AARON HUNT (1956-2026)
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Aaron Hunt - writer, educator, director, performer - died in August following a brief illness.
A native of the Detroit area, Hunt arrived in Chicago in 1978, after earning a B.S in Music Education with a minor in voice and piano from Ohio’s Muskingum University. During his time here, he directed dozens of productions in musical theater, opera and straight theater. He also taught and mentored music and theater students at Roosevelt and DePaul Universities, and as a freelance coach. Hunt was a prolific journalist and critic as well, reviewing dozens of productions for New City and the Windy City Times, among other outlets. His friend Andy Brown remembered Hunt’s renaissance-person talents on social media. “Aaron’s brilliance extended beyond the stage to direction, the opera, writing. His wit was razor sharp, his laughter, a song. Words cannot begin to encompass the love and admiration this kind and fierce human being evoked,” he wrote. Along with directing, Hunt’s portfolio included producing, conducting and choreography. As the Producing Artistic Director of Chicago’s Transgressive Theatre-Opera (formerly Chicago Opera Theatre), Hunt directed the company’s inaugural 2015 production: A double bill of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Telephone” and Jack Beeson’s “Hello Out There.” His work for TTO also included producing three Chekhovian chamber operas: Ulysses Kay’s “The Boor,” Dominick Argento’s “A Few Words About Chekhov,” and Richard Wargo’s “The Seduction of a Lady,” Hunt credits included producing and/or or directing some 14 additional operas, musicals and concerts in both live and virtual venues. He was a life-long student of the arts, earning an M.A. in Writing and Edition from DePaul University in 2024. He trained in FIrst Folio technique, Shakespearean Monologue and Scene Study with Chicago Shakespeare Theater co-founder, Kate Buckley. Hunt studied further with First Folio Theatre’s Shakespeare Theatre Training Program, helmed by the company’s artistic director Alison Vesely. Shortly after Dolly Parton’s death, Hunt’s friend MIchael Pacas posted a photo of Hunt performing at Dollywood in “A Christmas Carol,” opposite a hologram of Parton as the Ghost of Christmas Past. “Aaron was larger than life,” Pacas wrote on social media. “. Gregarious, funny, enormously talented, and possessed of a tremendous heart. He was one of those people who brought his presence into a room with him.” As an educator at DePaul, Hunt taught freshman scene study seminars centred on “The Crucible” and the Salem Witchcraft Trials. A gifted public speaker, he also taught seminars and workshops in public speaking and - for Moody Bible Institute - workshops on operatic improv and movement in “The Marriage of Figaro.” Chicago’s Electric Company Theatre worked with Hunt, where he was cast as Charlie Brown in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and Leonato in “Much Ado About Nothing,” among other roles. “Aaron had the best turns of phrase and insights both on stage and off. He thought deeply about the audience and brought great care to his performances. More than that, he was an incredibly generous person. His compliments were the best: Highly specific, deeply authentic, and truly ‘seeing’ of the other artist he was applauding. We had plans together for him to be in future productions, and those shows will be bittersweet without him. His quips and laughter will be missed,” the company posted. With thanks to Hunt’s friends and colleagues on social media. |