Jeff Savage
Jeff Savage
Our beloved friend, Jeff Savage, passed away 1/11/2023. Jeff was an extraordinary talent but an even more extraordinary human being. We are fortunate and grateful that Jeff shared his personal light with the rest of the community through performance; he performed on stage, on screen and on the radio. To a person, those who worked with him called him “friend”.
When Jeff was an honored speaker at the Second Act at the Palace Theater, he spoke of acting was his “second act” in life, for his acting journey began after a career in law at a Wall Street law firm, as an investment banker and an art dealer. He grew up in what he described as a “big Irish family” with singers, writers and performers. Jeff’s Aunt was a showgirl in the thirties, and it was she who took Jeff to his first Broadway show where his lifelong interest in theater began, however in college he found interest in sports more, playing football, lacrosse and rugby. After moving to Litchfield later in life, he met a friend on the Litchfield Green who invited him to audition for Guys and Dolls at the Goshen Players.
He excelled in epistolary performances. On Barnaby Druthers, he performed in “Messages in a Bottle” with Beth Steinberg and Devon Richtmeyer. On stage he performed in John Fabiani’s “The Letter’s Project”, and he performed in “Love Letters” with Sarah Robards at the Woodbury. There was a special quality about his voice that made these letters come alive because his performance allowed the audience to feel as if they were peeking inside the inner thoughts of the writer.
The fictional theater that is the backdrop of some Barnaby Druthers audio theater mysteries is called the Sauvage Theater, named in Jeff’s honor, a fact that made him laugh but also pleased in a way. We were lucky we were able to let him know how grateful we were to have him in our community, and. I am confident every theater company feels exactly the same way, because he was a genuine gentle soul, kind to fellow actors and background team, professional and diligent, which benefited his directors and producers and served the audience with intention and love. Jeff Savage will be missed but his legacy, as an actor and as a person, will endure.
-J Timothy Quirk on behalf of Nutmeg Junction/Barnaby Druthers
Jeff performed on nearly every stage in Northwest CT, from the Landmark in Thomaston, to the Warner in Torrington, to the Goshen Players in Goshen, to Phoenix Stage Co, to Theatreworks in New Milford to Waterbury’s Seven Angels Theater and many, many more. Each theater community cherishes their own Jeff Savage history which they will share it in their way.
Jeff joined Nutmeg Junction Audio Theater in our first year, 2018 and through this program and Barnaby Druthers Program, he shared his voice acting talent in 63 episodes and two live performances. His recurring roles were: Malcom MacDuff: Theater Detective (lead), Redmond Herring (Packy Dermy Poo and multiple one-off cameo appearances), Dean Hewland (Professor A), Fred (Fanny and Fred), Chief (Tales of Intrigue) and Doctor Watson (Sherlock Holmes).
From Doctor Watson to Dean Hewland, Jeff often portrayed characters in positions of authority for he had a presence that exuded wisdom and caring. In our mysteries, he was often cast as the surprising culprit, and I think the reason why is because it takes someone with the capacity for compassion to portray a flawed character whom the audience feels empathy for. I was fortunate to see Jeff’s performance in Mornings At Seven at New Milford Theaterworks where he played such a role.
