Skip to main content

GERRY CULLITY LIVES


There are people put on this earth who have a great purpose. Such a man was Gerry Cullity, the first director I worked under as an actor. More than a Scottsdale community theater director, Gerry was a teacher and someone who inspired me at age 50 to dream the impossible dream.

I auditioned for Gerry in his production of; ONE FLEW OVER THE CUKOO’S NEST. I was cast as Dr. Spivey, the psychiatrist who was Nurse Ratchet’s wimpy boss.

Gerry was a classically-trained musician, with a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from the prestigious Mason Gross School of Fine Arts He built an impressive list of credits as an actor, director, playwright, lyricist and musician, holding residency status with numerous companies, including the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, The Whole Theatre Company, La Mama and New Mercury Theatre Company. Gerry with his wife Laurie and mother Joan Thompson founded Desert Stages back in January 1997.

Primarily Desert Stages was a children’s theater where the luckiest Arizona children could train as actors, singers and dancers. This New York trio of transplants worked incredible magic with anyone and everyone who passed trough their open doors. Some of children barley old enough to walk and talk was taught roles by Gerry and Laurie in shows such as ANNIE and OLIVER TWIST.

I was reading the news wires from Phoenix a little more than a year ago while I was spending some time in India. I read a shocking and heartbreaking story of the sudden death of 51 year-old Gerry Cullity from a heart attack.

I found this tape of a rehearsal I shot when we were getting ready to put on the Dale Wasserman play, MAN OF LA MANCHA. Gerry played the lead. Sit back and enjoy a scene while under construction.

Gerry’s spirit is sill alive in anyone who he’s ever taught, worked with or directed. Desert Stages is in good hands as Joan and Laurie carry on the legacy. Gerry and Laurie’s son Ian Cullity has grown to become a successful actor, singer and dancer carrying on the family tradition.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks, Paul. Gerry touched so many lives. It was great to see him performing. He is greatly missed by many.
Anonymous said…
This was really cool to see Gerry performing. I was only lucky enough to do one show with him before he passed away but I remember thinking how very talented he was. Acting at Desert Stages now, Gerry is with us every day.
Anonymous said…
Oh my gosh
gerry was my Director in 2001 I cant belive i was able to watch him act
His wife now Directs me and she is A wonderfull person.There was no other man like Gerry he was a great role model to many lives It is my honor to be In his play Cinderella and to be singing his words It is so cool to be able to look him up on google and find so many things about him. He is very missed

-Kasey
Jake Conte said…
We tried forming a Celtic music band in 1982 and Gerry Cullity was to be our guitarist. Just listened to some of those early tapes yesterday. And now he is no longer with us. Truly a remarkable man.

Popular posts from this blog

A 40 Caliber Nightmare Is Caught On Tape.

So you’re confident that that .40 caliber S&W service round will keep you safe. Maybe you’ll have second thoughts after you see this video. One hot summer night in 1994 Tempe and Mesa Arizona police were involved in a pursuit with this suspect who ran into a stranger’s apartment to hide after being shot TWICE in the chest. He was shirtless and you can see the blood pumping out of those two wounds. What’s really frightening is just how agile this fellow is as he struts to the ambulance. If he was not handcuffed and had a knife or a gun, ask yourself if he could still hurt you, your partner or a hostage? If your jurisdiction demands that officers carry either the 9MM or the .40 Caliber S&W it’s time to show this video to your bosses and lobby to have the .45 ACP round authorized. The switch may well reduce the screaming by self-appointed community activists about how many rounds police had to use on a suspect. The really talented and courageous video journalist, Karen Ke...

The origin of the feature film, COME FRIDAY…

CLick On the pictures to see full size versions. Long ago there was a young lady I had the hots for in a big way (Yes, I know that hots is not a word). She was pretty, incredibly bright, and had some real elegance about her. She had a love for children and basic kindness that you don’t often see in someone her age. I met her parents and could understand she came from a much more stable home than mine. I was raised by a single, welfare mom and suddenly found myself way out-classed. For whatever reasons things did not workout they way I had hoped. Sadly for me, we went on our separate ways. From time to time I’d run into this lady in various places where our job had taken us. Whenever this happened my heart would skip a beat or two. I left my hometown Chicago, and moved to Arizona where I founded my detective agency. As a private eye and soon a TV news producer too, my career took me to the highest profile criminal events in Arizona and throughout the country. There’s no question that ...

America Will See Its Worst Race Riot Yet This Summer

Star Prosecution Witness, Rachel Jeantel Sanford, FL —Yes, the George Zimmerman trial here has thousands of African-Americans getting ready for some serious bloodletting. I don’t want to make idle and dire predictions but this nation has never been so divided and racially sensitive.  Our African-American President took sides on this case at the very beginning.  That ratified a George Zimmerman guilty verdict in the minds of millions. There’s just one little problem, and that is the murder case should have never been filed.  It was filed purely for political reasons despite the fact that it was a simple justifiable homicide.  Zimmerman was on the block watch lookout program and followed a suspicious Trayvon Martin after he used an improper entrance to a gated community.  Zimmerman was acting as the eyes and ears of the Sanford Police Department. Martin did not like being followed and knew that he could easily beat up the out-of-shape...