“Suzy was an unstoppable force,” said Ruth Reveal, Muse Machine executive director and Muse alumna. “It’s nearly impossible to capture the depth of her impact on the arts in Dayton. The most beautiful part of her legacy is how deeply she believed in what the arts can do for young people. She founded Muse Machine to build the next generation of artists and arts lovers, and in doing so, she transformed the lives of countless students and teachers. Her loss is deeply felt across the entire Muse Machine family and Dayton is immeasurably better because she was here.”
Credit: THE MUSE MACHINE
Credit: THE MUSE MACHINE
New York-based Muse alumna Schele Williams, who performed on Broadway in “Rent” and “Aida” and most recently directed the Broadway productions of “The Notebook” and “The Wiz,” said Bassani was instrumental to her artistic path.
“Suzy was a singular force,” Williams said. “She believed in the transformational power of art and spent her life nurturing and supporting artists. I was so blessed to meet her and love her. She utterly and completely changed my life. It was Suzy who told me to go to NYC for school and become an actor. It was Suzy I called when I realized I wanted to be a director. She was always there for me with advice and love, reminding me to keep the door open for the next generation.”
Williams returned to Dayton last week to oversee the Broadway national tour of “The Wiz,” which was presented at the Schuster Center. She also visited Muse Machine, which sparked memories of Bassani.
“As I (visited) Muse Machine last week talking with students, I was reminded of (Suzy’s) enduring legacy,” she said. “Suzy may have left this physical plane but she lives on in every artist she touched.”
Credit: MUSE MACHINE
Credit: MUSE MACHINE
Douglas Merk, Muse Machine director of student programs and marketing as well as the producer of the annual Muse musicals, acknowledged Bassani’s approachability as a motivator.
“Suzy would speak to anyone, from a child to a teacher to Stephen Sondheim, with focused passion that would energize them and fuel them to create,” Merk said. “In Suzy’s orbit, ideas not only flowed but consistently took shape, took root and elevated lives. She has been the muse to those of us who knew her and many thousands who continue to be inspired by what she set in motion.”
In addition to conceiving the Muse Machine, Bassani joined forces with Caryl D. Philips and Sara Exley in 1986 to create the Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton’s only professional theatre company. The organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary and organizers are forever grateful for Bassani’s vision.
“Suzy was one of our founders and the real driving force behind the conception of the company,” said Kappy Kilburn, Human Race executive director. “The story of how they landed on our name — The Human Race Theatre Company — is legendary. She was truly one of a handful of dynamic and determined women in Dayton in the mid-1980s who saw a need, an opportunity, and made it happen. We truly wouldn’t be Dayton’s professional theatre company without her and her vision. Our 40th anniversary is a testament to her, our other founding mothers and the special artists who carried the torch forward.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Kilburn also appreciated Bassani’s encouragement in recent years.
“Our occasional conversations and video chats since I took the helm were funny, insightful and encouraging,” she said. “She let us know she was proud of where the Human Race Theatre Company was and where (Human Race Artistic Director) Emily (Wells) and I are taking it. Suzy will be deeply missed but will live on in our work.”
Human Race Founding Artist Kevin Moore, who led the organization for 36 years, also spoke highly of Bassani’s arts advocacy.
“Suzy was a force to be reckoned with always,” Moore said. “She brought so many of us back to the area to be part of both the Muse Machine and the Human Race. Those organizations exist because of her tenacity and passion for the arts. There’s never been anyone like her.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Bassani was born and trained as an actress in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1977 she founded the English Theatre Festival. In 1979 she founded the European Centre for Theatre on Lake Como.
In addition to helping form the Dayton Visual Arts Center and being inducted into the Dayton Region Walk of Fame, Bassani received the Ohio Arts Council Award for Excellence in Leadership and the Governor’s Award for Arts in Education. She also served as the founder, producer and artistic director of the Colorado Festival of World Theatre based in Colorado Springs. The theater inside the Main Branch of the Dayton Metro Library bears her name as well.
She is survived by her husband Pino and daughter Gisella.
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