneur for his work in international theatre, and has di-rected and taught in Australia, Russia, China, Austria, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Sweden, Malta, Jamaica, and Singapore. The author of two books "Clear Speech" and "Classical Acting", Malcolm also edited "Voice and Speech in the Theatre". For 12 years he was Dean of The North Carolina School of the Arts, and also served as Director of the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, CO; and Head of Theatre and Dance at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. In May of 2013 he proudly accepted the "University Medal for Distinguished Service" from the Univer-sity of Hartford. Malcolm's family would like to extend their deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and support that they have received. It is a testament to the esteem in which Malcolm was held. Special thanks go to his medical team who gave him joy and living for the past ten years, and the caring staff at St. Francis Hospital, Hartford.
A celebration of Malcolm's life will be held on Sunday, February 16, 2014, at 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center of the University of Hartford. All friends are welcome. For directions and online condolences, please visit www.taylorandmodeen.com. Gifts to support education in performing arts, which was so precious and all-consuming for Malcolm, may be directed to "The Malcolm Morrison Memorial Scholarship" at the Hartt School, University of Hartford (Office of Donor Relations - trobinson@hartford.edu). "...Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest..."