Joyce Sloane—who was behind The Second City and who found and nurtured celebrities such as John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Chris Farley—died Feb. 3 at the age of 80, according to the Chicago Tribune.
She was associated with Second City for all except one of its 50 years of existence, having occupied several positions, including executive producer and founder of the national touring company.
Sloane was also active with various communities; for example, she served on the board of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
Vicki Quade e-mailed Windy City Times, “Joyce Sloane could size up a theater performance in a heartbeat and tell you exactly what was good or wrong with it moments after a play had ended.
“I’d seen her at innumerable theaters in Chicago. She and I have a mutual friend, Gitta Jacobs, and I was Gitta’s guest at many opening nights. When Joyce liked something, you knew it. She had an easy laugh. She could boil down a performance to a few choice words of praise. When something was just okay, like so many of us, she might nod off during a show and afterwards would give a little smile and a shrug.
“I was lucky enough to occasionally pick her brain about what worked for her. The conversations were never very long. There was always a gaggle of people wanting to say hello to her, shake her hand, tell her how good she looked. I valued her opinions. Here’s what she told me when she came to see my show, Late Nite Catechism. I asked her what she thought. She nodded enthusiastically, and said, ‘I stayed awake for the whole thing’—and then she laughed. It’s a memory to treasure.
Quade later added, “I think it’s fitting that Joyce Sloane went to bed to watch a comedy and that laughter was the last thing in her heart. She loved to laugh, and she loved anything related to Frank Sinatra. If you were with Joyce and a Sinatra song came on the radio, she’d sing along—and then tell you Sinatra stories.
Jim Bennett and Judy Fabjance of the gay comedy ensemble GayCo wrote that Sloane “served as the chair emeritus of GayCo Productions, the sketch comedy group founded at Second City in 1996 where ‘gay is the premise not the punchline’. Joyce was proud to see the gay community find their voice at Second City.
“In 2003, GayCo Productions, along with Second City, created their 4th revue, Poked, a musical comedy celebrating sodomy (the U.S. Supreme Court had struck down the nation’s remaining sodomy laws two months earlier). At the end of the show, Joyce came back to congratulate the cast, declaring that she had not been that uncomfortable watching a show at the Second City since the Vietnam war. From Joyce, that was high praise indeed.
“Joyce knew ‘funny’ and she knew the power of comedy to expand the narrowest of viewpoints. But above all, Joyce knew how to make you feel special and loved. She always made time for a visit, would greet you with a huge smile and when she asked you how you were doing, she was not asking to be polite, she actually wanted to know and she required details. She will be missed.”
Ralph Lampkin of the Lampkin Music Group e-mailed that “Joyce Sloane taught me how to handle the gifted performers I have produced with grace and respect. She taught me that the nicest compliment receives the best out of any relationship, personal or business; because of Joyce, and her daughter, Cheryl, my career profile was heightened to a level I couldn’t have imagined.
“Doors were opened that I walked through with confidence. Being a historian of show-business stories, Joyce shared with me many memories that will probably never be heard or read now that she has moved on to the show business heaven. I’m sure that Gilda and John were there to open the pearly gates.
“I, along with Alexandra Billings and many others, will miss her. We were honored by her presence in our lives. I, and all others, will always remember.”
Speaking of Billings, she wrote a tribute to Sloane. It can be viewed online at abillings.livejournal.com/577667.html.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Sloane’s memory may be made to Chicago Academy for the Arts, 1010 W. Chicago, Chicago, Ill., 60642 or Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, Chicago, Ill., 60614.
—Andrew Davis