their 28 years as producers of the
New Jersey Shakespeare Festival in which it was noted that “a
state, much like a family, must be
nourished in order to thrive. Not
the least of its needs is cultural
energy.” Florio went on to praise
Paul as “a precious source of fuel
for that energy.”
The only thing that surpassed
Barry’s passion for theatre was his
passion for Shakespeare himself
said Dorian. “He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the works –
their sources, their histories, their
staging requirements and more.
He also had strong opinions about
production values – opinions
sometimes at odds with mine (I’m
a theater critic), but always worthy
of consideration.
“I will remember Paul as a dear,
loyal and constant friend who expressed his affection openly and
inspired me to do the same. And I
shall always be grateful to him for
instilling in me my love of Shakespeare, an important aspect of my
life that he influenced both di-
New Jersey Stage
rectly and by osmosis. I loved him
dearly.”
An official statement by the theatre read, “The Shakespeare Theatre came into being because of
Paul Barry and Phil Dorian’s vision.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Barry’s family and to
all those who knew and worked
with him.”
September 2014
pg 96