Tony Rivenbark Obituary -Thalian Hall Executive And Artistic Director Dies At 74, Cause Of Death, Tributes Revealed 

How did Tony Rivenbark die?

Tony Rivenbark was former Executive and Artistic Director of Thalian Hall. He was an actor, historian, preservationist and arts administrator.

Tony passed away early Tuesday morning at Lower Cape Fear Hospice at the age of 74 years old. However, his obituary notice did not reveal the cause of his death.

Wilmington has lost a legend. Tony Rivenbark was, is, and will always be @thalianhall https://t.co/xO2BCUrEVo

— John Staton (@JohnStatonSN) July 19, 2022

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The Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. board of trustees and staff reported Tony’s death on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.

According to sources, starting tonight through Saturday, Thalian Hall, the Wilson Center, Kenan Auditorium, and the Meadowlark Lemon Bridge will be lit in purple as a tribute to Rivenbark.

The City of Wilmington will recognize Rivenbark during tonight’s city council meeting.The League of Historic American Theatres also is requesting that all historic theatres across the country do the same.

Tony Rivenbark tributes

“Tony was a dear friend and mentor, “It’s been an immense privilege to have known him since I was a child. While I am heartbroken that he is physically gone, he will continue to still be with us in many ways. His impact on our region in the arts and preservation runs deep and we are all beneficiaries of his life’s work.”

Fernando.

The Thalian Association Community Theatre also paid tribute and honored Rivenbark’s contributions.

Thalian Association Community Theatre mourns the loss of a Wilmington Community legend, Tony Rivenbark. Tony was a prolific writer, director, and actor as well as the Executive Director of Thalian Hall. For over 40 years Tony dedicated his life to preserving the historic theatre and overseeing multiple renovations and expansions. Tony has been instrumental in cultivating the arts scene in Wilmington and providing artistic opportunities to national and local arts groups. There will never be another such as Tony Rivenbark and Thalian Association Community Theatre is grateful for all he did for the community.

Tony Rivenbark Biography

Rivenbark was the author of the theatre essay in Time Talent and Tradition published by the Cape Fear Museum in 1990. His photographic history, Images of America Thalian Hall, was published by Arcadia Press in 2015.

His most recent work is an essay on Thalian Hall, “The Theatre That Never Got Finished” that was recently published in the book Theatre Architecture by the Theatre Library Association at Lincoln Center in New York.

He was awarded Wilmington’s Lifetime Achievement for the Arts in 2004. He was a member of the Board of the League of Historic American Theatre and was the second recipient of the LHAT Individual Award in 2005.

In 2014 at the Wilmington Theatre Awards, he was the recipient of the Most Enduring Contribution to Wilmington Theatre.

In 2019, he received the Star News Lifetime Achievement Award, and most recently was awarded the Thomas and Elizabeth Wright Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Historic Wilmington Foundation, recognizing lifelong dedication to historic preservation in Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear region.

On Aug. 10, Thalian Hall executive director Tony Rivenbark performed the “ storm speech” from Shakespeare’s “King Lear”