Joyce Sloane

Years:

1960-2011

Location:

Northwest, Chicago Mainstage, Chicago e.t.c., Toronto Mainstage

Joyce Sloane was associated with the Second City for 44 of its 45 years. She served as Associate Producer, Executive Producer and Producer Emeritus. Along with founder Bernard Sahlins, she produced Second City shows in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and abroad. In addition, Ms. Sloane founded The Second City Touring Companies and The Second City e.t.c. and co-founded The Second City in Toronto. Instrumental in Chicago's now legendary off- loop theatre movement, Ms. Sloane is a founding member of the Victory Gardens Theatre and still serves on their board. She has also served on many theatre boards and has nurtured countless other theatre groups including Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and Northlight. She was selected by Gaylord Donnelly to award arts grants for the Donnelly foundation – a role she served for over 20 years, giving most of the small theatres the first grant they received and thereby establishing their credibility in the community. She was also an original member of the Joseph Jefferson Committee and one of the founders of The League of Chicago Theatres. In addition to her work at Second City, she produced 2 seasons of Summer Stock in Toronto and Winnipeg, several summer tours and was Associate Producer of the 1971 Tony-award winning Broadway play "Borstal Boy". She is a founding member of the AIDS foundation of Chicago and is on the executive committee of Friends Against AIDS which is affiliated with the University of Chicago Children's Hospital. She is also a founder of the Chicago Academy for the Arts. Ms. Sloane has received numerous awards including a Special Joseph Jefferson Award in 1979, which states "For laboring in the vineyard with authority; for dedicated service as a counselor to all; for commitment as a working board member of several theatre companies; for professionalism as Associate Producer of The Second City; as Earth Mother to a host of Chicago actors." In addition she has received the Chicago Film Critics commitment to Chicago Award, The League of Chicago Theatre's Connie Callahan Award for commitment to Chicago theatre, a Special Award from Women in Film, The Mercedes-Benz Mentoring Award, The Chicago Drama League Crystal Award, The Illinois Arts Alliance Sydney R. Yates Lifetime Achievement Award for Advocacy in the Arts, The Spirit of Love Award from Little City, The Sinai Health Service Award, The Sinai Torch of Life Award, The Schwab Rehabilitation Center Special Award for Producing Theatre for People with Disabilities, The YWCA Leadership in the Arts Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kilkenny Comedy Festival in Ireland. Sadly, Joyce passed away in February 2011.