In Memoriam: Margaret Croyden

Margaret Croyden, distinguished journalist, theater scholar, a long-time Drama Desk voter, and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women died last night.

At the Annual General Drama Desk Meeting on November 12, 2014,  Margret was honored for her contributions to arts, journalism and to The Drama Desk organization.

Similarly, as a long time member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, Margret  was  most recently our recipient of a LPTW Life Time Achievement Award.

Over the years, Margaret’s articles and criticism have appeared in The Village Voice, The Nation, the New York Times, TheaterWeek, and American Theater Magazine, among other publications.

Her books include Conversations with Peter Brook and the groundbreaking 1974 study Lunatics, Lovers, and Poets: The Contemporary Experimental Theater.

During the 1970s, Margaret was host of the television arts program “Camera Three” on CBS; and, for the past 17 years, she contributed a regular column, “Croyden’s Corner,” to New York Theatre Wire (http://www.nytheatre-wire.com).

Her collected works, including over 50 taped interviews with Peter Brook and other theater figures, to original manuscripts, have been archived in Yale University’s Sterling Memorial Library.

Information about her background and about her life as an actress and a journalist as described in her recently published book, The Years In Between, can be found @ http://margaretcroyden.com.

Margaret had been in failing health for a number of weeks.  Earlier this month, she moved to the Lillian Booth Actors’ Home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Plans for a memorial are incomplete.  Tomorrow (Tuesday, February 23), from 5:30 to 6:00 pm, Jonathan Slaff will be reading the daily service at Manhattan’s Congregation Emanu-El, and Margaret’s name will be included in the Kaddish.  Temple Emanu-El is located at 1 East 65th Street at 5th Avenue, with entrance for the service on 65th.

Condolences may be sent to Margaret’s nephew Ron Melk, 86 McConkey Drive, Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania 18977

Margret was a true theatre pioneer and a women warrior for experimental theatre.

– Maxine Kern, LPTW Co-President