Theater News

Yuri Rasovsky, Award-Winning Dramatist, Has Died

Yuri Rasovsky
(© Ed Krieger)
Yuri Rasovsky
(© Ed Krieger)

Yuri Rasovsky, the co-founder of the National Radio Theater in Chicago, where he created hundreds of radio productions heard on commercial and public outlets around the world, has died at age 67 in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter.


The company, which lasted from 1973-1986,aired original radio plays, as well as adaptations of stage works and books, including Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, Shaw’s Saint Joan, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It won two Peabody Awards.


In 1993, he established the Hollywood Theater of the Ear to focus on audio books.
Among its many productions was The Mask of Zorro, which received a 2011 Grammy Award nomination.


In addition to the Peabody Awards, his honors included one Grammy; nine Audie awards from the Audio Publishers Association; a Bradbury Award from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Audio Theatre Festivals.


He is survived by his longtime partner, actress Lorna Raver.