Gone Too Soon
An Homage to a Friend
Like A Comet...Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky
Gone Too Soon
We first got to know him as the engaging and over-the-top high school melodrama villain and as the great and powerful Wizard of Oz
Like A Rainbow...Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye
Gone Too Soon
It didn't take long to see that he was not only funny but gifted...
It didn't take long to know that to be near him was to be near electricity
Shiny And Sparkly...And Splendidly Bright...
Here One Day...Gone One Night
Gone Too Soon
As the months and years went by...he caught our attention in Mockingbird, wowed us with his adaptation of Melzner's Salesman set, blew us away with the Pippin set and confirmed his huge talent with the La Mancha set and many other projects in between.
.
Like The Loss Of Sunlight...On A Cloudy Afternoon
Gone Too Soon
This is not the first time many of us have had to get used to him being gone.
The sights, sounds, opportunities and adventures of NYC called him like the Pied Piper. There were too few visits home, and when we did see him we were treated to stories of life in the Big City told in his unassuming way.
Like A Castle...Built Upon A Sandy Beach
Gone Too Soon
After touching so many of us in many ways he then shared that spirit in NYC...with the likes of Mel Brooks, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Sandra Bernhardt, Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and many others that we never heard about. He was awed by the life he led, but because he treated all people as equals he didn't brag about it. We knew that he deserved to be considered in the ranks of such entertainers because of
his personality and his talent.
Like A Perfect Flower...
That Is Just Beyond Your Reach
Gone Too Soon
For all those, like Robert, who live each day with joy, laughter and wide-eyed enthusiasm. They see the wonder of God's world in their family, their friends and in the simple pleasures of life. May we remember each day to follow their example.
Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day...Gone One Night
Like A Sunset...Dying With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon
As OCT grows older, we will be faced with many more losses such as this. However we find some comfort knowing that when our time comes...
Tom Stage, Shortie and now Robert Young have gone there before us.
Can you IMAGINE the Set we will walk onto when it is our time?????? Makes ya smile doesn't it?
With Love for our Friend,
Mark Dibble & Bridget Walsh - August 31, 2005
Scenic Artist Creates the Mood
By Deb Johnson
Lifestyles Editor
Olean Times Herald 7/26/89
A creative approach to an illusion appearing upon the stage.
For scenic artist Robert Young, designing an entire set has become second nature.
That's why for the 26-year old New York City resident, who resides in Brooklyn and Manhattan, setting the scene for "Man of La Mancha" didn't create any special effort, but proved challenging.
"I had an idea what the director (Minna Badanes) wanted in terms of space," said Mr. Young, who is a native of Olean. "She communicated what she might like and I could go with it in terms of the scenery, color sketches, drawings, painting the set and giving it dimensionality.
"The walls were up when I came in," Mr. Young said, referring to what the stage crew for the Olean Community Theatre had already done in preparation for his coming. "I came to do all the detailing.
"This is just the base coat and I'll paint the entire set myself," the scenic artist said when motioning toward the prison walls, which are beginning to take shape. "What I got was a layout of the wall," he continued, indicating what was sent to him, enabling him to sketch out rough drafts of the finished product before arriving in town. From that, "I drew a concept sketch for what I thought it should look like and executed it using coloration.
"I used the same technique as the Broadway shows use, only different materials," said Mr. Young, who had designed sets for off-off Broadway and done work for New York University. He studied theater design for three years at Fredonia State College and got a degree in fine arts from the State University of New York at Purchase in Westchester County.
In Man of La Mancha, "the set function as as the interior of a dungeon," Mr. Young described, "and doubles as the outside of the prison,"
Typical of a stone prison vault which may be been found in the late 1600s beneath an old, stone castle in Seville, Spain, the scenery will set the stage for the theatre group's 10th anniversary production.
Having graduated from Olean High School with the class of 1981, Mr. Young also designed the set for the Olean Community Theatre fifth anniversary production of "Pippin."
"I had been with the group on and off while living in Olean," said Mr. Young, who is the son of the late Josephine Young and brother of Bonnie Perryman of 13th Street. He was involved in the cast of "The Public Eye" and designed sets and was involved with production of "Death of a Salesman" and "Dracula."
Currently the fine artist who draws and paints is employed as a registrar at an art gallery in SoHo. An exhibition of his artwork is being shown at the New York Studio School in Manhattan.
"My roots were always in theater," said the Olean native, adding, "designing a set gives you a sense of drama. By coming home to Olean, it gives me an artistic license. There are no unions or restrictions, I have more freedom and can set the mood."
