Seth Wenig was beat. They had just done an overnight load-in and gone straight through to curtain up of War Horse in Dallas. Seth found a quiet patch of the deck and immediately fell asleep. In what seemed to be only minutes, he felt a hand shaking him; he opened his eyes to see a frighteningly enormous mustache inches from his face – production manager Steve Ehrenberg telling him it was “time to wake up buddy.”
On April 23, 2025 Steve Ehrenberg passed away (at the age of 69). His career in theater was long and broad; he had a great impact in many areas, from dance theater, touring, and renovations to safety and training in our industry. Seth and many others who knew and worked with him shared some of their memories of him.
Kurt Ehrenberg, Steve’s younger brother, spoke with him regularly. He described growing up in a well-read and musical family; Steve was a choir member in his teens, even touring Europe. Steve went on to study at Columbia University and briefly considered becoming a cantor. But “the theater bug bit him” and he was soon spending time backstage at various venues in NYC.
“Staying close to his childhood friends was important to him, especially ones he had met at summer camp (including David Hyde Pierce).” Like many others, he was always amazed at Steve’s encyclopedic knowledge in so many areas - before there was an internet “he was my google”. But most importantly, he cherishes Steve’s innate kindness towards people.
Steve had a very long working relationship with the acclaimed choreographer Martha Clarke, starting with the seminal Garden of Earthly Delights and continuing through Vienna Lusthaus, The Hunger Artist, Endangered Species, and others. Martha recalls that during the tech period of Garden at St Clemens that late one night they realized that all the trees that were used as scenery had to go; she was stunned when she arrived the next morning, as the trees were all neatly stacked on the sidewalk so not a minute of tech time was lost. “Steve was the Papa Bear, almost always calm and a great companion with a great sense of humor. All the years I was lucky, Steve was part of it”.
In the early 80’s, Steve formed a production company with a core group of technicians. The company was called Stage Right; Jamie Leonard, Josh Weitzman, Tony Cocchiara, became partners.
Jamie (the noted rigger on Broadway and beyond), remembers Steve as being great to tour with, a human travel guide with a huge shoulder bag who could order dinner in any language. “It was a formative time for me and Steve instilled in us the belief that it is critical to manage in a way that made people want to come to work” and the importance of honoring artists, while having a good time.”
Josh (now the head electrician at the Sondheim) recounted that Steve took him on at a young age, and almost immediately he was on the first leg of his first European tour – taking a train from Vienna to Venice, through the Alps, totally blown away. He remembers hard days and fun nights on tour. Josh also remembers the work they produced at St Clemens and Lenox Arts Center in the 80s. ‘Steve raised the profile of both venues and the emerging genre of dance theater by both his management and devotion to the art.”
“Steve was the frontman with artists. He would translate their needs back to us and keep communication open between all” Tony Cocchiara (now assistant head carpenter at the Met) recalls. Helen Mcullagh, Tony’s wife, remembers Steve’s dry wit that kept them laughing through long nights. Steve was also well known for his chef capabilities, and Tony fondly remembers Steve grilling mushrooms in the fireplace of his Park Slope apartment.
In the 90’s Steve began branching out into more commercial theater. He worked with the various iterations of Clear Channel and Live Nation and others, managing tours as well as necessary renovations at many venues. He also managed the installation of Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
Seth Wenig (executive producer, NETworks Presentations) met Steve when they were sharing office space at Clear Channel. While working for different organizations, he discovered that “Steve was a great sounding board.” Later, when the production of War Horse was set to tour, Steve not only managed the tour, but also the advance publicity tour of Joey, which required its own trailer. “Steve figured out how to do all these events from onstage shoots to garden receptions, in a way that nobody ever saw Joey immobile, but always animated. In general, Steve’s knowledge of venues was almost encyclopedic, which made touring with him a pleasure.’
Lighting designer Paule Constable also worked with Steve on the US tour of War Horse. She and set designer Rae Smith were extremely concerned as to how such a complex and intricate show could successfully tour. Fortunately, NETworks brought Steve aboard to production manage; “Steve saved our bacon. He listened; he was creative and artistic - he was ‘old school.’
Paule recalls arriving in Pittsburgh at the end of the first day of load-in; instead of the mess that she feared in such a challenging venue, she found everything was on schedule, and Steve sitting on a road box, sipping a glass of red wine.
“You know it’s a shame that generally only the creative teams are lauded and honored – people like Steve have so much impact on a production but remain unsung.”
