Our colleague and dear friend Scott Dixon passed away on Thursday, November 29, 2018. He spent the last two years living with cancer and has now journeyed on. Though still grieving, we count ourselves incredibly fortunate that he graced our stage and our lives for 18 years, enriching the common good for our audience and community.
Read Scott’s obituary:
CLICK HERE.
In his final Caring Bridge post on November 1st, Scott shared how he hoped people consider his passing…
I do have one wish that I ask everyone to honor. When I pass, please do not use any variation of the phrase, “Scott lost his battle with cancer”. I didn’t lose. I won – by moving beyond where cancer can hurt me. I’m soulachingly sad that I have to leave you all in order to accomplish this, but apparently it must be.
His legacy will live in our memories of his work on stage and his written stories and plays. And in remembering the many years he devoted himself to our company and our community, we’re reminded why we so often speak of “our Commonweal family.” Scott was a treasured member of our family and we will not be the same without him.
And I know that distance is only space and time, and for some of us…light. I am out of time. But light has never let me down. And so, I shift.”
—Lauren Gunderson, Silent Sky
The Scott Dixon Memorial Fund
Servant Leadership. A business management concept that came into prominence in the 1980s, it proposes that service be the distinguishing characteristic of leadership. The theory is that this not only creates stronger organizations, but those who lead with a service-focus themselves find greater fulfillment in their work—and lives. It should be no surprise then to those who knew Scott Dixon that he was a huge advocate of the servant leader model. His commitment to serve the Commonweal as an organization was obvious to all who had the privilege to work with him—both on stage and off.
But Scott’s belief in service extended far beyond his work on the stage. A proponent of new work, Scott encouraged the Commonweal to launch a new play development series, lobbied for the creation of our Wealhouse program and contributed a number of his own scripts to the Commonweal canon. To date, the Commonweal has supported the development of more than 23 scripts, 11 of which received their world premiere on our stage. His work as an Artist/Administrator allowed him to serve our patrons in an even more personal way. Those of you who had the pleasure of chatting with him at the box office or after a show know very well how “other focused” Scott was. Scott was passionate about our resident ensemble structure and took great pride in being a member of the Lanesboro community, raising a family here with his wife, Stela Burdt. He believed that to have a resident ensemble living in Lanesboro and nearby towns meant we would be more dedicated stewards to the area and that, in turn, our art would become a vital part of the fabric of the region.
He was correct and he was gone much too soon. Yet the impact he had on this company and the Lanesboro community continues to impact all of our lives.
Scott R. Dixon
1970 – 2018
Join us in honoring Scott’s legacy by making a donation to the Scott Dixon Memorial Fund. Your contribution will fund projects Scott was passionate about, such as education programs, Wealhouse, new works by contemporary playwrights, and the economic role of our resident ensemble. Thank you for your continued support and for helping us celebrate Scott’s passion for the arts.
We invite you to take a few moments to enjoy this retrospective of Scott’s work at the Commonweal.
