Lars Hansen, who was President/CEO of Theatre League Alliance (now LA Stage Alliance) from 1999 to 2000, died Sunday evening, January 31, of complications from liver cancer at his residence in Palm Springs. His spouse Anthony Amendola was at his side along with several close friends. He was 60.

Lars had a distinguished career in cultural arts management and was associated with several theatre organizations throughout the country, most notably as Executive Director of the Pasadena Playhouse for over a decade (1988 to 1999).

An eerie coincidence is that he died on what would have been his younger brother James Hansen’s 58^th birthday. James was Robert Fryer’s Associate Artistic Director at CTG/Ahmanson. He passed away several years ago. The surviving brother, Ralph, is a retired law enforcement officer. Their parents, Louis and Alberta Hansen, are both deceased.

During his short tenure as head of the Alliance, Lars produced a star-studded Ovation Awards at the Ahmanson in 2000 and inaugurated LA Stage magazine. That same year he served as General Manager for the presentation of the Bolshoi Ballet of Russia at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

He was offered a position he could not refuse as Executive Director, Office of Cultural Relations, for the University of Southern California (January, 2001 to October, 2004) where he was responsible for creating and maintaining strategic relationships with the cultural institutions of Los Angeles. At USC he also produced the President’s Distinguished Artist/Lecture Series, presenting such notable speakers as Lech Walesa, Isaac Stern and Bishop Desmond Tutu. He hired Lee Lawlor, his assistant at the Alliance, to join him at USC.

For over a decade (1988 to 1999) he was the Executive Director of Pasadena Playhouse, the State Theatre of California. While in that position, season subscriptions reached a high of 23,000 and annual attendance exceeded 200,000. He was directly responsible for the production of more than 150 plays and musicals including several which were presented on Broadway: Mail, Accomplice, Solitary Confinement and Twilight of the Golds. Additionally, the Playhouse production of Steel Magnolias toured nationally and Sisterella, coproduced by Michael Jackson, toured internationally. Twilight of the Golds and Baby Dance, both of which world premiered at the Playhouse, were made into films. Among many other artists, Hansen had a longtime collaboration with Tony Award winning writer Rupert Holmes, producing the West Coast premiere of Drood as well as the world premieres of Accomplice and Solitary Confinement.

Sheldon Epps, current Artistic Director of the Playhouse, said, “I am surprised and deeply saddened to hear this unfortunate news. Lars offered many years of diligent service to the Los Angeles theatre community, and was for some time a vital supporter of a number of valuable companies in our city, including the Playhouse.  He will be well remembered and missed by so many.”

Lars Henry Hansen was born on July 11, 1949, in Long Beach, California where he attended Millikan High School. He began playing the accordion at a young age and also studied piano and bass. He played bass in his junior and senior high school bands and attended the Arrowbear Music Camp in junior and senior high school. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach and did graduate studies in Secondary Education Administration at CSULB and University of California, Irvine.

After graduation he became chairman of the music department at El Toro High School in Lake Forest. As its director, the El Toro Marching Band was highly regarded and invited to perform for President Gerald Ford in 1975. He also taught various music courses at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

From 1977 until 1982, Lars served as Musical Director and later Executive Director of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, which he shepherded from a community organization to a professional resident theatre under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. Other positions included Executive Director for California Music Theatre in Pasadena, Business Manager for Playwrights Horizons in New York City and Administrative Director of American Music Theatre Festival in Philadelphia.

After Tony and he moved to Palm Springs in 2004, Lars became Regional Director of the Braille Institute’s Rancho Mirage Center and later was President of Empire Management of the Desert. Among his Palm Springs affiliations, he was President-elect of the Rotary Club of Palm Springs, a member of the Cathedral City Arts Commission, Board Member and Secretary/Treasurer of The Enclave at Sunrise Homeowners Association, Board Member and Treasurer of the Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre and Vice Chair of Desert Pride Community Center. He was also a team member of Habitat for Humanity-sponsored builds in Tanzania, Cambodia and Botswana.

Lars and Tony were joined in matrimony in a state sanctioned ceremony on September 26, 2008, the 20^th anniversary of their relationship. In addition to Tony and his brother, Lars is survived by his sister-in-law Rebecca Robinson, his mother-in-law Anna Amendola, his sister-in-law Dominica Lawson, brother-in-law Richard Lawson and nephew Christopher Lawson.

Lars’ funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6 with a viewing from 10 am to noon at the Mission Hills Catholic Mortuary and Cemetery, 11160 Strandwood Ave. (located at the corner of Sepulveda and Rinaldi in the San Fernando Valley), Mission Hills, CA 01345. The funeral Mass will follow at 1 pm at the historic Mission San Fernando Rey Church, 15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills. In addition, in March, there will be a memorial celebrating his life and achievements (details to be announced). Both are open to his friends and members of the theatre community. In lieu of flowers, tax deductable donations may be made in the memory of Lars Hansen to The Palm Springs Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 171, Palm Springs, CA 92263.