TheatreWorks USA Co-Founder and Theater Vet Jay Harnick Dies at 78

Jay Harnick, co-founder and former artistic director of TheatreWorks USA and a veteran director, died on February 27 at 78 after suffering a long illness.

The brother of lyricist Sheldon Harnick, Jay Harnick was born in 1928, raised in the Chicago area and graduated from the University of Illinois. He started as a performer, and was seen on Broadway in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Alive and Kicking, John Murray Anderson's Almanac and Phoenix '55.

Harnick co-founded the children's theater company TheatreWorks USA with Charles Hull in 1961 and served as its artistic director until 2000, after which he remained a member of its Board of Directors. The company presents shows to young audiences all over the country and has been in residence off-Broadway this season at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, presenting new productions of Great Expectations and the forthcoming Anne of Green Gables, among others. He and Hull received the Actors' Fund of America's Medal of Honor in 2000.

Harnick was also a production stage manager and director, staging productions of his brother's hit shows Fiddler on the Roof and Fiorello, among others.

He is survived by his wife, actress Barbara Barrie, and their children, Aaron and Jane.