The fund set up to help Joe and his family will soon change to help others in similar situations.  To make a contribution, please use the following info:

"Joe Marchese Benefit Fund"
35 Blueberry Commons
Riverhead, NY 11901
631-439-9006

I will keep the buttons up at least through the move to the redesigned BackstageJobs.com.  I hope to include a page for assistance funds and industry related charities in the future.  -Webmaster 12/22/06

Updated December 12, 2006

Partial e-mail to BackstageJobs.com from Lea Marchese:

 
It is with an extreme amount of difficulty to inform you that Joe finally lost his battle with brain cancer. He left us on Sunday, December 2nd. I wanted to let you know that I (we) appreciated all you did for us during the difficult battle we faced. He was loved and will be missed by many.
 
Several good things did come out of this dreadful tragedy. An awareness of the difficulty those in the tech industry face, bringing about the creation of ESTA’s “Behind The Scenes”. The second is Joe’s own personal sacrifice by donating his body to science, in the hope of bringing to an end the horrible disease that took him from us.
 
There will be no formal funeral, But we will be having a memorial for his friends, family, and co-workers, (usually on in the same) It is being held in (what he always said is HIS Theater), The John Drew Theater @ Guild Hall. 158 Main St. East Hampton, NY on Sunday, December 17 at 1:00pm.

Warmest Regards
Lea Marchese

 

Full e-mail to BackstageJobs.com from Lea Marchese

Please help Joe and his family -Patrick Hudson, Webmaster of BackstageJobs.com

http://entertainmentdesignmag.com/news/joe_marchese_benefit_fund/

This is an article regarding Joe "Light" Marchese's current Struggle with brain cancer. What they didn't mention is Joe's many years as a integral part of the entertainment community. From road-dog for Metropolitan Entertainment to Production Manager of "The Ritz" on 54th, he kept many a show going smoothly. From Iron Maiden to "Latin Tinge Night w/ Tito Fuentes" He made the show happen. From Iggy Pops monitor Engineer, to T.D. of the Limelight. To Woodstock (the one that wasn't a disaster) To Allen Peppers favorite Stage Manager @ The Bottom Line. From blackbox theaters to Broadway. Mastering Lighting and audio design. Joe has been there, and done that.
Unfortunately the article did not produce the assistance we hoped it would, the community here is small and many of the residents involved in the arts are here seasonally.
We are looking for help from the industry Joe So loves and dedicated his life to. He has been there for so many people. Keeping things going, even when it looked like the show couldn't go on. Donating his time and expertise to many benefit concerts and events. Now he needs help.
I know there are many people in the industry who still know and love him. Any help is appreciated.
Many Thanks for listening
Lea Marchese
P.S. If you look through your web site, you will find numerous postings by Joe, in his search for seasonal help for the theater and he also perused your pages often, just to get the "lay of the land" he always spoke highly of your site.


"Joe Marchese Benefit Fund"
35 Blueberry Commons
Riverhead, NY 11901
631-439-9006
 



Benefit Fund Started For Guild Hall 'Wizard'
Suffolk Life Newspapers

One of Guild Hall's own, Joe Marchese, has been stricken with a brain tumor, and in an effort to help defray some of the costs for treatment, a benefit fund has been set up in his name.

Marchese, 46, a father of three, has been the technical director of Guild Hall's John Drew Theater since 1998, making theater spring to life with sound and lighting for hundreds of performances. He has worked solidly with the community and touring performers on numerous concerts, lectures and plays. His expert and professional guidance on stage lighting, sound engineering and theater design have helped thousands of artists bring their work to life on Guild Hall's stage.
Now, quite suddenly, Marchese's own life is threatened.
Recently, while working on a poetry reading at Guild Hall, Marchese was overcome with a migraine seizure. The next morning, he was overwhelmed by terrible pain and was rushed to a local hospital, then quickly transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where doctors in the emergency room immediately performed emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. What the surgeons discovered was a malignant and life-threatening brain tumor. The tumor is surgically inoperable, and doctors have prescribed a radical treatment of radiation therapy in hopes of stopping the tumor's swift progress. After spending 24 days in the hospital, Marchese has already started treatment five days a week for six weeks at Sloan-Kettering's center in Commack.
Known to his family and friends as a "tough guy," as well as the "Wizard of Guild Hall," he is also the sole breadwinner of his family, which includes three young boys.
Guild Hall hopes that the community will rally to support the Marchese family in this troubled time, just as he has supported so many students, actors, poets, dancers, writers, filmmakers, musicians, singers and entertainers in their efforts on the stage of the John Drew Theater over the years.
An assistance fund has been established by Guild Hall. Gifts to Joe and his family can be made by sending a check made out to
"Joe Marchese Benefit Fund" at Guild Hall,
35 Blueberry Commons
Riverhead, NY 11901
631-439-9006