Martha Lavey

Martha Lavey, who took over as artistic director of the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago in 1995 and over the next 20 years made it a showcase for acclaimed productions and an incubator for new plays and young playwrights, died on Tuesday April 25 2017 in Chicago. She was 60. Ms. Lavey was an actress by training. She appeared in more than 30 productions at Steppenwolf, where she became a member of the ensemble in 1993 and later succeeded Randall Arney as artistic director. Martha Ann Lavey (rhymes with navy) was born on Feb. 20, 1957, in Lawrence, Kan., where her father, Robert, was a graduate student at the University of Kansas and was later recruited by the C.I.A. as a Russian specialist. Her mother, the former Patricia Colchin, was a homemaker. When Martha was 11, the family moved to Detroit. She attended Immaculata High School, where, her sights already set on an acting career, she appeared as Annie Sullivan in “The Miracle Worker.” She studied drama at Northwestern University, graduating with a bachelor of science degree from its School of Communication in 1979. She then enrolled in an acting class taught by John Malkovich. Ms. Lavey returned to Northwestern for a master’s degree, awarded in 1986, and a doctorate in performance studies, awarded in 1994. A marriage in the early 1980s ended in divorce. In addition to her brother Jim, Ms. Lavey is survived by her parents; a sister, Michele Dragisity, and four other brothers: Kevin, Matt, John and Patrick.