Jerry Finn, head of Sarasota's Banyan Theater Company, dies at 83

SARASOTA -- Jerry Finn died Monday, and a theater company died with him.

Mr. Finn, who was 83, was the founder and artistic director of Sarasota's Banyan Theater Company. The company, which produced plays in the summer in the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, was gearing up to announce its 15th season.

A few days before, Mr. Finn suffered a "medical crisis" and fell into a coma.

Board members quickly decided to cancel the season and disband the company. Continuing without Mr. Finn was never seriously considered.

But his legacy is apparent to local theatergoers.

"When Jerry started Banyan, at that point there was not much of anything going on here in the summer," said Don Walker, an actor and director who has worked steadily with the Banyan for the past five years. "There was nothing. Now, of course, there's summer theater everywhere."

Some of that has to do with the area's growth, but some of it undoubtedly has to do with Mr. Finn proving to the local theater community that summer theater is feasible in the Bradenton-Sarasota area.

Banyan was known for smart plays and handsome, well-acted productions. Mr. Finn had a preference for acclaimed contemporary plays that appealed to both the heart and the mind. They couldn't quite be described as "edgy," but they never pandered. They were works of art more than works of entertainment. Mr. Finn, said people who knew him well, was more interested in making theater than in making money.

Mr. Finn was born Dec. 10, 1933, and grew up in Newark, N.J. He had a passion for theater, but he was also practical. He attended Emerson College in Boston, earned a degree in theater, then went to law school at Boston University. He acted in more than 100 professional stage productions and radio dramas. But when he started a family, he began a long and successful career as a trial lawyer to support his wife, Terri, and sons David, Lawrence and Brian.

"He was a provider," David Finn said. "There was never a moment in my life when I felt vulnerable, or anything other than completely safe."

When Jerry and Terri Finn were ready for retirement in the late 1990s, they shopped around for the ideal city to call home. They chose Sarasota mostly because of its cultural offerings. Within a few years, Mr. Finn had reconnected with his passion for theater. He and some Sarasota theater friends, who have since left the company, saw the void in theater in the summer months and founded Banyan.

Besides offering local theater-lovers plays of consistently high quality -- productions in recent years have included "Art," "Painting Churches," "Time Stands Still" and "Heroes" -- he also provided work for area actors and designers at a time of year when they had trouble finding shows. One local actor called Banyan her "summer job."

"Besides his family," his son David said, "there was nothing more important to him than Banyan."

Mr. Finn seldom acted in or directed shows for Banyan, but his imprint was on every season and every show.

"I think he did a great job of choosing the shows and choosing the people to do the shows," Walker said.

The people who knew him and worked with him say they'll miss Finn even more than they'll miss the Banyan.

"He was a sweet guy," Walker said. "He was a pleasure to talk to."

A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota. In lieu of flowers, Mr. Finn's family requests donations in his honor to the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.

Marty Clear, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 941-708-799. Follow twitter.com/martinclear

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 11:54 PM with the headline "Jerry Finn, head of Sarasota's Banyan Theater Company, dies at 83 ."