John MacDonald and the Washington Stage Guild

Chekhov was its first, but it started with Shaw. "It" refers to the Washington Stage Guild.

In 1975, John MacDonald received his M.F.A. degree in Theater from Washington, D.C.'s Catholic University of America, after which he acted and directed at various theaters in the Washington, D.C., area. In 1983, he directed a critically acclaimed and popular production of Heartbreak House at the Source Theatre. "Shaw started it all," said his wife, Ann Norton, about the Washington Stage Guild. The success of Heartbreak House, with a cast composed primarily of Catholic University alumni, led three years later to the formation of the Washington Stage Guild, whose first production was Uncle Vanya. The founders of this professional company—primarily John's former classmates at Catholic University—chose him as producing artistic director and Ann Norton as executive director, positions they retained for over two decades. Most of its actors are members of Actors' Equity Association; a few are AEA Candidates.

From the outset, the Stage Guild was dedicated to producing literate, challenging plays. Under John's leadership, it produced classic and new works by such dramatists as Eliot, Molnar, Sternheim, MacLiammoir, Fugard,

John MacDonald (1952–2008). Photo credit: C. Stanley Photography.

Major Barbara (Washington Stage Guild, 2001): Cusins (Brian McMonagle), Undershaft (Morgan Duncan), Barbara (Tricia McCauley). Photo Credit: Christopher O. Banks.

and McDonagh. The company became especially recognized for its productions of Shaw's plays. It mounted Candida in its second season, The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles in its third; it began to do one Shaw play per year in its 1990–91 season, and in 1993–94 it presented "Shaw Festival Chamber Stagings" of Back to Methuselah, Fanny's First Play, John Bull's Other Island, Overruled, The Man of Destiny, and Caesar and Cleopatra. In all, the Stage Guild has presented nineteen Shaw plays—including Too True to Be Good, Major Barbara, You Never Can Tell, The Philanderer, and On the Rocks. Of the nineteen, John directed all but three, and he staged more than forty plays for the company. Of those I saw, the worst were good and most were far better than good—exceptional, in fact.

As the Washington Post said last year, John had a "no-frills approach" to directing plays. He had to, for the Stage Guild operated on a small budget. In the words of a Helen Hayes Awards Board member, "He cut financial corners to get a production on, but he would never cut the integrity of a piece." With a limited budget, settings were minimal, and costumes were as attractive as possible for the women and as acceptable as possible for the men. The productions focused on the actors, who did their job so well that costumes and sets were trimmings that did not matter. In John's productions, Shaw's plays got what they needed, which, to adapt Lope de Vega's phrase, was four boards, a passion, and laughs.

John's way with Shaw's plays was self-effacing. Bill Largess, one of the Stage Guild's founders (an actor, director, and dramaturg for the company), put John's notion of play directing accurately: "He didn't want people to leave the show thinking 'What great direction.' He wanted them to come away thinking 'What a great play."' Through the years, they have built an audience for Shaw in the D.C. area. Often, audience demand for seats has prompted the Stage Guild to extend the run of Shaw's plays. On a personal note, thanks to John's Shaw productions, my two younger children became Shaw-lovers and eagerly agree to see Shaw plays anywhere I propose—in contrast to Shakespeare's plays, which, because of boring productions they experienced, bribery would not induce them to attend.

In addition to his productions for the Stage Guild, John staged numerous pieces for the National Portrait Gallery. A popular actor and narrator as well, he brought his deep baritone and commanding physical...