One of the dearest friends of the summer musical has passed. Bil Pfuderer, who produced and directed the annual free production in Zilker Park throughout the Eighties and into the mid-Nineties, died at his home in Canton, Ohio, on Sunday, June 4. He was 68. The son of a German theatrical producer, Pfuderer studied at the University of Iowa, Western Illinois University, and the University of Erlangen in Germany. As an Entertainment Specialist with the U.S. Army, he produced and directed touring productions for military installations throughout Europe. Back in the States, he worked with theatre companies in Winston-Salem, N.C.; South Bend, Ind.; Milwaukee, Wisc.; and Chicago. Ill.; toured his one-man show, Contrasts in Shakespeare; and began his teaching career at Western Illinois and Monmouth College before moving to Austin in the mid-Seventies to teach theatre at St. Edward’s University. Over the next two decades he worked on more than 50 productions, leaving his mark on almost every stage in the city as an actor, a director, a set designer, and costume designer. He was also deeply involved in the administrative side of the arts, spending 1981-1996 supervising the cultural affairs program in the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. But despite all these achievements, Pfuderer was most closely identified with the Zilker Summer Musical, which he produced for 15 years and directed a dozen times, to acclaim from audiences and critics alike. His theatrical efforts were recognized in numerous awards and nominations from the Austin Circle of Theatres and Austin Critics Table, and his overall impact on the city’s cultural life was acknowledged with the ACoT Special Recognition Award for outstanding contributions to Austin theatre, which the ACoT board of directors honored Pfuderer with in 1995. Shortly after that, he left Austin for Ohio, and in 1997 was hired as artistic director for the Players Guild Theatre, a community theatre in Canton. He led the group for five seasons, after which the guild’s board opted not to renew his contract, so Pfuderer returned to freelancing, acting in and directing productions in the Midwest and teaching. Pfuderer is said to have been suffering from a condition called Transient Ischemic Attack, which caused him to have ministrokes and may have been responsible for his death. At Pfuderer’s request, no memorial service will be held, but Zilker Theatre Productions artistic director Scott Schroeder says the company will pay tribute to the former producer during this summer’s show, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. For more information, visit www.zilker.org. Pfuderer’s longtime friend Joe York has established a Web site where friends and colleagues may share reminiscences about the theatre artist; visit www.inmemoryofbil.com.
This article appears in June 16 • 2006.