7 entries.
wrote on March 29, 2024
at
5:57 pm
Condolences to all of Diane's family. Diane Price: a live SO well-lived. I read the tributes posted and repeatedly hear, she saved my life, she made a safe space for me, she provided a family for me in Company. I first knew Diane as director of Lowell shows that my oldest son was in -- where he learned about Company and then was in EVERY musical the rest of his high school years, and loving it. (And we didn't know it then - but leading to his career as a musical theater music director.) I heard that Diane wanted to consider retirement -- but feared that SF Rec and Park (for whom she was just a part-time employee, though devoting all her time to 5 shows a year, one a revue she would write, to Company) would not hire a replacement, and Company would die. She would NOT, absolutely NOT, abandon YPTMTC. We talked -- and some of us who cared, parents/alum-parents, and a few alums, got together in my living room -- and Friends of the Company, a nonprofit to support YPTMTC, was born. I have never forgotten the "testimony" of one alum present then -- it was the first time I heard what we are hearing now from many, she saved me/I never would have gotten out of high school/Company was my family. Our Friends group, including Diane, financially supported Company direction for awhile; Rec & Park HAS devoted part of a full-time employee (Nicola Bosco-Alvarez) to the great work Diane started. Diane's amazing legacy lives on. (And, for those who don't know, this was and still is a FREE program -- making it accessible to all SF teens.)
May Diane rest in peace - and her memory be a blessing.
May Diane rest in peace - and her memory be a blessing.
wrote on March 23, 2024
at
10:34 pm
It’s hard to describe just how much influence Diane had in my life. At 13, I was a goofy “band” kid who had never sung a note in her life. A few friends of mine told me they were going to audition for this musical theatre company, and I remember going with them for moral support. Well, somehow or another, they convinced me literally on the spot to audition and basically pushed me in the room. I stood there in front of Diane and had no idea what to do. She asked me what I was going to sing and I said “part of your world” from The Little Mermaid, but I told her I didn’t have sheet music. She told me that was ok, to just sing without the music. I don’t remember what came out, but I’ll always remember Diane saying, “you have a very nice natural voice.” I remember thinking “I do??”, and just saying thanks and leaving, knowing I’d never see her again. Well, somehow, she saw something in me and accepted me into the company. I did every single show until I aged out, and those were the best years of my young life. I learned so much, and met the best friends I’d ever had. Those people are still my very best friends. And she instilled in me a passion for music and theater that I didn’t know I had, which eventually led to my opera career. Diane, thank you. Thank you for loving us, for challenging us, and above all, for giving us a safe space in which to grow. We were a bunch of misfits, all from different cultures and backgrounds, and you looked at us all as equals. I think I learned more about people and about life during those years at Company than I ever have from anywhere else. Thank you for being a beacon of light to so many. We love you, and we will miss you more than you know.
wrote on March 22, 2024
at
9:19 pm
Diane price was one of the most influential people in my entire life. Because of her (with more than a little help from Louise), and the Company she created, and the tone that she set within it, my life changed forever, and for the better, on one hot summer day in 1987. And I can still feel it- it was like coming home. For five years, the Company was my life, and Diane's approval meant more to me than maybe anyone else's. And I knew I got it when she gave me that funny little slap. I'd give almost anything to get just one more. Diane gave me a love of theater, song and dance that lives large in me to this day, and will absolutely never die. She also helped me find a confidence in myself that I may not have ever found otherwise. Thank you, Diane, for everything. I hope you knew how much I love you.
wrote on March 20, 2024
at
6:43 am
When I was 15 Diane Price changed my life. All she did was let me join a youth musical theater program, but it changed the entire trajectory of my life. She still came to all of my shows, and the last show she saw me in was Guys and Dolls which she was on tour with for two years. I'm so happy I got to see her so recently before she passed. Thank you for saving my life, Diane, and thank you for seeing what I could be years before I could. Thank you for giving so many kids a place to be themselves or to escape bad home situations. I love you.
wrote on March 19, 2024
at
11:54 pm
It’s hard not to give Diane all the credit. Seems silly not to. Diane was a woman who gave the children and teenagers she taught musical theatre to everything she had. She wasn’t so much a teacher of one specific subject but rather a conductor of what it takes to live a full life. Its takes gusto, commitment, perseverance. It takes friendship and loyalty and kindness. It takes humor and courage and dedication. It takes deep passion. Above all else, Diane taught us that nothing happens without love. Without loving every second of what you’re doing, without loving the good, the bad, the weak the strong, you get nowhere. You never reach that higher level. Without respecting the craft, the bigger picture, the team you’re on, there is no result. Without acknowledging who you are and every piece of your offering, there is no joy. Diane taught me I had something to offer and then embraced it. She fostered an environment of growth, of both honoring your strengths and pushing your boundaries. By doing so, by showing her truth in all its sweet, messy glory, her students learned how to be in the world. They learned that without community, without a greater purpose, without connection, nothing else matters.
wrote on March 19, 2024
at
4:47 pm
A wonderful woman, performer, inspiration. I met Diane when I was a kid - well before I found out I was going to be in theatre. Her son John and I met in 7th grade art class when he asked me if I could draw a severed leg for a shark attack he was working on. I did, and John has been my best friend ever since. It was years later I found out my parent's favorite late-night hangout - The Sea Witch in Ghirardelli Square - was owned by Diane and her husband, and that they knew each other, too. The Sea Witch was a very unique place - an after-hours joint where artists and performers could hang out, sing songs, tell jokes, improv, or whatever after their gigs at the other clubs or shows at the bigger theaters downtown. I was too young to ever see anything there, but it's exactly the sort of place that represents San Francisco in so many people's memories.
