Denver Center Theatre Company saddened by passing of long-time resident designer Andrew V. Yelusich

DENVER — The Denver Center Theatre Company’s signature resident costume and set designer, Andrew V. Yelusich lost his heroic battle with cancer at his home in Denver on Thursday, October 28 surrounded by his family, friends and colleagues.

As a resident designer at the DCTC for 20 seasons, Mr. Yelusich created an astounding 150 production designs including set and costume designs for The Misanthrope, John Brown’s Body, The Skin of Our Teeth, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Dream on Monkey Mountain, Macbeth, Life is a Dream, Arcadia, Racing Demon, Galileo, Love, Janis, The Scarlet Letter, Bon Voyage, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Arsenic and Old Lace, Julius Caesar, The Rose Tattoo, Saint Joan, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His many DCTC costume design credits include Picnic, The Three Sisters, Copenhagen, Love’s Labor’s Lost, A Christmas Carol, Pierre, The Immigrant, Cyrano de Bergerac, Uncle Vanya, The Little Foxes, Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter’s Tale, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Life With Father, A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew and Black Elk Speaks (nominated for an L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award). He also worked as set designer on The Servant of Two Masters, It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues and A Dybbuk. His work has appeared at theatres throughout the country including Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C., A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Andrew V. Yelusich was 50. He is survived by his partner Edward Donisvitch, and his family in California.

Artistic Director Donovan Marley — “Andrew enhanced the work of every member of the Company. And he touched the lives of every member of our audience. No other individual has had a more profound influence on the artistry of this company. After he was diagnosed, Andrew was urged to remain on staff and fight his illness full time, but he insisted on continuing his work. And, as his designs for The Misanthrope will attest, neither the terrible disease he was fighting nor the debilitating therapies he endured could erode his creative powers or his personal standard of excellence. In spite of the terrible pain, he maintained his gentle, ironic humor to the last — teaching us the meaning of ‘bravery’ and ‘dignity.’

While he has collaborated with all of our directors, his work with Laird Williamson was his personal joy. And, over a period of nearly 30 years, they have created projects together in each of our theatres and for other companies across the nation.”

The director of The Misanthrope, Nagle Jackson — “It has been my sad privilege to collaborate with Andrew Yelusich on what would be his final design, the extraordinary and stunning costumes for The Misanthrope. Andrew and I have done many shows together, but there is a depth of thought and imagination in this work that surpassed my wildest expectations. Thankfully, he lived long enough to see his masterpiece on the stage during final rehearsals. Even then, when he was visibly so weak, he was alert and critical. “That skirt has to be shortened.” He was also, I could see, very pleased. Any of us would be proud to leave such a legacy — and portfolio — behind. He raised the bar of expectations for all who had the joy of working with him.

Donald R. Seawell, Chairman of The Denver Center for the Performing Arts — “As a designer Andrew has been of inestimable value to the Theatre Company for more than 20 years. As a human being he was a source of joy and inspiration to all of us.”