A backstage visit to Hello, Dolly! after Bill’s recovery at The Shubert Pavilion. (l-r): Bill Evans, Bernadette Peters, Victor Garber, Bill’s husband Chuck Fischer. (center): Shubert Organization Chairman Philip J. Smith.
Bill Evans has had a storied career as a theatrical publicist. Born and raised in Lakewood, Ohio, he arrived in New York City after graduating from Colgate University in 1972. He began almost immediately as a press agent apprentice working for Harold Prince on A Little Night Music. He went on to run his own publicity firm, working on 88 Broadway shows including all of Neil Simon’s plays for nearly three decades (even famously donating a kidney that saved Mr. Simon’s life).
His 40-year career led to his current role as Director of Media Relations for The Shubert Organization. In that capacity, he was recently at the ribbon cutting for The Shubert Pavilion, the newest addition to The Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey that provides rehabilitative care for people in performing arts and entertainment who are recovering from illness or surgery.
Bill remembers the energy of the opening day. “We had two Shubert board members, Mike Sovern and Diana Phillips with us, as well as Phil and Bob [Shubert Chairman Philip J. Smith and President Robert E. Wankel, respectively], all of whom were justifiably proud of the contribution they made and their leadership in helping to raise the funds to make this happen for The Actors Fund. They really cared about this from the top.”
The Shubert Organization’s lead gift led to major additional support from The Walt Disney Company and The Mackintosh Foundation, and hundreds of others in the entertainment community. Today, the facility houses the 25 bed sub-acute center as well as 14 assisted living beds.
Little did Bill know that six months after the opening he’d find himself back in Englewood, this time as a different kind of guest.
This past February he had major surgery at a New York hospital. After two years of suffering from excruciating back pain, Bill opted for spinal surgery, which fused 17 vertebrae, and involved the installation of 45 rods, plates and screws. All went well, but in recovery, he had an unexpected reaction to medication that put him into a 14-day coma, requiring the use of a ventilator. After emerging from the coma and further recovery time in the hospital, he needed a safe and comfortable space for physical rehabilitation before returning home. “I became the first Shubert employee to become a graduate of The Shubert Pavilion,” Bill jokes.
As Bill made his recovery in Englewood, he enjoyed walks in The Shubert Pavilion and its surroundings, where he was reminded of his friends in the industry, many of whom made gifts to support the construction.
“The architecture and design is just wonderful,” Bill says of the new facility. “It’s very open, with lots of light and a big courtyard,” he adds.
There is the Nancy Coyne Rehabilitation Garden, named for one of Bill’s good friends from the beginning of his career, who is Fund Trustee and co-founder of the legendary theatrical marketing agency Serino Coyne. There are even family lounges named for the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, and Fund Trustee and producer Sharon Karmazin; a Dining Room named for the late Fund Trustee and theater owner Honey Waldman and her sister Gladys, and many more.
The new three-story Shubert Pavilion is just the most recent addition to The Actors Fund Home, a facility that’s been helping the performing arts and entertainment community since it first opened on Staten Island in 1902. In addition to rehabilitative care, the facility provides assisted living for seniors who may still be active but can benefit from special assistance as well as 24-hour care for residents who can no longer care for themselves due to physical or cognitive challenges. All of this is offered for 124 entertainment and performing arts professionals and their immediate family members.
And coming soon in 2019 will be The Friedman Building, a new two-story addition that will house a 20 bed memory care wing, seven additional assisted living rooms, as well as a new medical suite, an arts studio, a dining room, bistro and memory care garden.
Bill emphasized his appreciation for The Actors Fund, and the support he received from staff during his recovery. “There is a real community here and it’s a good community,” he says. He appreciated their positivity, from nurses, doctors and The Home’s administrator Jordan Strohl, to Actors Fund CEO Joe Benincasa and Chairman Brian Stokes Mitchell. “They all take such great pride in their work.”
The Shubert Pavilion gave Bill access to a fully equipped gym for physical, occupational and speech therapies, as well as a full kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities, and accessible gardens, all of which helped him prepare for a safe return home.
How is Bill doing today? “I’m back to work, feeling well, and catching up on theater,” he says. He recently stopped backstage to say hi to some friends who are currently starring in Hello, Dolly! at—where else?—The Shubert Theatre.
How did Victor Garber and Bernadette Peters react to his visit? “They were very happy to see me up and about! I was actually glowing because I had just seen their thrilling performances in Hello, Dolly!”
The Shubert Pavilion—Referrals and Admissions
You’re invited to schedule a visit for you or your loved one at The Actors Fund Home. The team at The Home is here to assist you and your family through the inquiry, referral and admission process; we pride ourselves on giving special attention to all of our prospective patients, their families, physicians, case managers and health care providers.
To speak with our Nurse Case Manager, call 201.423.7149 or email subacute@actorsfund.org. Visit actorsfund.org/TheHome for more on The Actors Fund Home.