Diane was a bubbly firecracker of a person and performer, and the first real theatre artist I met. She was a singer, a teacher, and a feet-on-fire tap dancer who spent her life first entertaining audiences and then inspiring decades of students. She'd even been asked about joining the Mime Troupe when it first started back in the day! She was such a performer, here's a story...
She was playing Winnifred in "Once Upon A Mattress," a very physical role, but she hadn't been feeling well. She powered through the performances, but finally went to the doctor to get checked out for a persistent stomach ache.
The doctor checked her out and said "So, have you picked a name?"
Not only was she carrying the baby that would be my friend John, she was due in 48 hours. She'd been so in the show zone she hadn't even noticed she was pregnant.
Now I'm not suggesting that as a life plan for anyone, but talk about focus!
She was also endlessly supportive of my wife Velina Brown and I in our theatre careers. She came to all our shows, cheered us, consoled us, and was an example of a life well lived as an artist. My mother passed away fairly young - before I had really begun acting - and my father spent years on the East Coast only able to see my shows if a tour took me there, but in the meantime Diane came out to the park or any theatre to encourage me. My friend John told me years ago that Diane thought of me as extended family, and that she and her current husband (also named John) were so proud that Velina and I had made our lives in the theatre that she loved so much.
The last time I saw Diane was when she came to see me in "As You Like It" at SF Playhouse last year. I didn't know she was going to be there, but when I came out to the lobby there she was, a small as wide as the sky, her eyes squinty with joy as she gave me a big hug.
I'm going to miss her passion, her joy, and most of all her smile.
Diane was a bubbly firecracker of a person and performer, and the first real theatre artist I met. She was a singer, a teacher, and a feet-on-fire tap dancer who spent her life first entertaining audiences and then inspiring decades of students. She'd even been asked about joining the Mime Troupe when it first started back in the day! She was such a performer, here's a story...
She was playing Winnifred in "Once Upon A Mattress," a very physical role, but she hadn't been feeling well. She powered through the performances, but finally went to the doctor to get checked out for a persistent stomach ache.
The doctor checked her out and said "So, have you picked a name?"
Not only was she carrying the baby that would be my friend John, she was due in 48 hours. She'd been so in the show zone she hadn't even noticed she was pregnant.
Now I'm not suggesting that as a life plan for anyone, but talk about focus!
She was also endlessly supportive of my wife Velina Brown and I in our theatre careers. She came to all our shows, cheered us, consoled us, and was an example of a life well lived as an artist. My mother passed away fairly young - before I had really begun acting - and my father spent years on the East Coast only able to see my shows if a tour took me there, but in the meantime Diane came out to the park or any theatre to encourage me. My friend John told me years ago that Diane thought of me as extended family, and that she and her current husband (also named John) were so proud that Velina and I had made our lives in the theatre that she loved so much.
The last time I saw Diane was when she came to see me in "As You Like It" at SF Playhouse last year. I didn't know she was going to be there, but when I came out to the lobby there she was, a small as wide as the sky, her eyes squinty with joy as she gave me a big hug.
I'm going to miss her passion, her joy, and most of all her smile.
wrote on March 19, 2024
at
3:22 pm
To Diane’s family and all those who loved her-
I’m so sorry for your loss(and ours)❤️
My kids were lucky enough to be involved with The Young People’s Musical Theatre for many years. It was such a gift to be part of the company and my children had such a great time as did we.So many lasting wonderful friendships were made and the “Company kids”learned so much about themselves,working together and supporting each other.They also learned to handle disappointment if they didn’t get the part they wanted and that another opportunity would come for them to shine.I have always felt indebted to Diane and her creative team at that time for helping my husband and I raise our two kids to be creative, confident ,resilient and loving adults.
Diane understood teens in a special way and knew they could handle the themes presented in musicals like Sideshow ,Rent and others. She respected teens that way and the result was that kids really were all in and came to do their best.
Thank you, Diane for your contributions to all of our families and for enriching our kids’ childhoods. We will always love you and miss you and for giving us such wonderful,lasting memories.❤️
We wish all of her family love during this time of loss.
Much love, Kristen and Dennis Korkos
I’m so sorry for your loss(and ours)❤️
My kids were lucky enough to be involved with The Young People’s Musical Theatre for many years. It was such a gift to be part of the company and my children had such a great time as did we.So many lasting wonderful friendships were made and the “Company kids”learned so much about themselves,working together and supporting each other.They also learned to handle disappointment if they didn’t get the part they wanted and that another opportunity would come for them to shine.I have always felt indebted to Diane and her creative team at that time for helping my husband and I raise our two kids to be creative, confident ,resilient and loving adults.
Diane understood teens in a special way and knew they could handle the themes presented in musicals like Sideshow ,Rent and others. She respected teens that way and the result was that kids really were all in and came to do their best.
Thank you, Diane for your contributions to all of our families and for enriching our kids’ childhoods. We will always love you and miss you and for giving us such wonderful,lasting memories.❤️
We wish all of her family love during this time of loss.
Much love, Kristen and Dennis Korkos