In November of 1964, a fledgling theater company named South Coast Repertory staged its first production, Moliere’s “Tartuffe,” at the Newport Beach Ebell Club. Tartuffe marked the SCR directorial debut of Martin Benson, the co-founder with David Emmes of South Coast Repertory.
Over the next six decades, Benson directed nearly a fifth of the theatre’s productions, starting when the troupe worked out of a Marine hardware store in Newport Beach and ending with SCR’s multi-stage venue in Costa Mesa.
South Coast Repertory has announced that Benson passed away on Saturday, Nov. 30 at the age of 87.
“It is a deeply difficult time as we process the loss of our beloved co-founder, Martin Benson,” SCR Artistic Director David Ivers said in a statement. “Martin was a shining light for South Coast Repertory, a pioneer here and in our field. Kind, thoughtful and deeply curious, Martin was always ready with a poignant word, a handshake of support and an appetite for the work. He will be sorely missed, but his fine example of craft and leadership endures. We owe him much and vow to honor his great legacy.”
A press release from SCR noted that Benson was a pioneering and visionary leader who served as SCR’s co-artistic director with Founding Artistic Director David Emmes for 46 years. Benson was also an award-winning director of 119 SCR productions. Together, Emmes and Benson established SCR as a Tony Award-winning regional theatre powerhouse that helped define the American theatrical canon through its championing of new plays and world-class productions.
“Martin and I enjoyed a friendship and partnership for more than 60 years,” Emmes said. “Our artistic vision, a lofty dream, was realized through the extraordinary leadership and support of our SCR Boards. Their guidance, along with the relentless commitment of our artists and staff, has made our dream a reality.”
As a director, Benson had a deep commitment to every project. He was known for his affinity for the plays of George Bernard Shaw, and among his seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for Distinguished Achievement in Directing, three of those awards came for helming Shaw’s “Major Barbara,” “Misalliance” and “Heartbreak House.”
In the book “Stepping Ahead, a History of SCR,” Benson defined his directing philosophy.
“The way I see it, the point of directing is to realize the play you’re working on as fully as you possibly can,” he told author Lawrence Christon. “It isn’t about the director—I want to believe every moment of a production I’m working on. Everything is supportive to that. Sets, costumes, or some sort of bold re-imagining of the play, none of that is as important to me as making it real and believable. You never achieve it, but sometimes you come close.”
Under Emmes and Benson’s leadership, SCR received the 1988 Tony Award for Outstanding Resident Professional Theatre from the American Theatre Wing. In 1995, they accepted the LA Ovation Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 1998, Emmes and Benson were honored by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology for their “lifetime contribution to the performing arts.”
According to information from SCR, one of Benson’s crowning achievements came in 2002, with the opening of the Folino Theatre Center, which completed the $50 million Next Stage campaign, expanding SCR’s prominence as a major regional theatre.
In 2014, three years after Benson and Emmes transitioned to Founding Artistic Director roles, the theatre complex was renamed the David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center at the request of the previous namesake—philanthropist, businessman and former Board President Paul Folino.
Even as he wound down his administrative duties, Benson continued directing one play each season, wrapping up his remarkable career helming 2020’s “Outside Mullingar.” He maintained an SCR office up until earlier this year.
South Coast Repertory will dedicate the Friday, Dec. 20 performance of “A Christmas Carol” to Benson, dimming the theatre’s lights to celebrate his legacy, alongside many artists with longtime affiliations with the company.
The theatre will also host a celebration of Benson’s life in the new year in collaboration with his family.
