Fred Anzevino (1957-2025)
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Fred Anzevino, director and Founder of Theo Ubique Theatre Company, passed away on April 28 at the age of 67. Fred began Theo Ubique in 1997, giving it the Greek-Latin hybrid name which means “God present in everything.” At the time, he said he began the company because he had grown weary of the increased commercialization of musical theater.
Fred loved staging Broadway musicals in a tiny space — first at the Heartland Studio Theatre, then at the 60-seat No Exit Cafe (both in Rogers Park) and finally in a custom-designed theater on the Howard Street border of Chicago and Evanston. Notable jewel-box productions ranged from A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC to PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES. Several Chicago companies went on to produce micro-musicals in the city, but Fred was the first to do so with equal measures of integrity and success. Not daunted by complexity nor by the seeming size of shows, Fred believed everything could be staged intimately, as long as you had talented collaborators. Memorable Theo Ubique productions include JACQUES BREL’S LONESOME LOSERS OF THE NIGHT, EVITA, CHESS, CABARET, BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. With help from supporters and Evanston officials, Fred was able to raise enough funds for a new theater space which opened on Howard Street in 2018, getting it on its feet prior to the pandemic. At the time of his death, he remained Theo Ubique’s artistic director and was in rehearsal for DIANA: THE MUSICAL, which he was co-directing with long-time collaborator Brenda Didier. Fred was known for his ability to spot and nurture formidable young talent, figuring out how to make them shine. His musicals often were cast with recent graduates of the city’s leading musical theater training programs, thrusting forward the careers of young graduates, many of whom went on to major careers. Born September 3, 1957 in Providence RI, Fred showed early promise as a baseball player but instead studied theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and at Rhode Island College, and then went on to receive his MFA at George Washington University. As a young actor, he was part of the national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical BIG RIVER. He performed in many productions before turning his focus to directing. Fred was open about being an AIDS survivor and was a man who long had lived with HIV. He considered himself deeply fortunate, and it was that seriousness of purpose that informed both his work with collaborators and his deeply emotional productions. “Theater heals through honesty, concentration, simplicity, awe,” he told the Tribune. “If one can evoke elements of the spiritual on stage, it can heal all people.” Survivors include his sister, Joann Benedetti, and many chosen family and friends. Per Christopher Chase Carter — “What Fred did for storefront musical theater in this city will always be unmatched. He set the standard.” With thanks to the Chicago Tribune and Windy City Times |