Steve had “clear, controlled tech guidance; was uncommonly sweet and had artistic flair” recalls Scott Zeiger (chief production officer at Entertainment Benefits Groups). They met at Pace Theatrical: “He was a good man with a big heart, and he helped smooth out our edges”. Scott mentioned he had only recently reached out to Steve about a possible position, but Steve was already enjoying his semi-retirement.
Late in the 90’s Steve also became more involved with the (long overdue) movement in the industry to create standards as well as training and certification programs, primarily through ESTA/ETCP.
Bill Sapsis (Sapsis Rigging) first met Steve during the development of ETCP. Though they served on different committees, Bill recalls that “Steve had a dedicated and passionate voice that was definitely heard during meetings” and “he helped usher in new standards of safety in the industry.” He found Steve to be a great companion during and after meetings and events; “He had a big heart and such a zest for life. And by the way, the Venetian was the best production of Phantom ever.”
ETCP also brought Eddie Raymond (VP of training, IATSE Local 16, and more) together with Steve. He recalls sitting in a wine bar over glasses of red wine in Baltimore when Steve’s phone rang – a Live Nation load-in somewhere in Georgia had stopped because the local crew would not wear hard hats. Steve quietly told his colleague ‘no hard hats, no show.’ A few minutes later his phone rang again- ‘hats on.' Eddie believes "Steve had a great impact on safety in our industry – he made people think about education and safety, and that we can always do better;” Steve was an effective leader – because he listened.”
An almost universal comment from all those who knew Steve – the Kings Theater in Brooklyn was his baby. Steve was involved with the renovation and outfitting of this landmark venue and its first director of production. Stefanie Tomlin, the former executive director of the Kings, said that she and Steve had a relationship of mutual learning and respect. “He worked so hard to do things right,” and “was totally invested in making the Kings the cultural hub of Flatbush.” She fondly recalls Steve playing piano onstage during load-outs, and in his fedora with a glass of red wine, manning the grill at staff BBQs, and how he lit up when talking about Temah Higgins, his wife of many years. “It was a special time, and the Kings is a reflection of Steve’s love of the space.”
Terrence King was a self-described “knucklehead” when he first met Steve at the Kings. He was a part-time security guard, often late for his morning shift. Steve, always early to work, would sometimes stop and chat while he drank his morning coffee; eventually Terrence found himself coming in early just for these chats, which were far ranging – work, family, the world. Terrence felt the change in him – “Steve looked out for everyone at the Kings; he recognized talent and provided opportunities. He helped me structure myself and grow up; he also taught me perspective and the importance of critical thinking.”
As Terrence advanced (he is now the security manager) and started a family, his mornings with Steve continued – they jokingly referred to them as “Sunrise over Sears” (a reference to the old Art Deco Sears tower across the street). Terrence remembers that his daughter’s first steps were at the Kings, with Steve holding her hands; later Steve would take her on stage when dancers were warming up, something she talks about to this day. He also remembers Steve’s generosity to his family during the pandemic: “he was such a caring person.”
After Steve left the Kings, he and Terrence still met regularly for breakfast; Steve continued to act as godfather to Terrence’s girls. Terrence also remembers Steve’s growing interest in photography and treasures the photo Steve gave him the last time they met, titled “Sunrise over Sears.” When Terrence learned of Steve’s passing, he was, and remains, heartbroken. “I haven’t been able to break the news to my girls; and I miss those breakfasts.”
I first met Steve in 1986 when I was technical director of the ITI Festival in Baltimore, and we presented Garden of Earthly Delights. Over the years we would cross paths on tours, grabbing drinks from Avignon to Amsterdam. Back home, we spoke fairly regularly and bounced information, ideas, and opportunities back and forth, and had the occasional drink. I don’t have much to add to the all the love and respect espoused above, other than to confirm them – Steve was a rare one, able to work in a business that can be incredibly, stressful, difficult, and exhausting while maintaining his calm and belief in the magic that we all try to put on stage. And on a personal side, I think Terrence King’s experience with Steve – while not surprising to those who knew him – speaks volumes to the type of person he was.
Finally, there were the constants noted by everyone I spoke with – Steve had three loves in his life – the Kings Theater, the Red Sox, and most of all, Temah. As several people noted, on the night of the Tonys this year, as Steve’s picture was projected in memoriam (yes, with Fedora), the Red Sox were beating the Yankees. Another win for Steve. We will all miss him.