“Theatre is life, a big, big form of life. It is thought as well
as entertainment. And we learn through it and enjoy it in every way. I just love it.”
-- Grayce Burian
Please join us Saturday for a celebration of the life of Grayce Burian, former theatre professor, patron of the arts, and longtime benefactor of the NYS Writers Institute and the UAlbany Theatre Department. Grayce died on November 16, 2023, after a short illness. She was 97.
During the program, Grayce's family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones will share stories followed by a small reception.
The event will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in the Recital Hall, University at Albany Performing Arts Center, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany NY 12222. Complimentary parking is available Saturday afternoon in the State Quad Faculty/Staff Parking Lot. See map.
Remembrances of Grayce Burian
Writers Institute Founder William Kennedy
"Grayce Burian was a rare being who lived a long and serious life with another rare being - Jarka Burian, who predeceased her by several years. The two of them lived a life that was as deeply involved in world theater culture as people can possibly be. We grieve at her passing, so grateful that we did such wonderful theater together over the years. There are few people in the world as valuable as the Burians were. Bon voyage, Grayce."
Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl
“I always referred to Grayce Burian as our Amazing Grayce. She was an extraordinary woman. Grayce was a beloved member of the Writers Institute family for a long time and we mourn her passing. I enjoyed her visits to our office, a lunch date on her birthday, and her generous notes about our programs. I can still hear her voice, urging us ever forward, and challenging us to remain relevant and excellent."
1974 - Grayce Burian teaching English and Drama
Grayce Susan Burian was born into an Italian-American family in Boston, where she studied acting and performed in theatre productions. After graduating high school, she moved to New York City and began a theatre career. She met Jarka when they were cast in a play together. They were married at The Little Church Around the Corner, the Episcopal parish in Manhattan with a longstanding association with the theater.
Though briefly successful in New York, the Burians’ professional acting careers were sidetracked by both World War II and the Korean War, in which Jarka served in the Army. When he returned, he pursued an academic theatre career and eventually became a world-renowned scholar in Czech theatre. During this time Grayce was his strongest supporter and advisor.
Grayce then began her own career in theatre education. She eventually received BA and MA degrees from SUNY Albany, where Jarka was a professor of theatre history for more than 40 years. Although they had no children of their own, their overlapping teaching careers provided them both the chance to nurture college students. Grayce taught at Hudson Valley Community College and The College of Saint Rose in Albany and established the theatre program at Schenectady County Community College, where she taught and directed for over 20 years.
In 1997, the Burians endowed a lecture series in theatre established at the NYS Writers Institute, which has brought many well-known theatre artists to the University at Albany, including Tina Howe, Wallace Shawn, A. R. Gurney, Rita Moreno, and John Sayles (left, with Grayce in 2012).
Teaching and acting were not Grayce’s only achievements. She studied sculpture in her twenties and over the years created fine, highly regarded wood sculptures. She made her own clothing and jewelry. Well into her later years, she maintained a dance floor in her home to practice another of her great loves, flamenco dancing. Jarka and Grayce also travelled extensively, usually spending a year at a time in Europe, especially the Czech Republic. In her eighties Grayce wrote a memoir of her years with Jarka, including an historic time working in occupied Czechoslovakia. From Jerry to Jarka: A Breezy Memoir of a Long, Peripatetic Marriage was published by Ohio State University Press in 2013.
Grayce spent many years after Jarka died working tirelessly to preserve his legacy. In an interview published on the UAlbany website a few years ago, she spoke about the five endowments they established at the University: "It’s important. It has to go on. Support what you believe in and what’s important to you.”
She now leaves a legacy of her own, one of artist, writer, teacher and friend. Grayce is survived by her sisters Teresa and Diane, many nieces and nephews and their children, and by her many dear friends.
On July 10, 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 shutdown, we published a Q&A with Grayce talking about the arts, the 1968 Prague Spring, the pandemic, and her remarkable creative life and partnership with Jarka during their 54 years of marriage.
Comments