Malcolm Ewen’s first foray into a life in the theater was in his hometown of Winnetka, in a middle school production of The Hither and Thither of Danny Dither. He played the role of God.
God was a pretty apt descriptor for Ewen’s reputation in the theater, especially at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, where he was the leading stage manager for decades. Ewen died on Monday at the JourneyCare hospice in Glenview at the age of 64, three years after receiving a diagnosis of bile duct cancer. He was born in June 1954 and was a graduate of New Trier High School and Amherst College.
That union inclination led to Ewen holding leadership positions within Actors’ Equity, the union of professional actors and stage managers. Ewen was a National Councilor of Equity’s Central Region, which includes Chicago. In a statement this week, Equity executive director Mary McColl described Ewen as “a warrior.” READ MORE
