RIP, Ellie Punkay
Posted on | September 20, 2007 | No Comments
I just heard the news that Ellie Punkay died – which has much the same effect on me as it seems to have had on Chris Piatt.
Ellie was off-putting in a lot of ways, but she was a stalwart of our community and a more dedicated fan you couldn’t hope to find. When I was doing my ’round-the-northside tour as box office manager at places like TimeLine, ATC, and the Lakeshore Theatre I came to know three people on sight – Chris Jones, Hedy Weiss, and Ellie.
She was bossy – she would try and tell me the rules at a house I was running. She would routinely be camped outside the theatre more than an hour before the house would open, wrinkled face locked in disapproval, almost frantic for me to open the doors. She would regale the unfortunate patrons who themselves came a little early with her reviews of the umpteen shows she had seen that week.
And, when I had one Chicago credit to my name and was back in that box office, toiling anonymously and thanklessly away for below minimum wage, she came in and said to me, “I know you – you’re an actor.”
God speed, you crazy old woman, you.
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