Our Lord Chamberlain

In the mid-to late 16th century, a group of players set alight the London stage under the guardianship of a cousin of Elizabeth I, the Lord Chamberlain Henry Carey, the 1st Baron Hunsdon. Before James I ascended the English throne and they became the King's Men, the troupe that gave voice to the words of a talented young upstart from the sticks by the name of William Shakespeare were called the Lord Chamberlain's Men.

Our Lord Chamberlain for many years has been Steve Quinn. And like the man whose role he played in renaissance faires across the Pacific Northwest, he nurtured the talents of many and was guide and guardian to all the players who were lucky enough to fall within his orbit.

Late Wednesday night, we lost Steve after an extended fight against cancer.

Steve was the drama teacher for Rex Putnam High School. Having been granted flashes and moments of the man's insight, I can only imagine what it would have been like to be one of the hundreds of students who were fortunate enough to receive the full force of his brilliance. On Wednesday night, those students gathered to celebrate the man who touched all of their lives, who guided and molded them and brought to them the wonder of theater and the enthusiasm and confidence to stand tall under the lights.

But for me and many like me, he will always be remembered as we first encountered him -- as our Lord Chamberlain.

Irreducible, irrepressible and irreplaceable. Steve was never one to hide his brilliance under a basket or fail to reach out and touch every person who came within hailing distance. He not only brought out the best that my character could produce at the faire, he also brought me out from behind the leather mask behind which I hide. The moments I spent with him transcended the streets of the faire, and expanded well beyond any words I might summon to encapsulate them.

God rest ye, merry gentleman. Rest in peace and with the sure knowledge that your life and your spirit has touched the lives of others in such a way that we are and will all always remain, the Lord Chamberlain's Men.

The Hearth of Saint Brigid