BARRY LE BEAU

Jun 26

REMEMBERING BARRY LEBEAU

1951-2020

written by Anna Marie Thatcher

A native of Pierre, South Dakota, Barry LeBeau was a man of many talents. Although he was a lobbyist, grant writer, and program administrator, he is probably best remembered for his tireless work in, and on behalf of, the arts in South Dakota. He was a musician, actor, and arts activist, to mention just a few of his “roles.” For over 30 years, he created numerous memorable on-stage roles for Pierre Players, including in “Our Town”, “The Lion in Winter”, and “All My Sons.” Career opportunities took Barry away from Pierre but he remained active in theatre wherever he happened to be, whether with the Sioux Falls Community Playhouse, the Black Hills Playhouse, or occasionally with companies in Minneapolis and California.

In his last twenty years, Barry provided his skills as an actor for voice-overs for documentaries and television commercials. He was the narrator for the feature length films America’s Great Indian Leaders and America’s Great Indian Nations, and the award-winning short film Ghost Dance. Other film credits include Charles Nauman’s Yes, I Am Not Iktomi, Andrew Kightlinger’s Dust of War, and Molli Cameron’s Lakota Girls.

Barry was a very vocal and visible arts advocate, serving many years as an arts lobbyist during the State legislative sessions. More importantly, he was someone who was always there when the argument needed to be made about the importance of the arts in South Dakota. That advocacy often dovetailed with his advocacy on Native American issues. He worked as an Indian affairs lobbyist, a tribal affairs consultant and speaker, and a longtime program administrator for the United Sioux Tribes. Barry was instrumental in helping Delta David Gier, conductor of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, to develop the groundbreaking Lakota Music Project (LMP) and he served as the emcee for most of the LMP performances. On his death, Barry was also serving out one of several terms on the Board of the Black Hills Film Festival.

From 1989 to 2008, Barry was an intermittent company member at the Black Hills Playhouse, appearing onstage in several productions, including “Fiddler on the Roof”, “A Flea in her Ear”, and “Move Over Mrs. Markham.” Perhaps his most memorable roles were as Red Cloud in The Dakota Descendants of Ole LaRue and as Henry Standing Bear in Dreams Carved in Stone, a play about Korczak Ziolkowski and his carving of Crazy Horse. As president of the Board of Directors of the BHPAA, I was fortunate to work with Barry during his tenure as a member of that board. He served as a reader in A Christmas Collection: Songs and Stories to Celebrate the Season, a benefit production I directed in December 2019 for OneHeart. Barry was always ready to dive right in and do whatever needed doing, particularly if it involved anything on stage!

I miss Barry’s performances, his wit, his big voice, and his hearty laugh. The Black Hills Playhouse and all the arts in South Dakota are stronger because of his involvement and advocacy. But in the end, I miss Barry as a good and faithful friend. He called often over the decades, to have coffee or just to check in. He would share stories, gossip, and information on his latest project, and I miss those calls.

Barry visited us one day just before Graham’s death. I took a photo of the two of them … smiling with delight at just being together, likely knowing that it would be the last time. I trust that somewhere in the stars they are now still joking and laughing together. There is an Eskimo saying about our departed loved ones: “Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.”

Shine in peace and happiness, Barry. My life (as are the lives of so many others) is so much brighter for having known you.

Anna Marie Thatcher

BHP 1968 – 70, 2012 and 2016 (Director of Season Warmers)

Past President, BHPAA