A memorial service for Gene-Gabriel Moore has been scheduled for Monday at the Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage. The program begins at 6:30, but folks are invited to begin gathering at 6.

Moore, founder of the Suzi Bass Awards and one of the most admired men in Atlanta theater, died peacefully at his Lutheran Towers apartment on July 26. He was 72.

At the time, his friends and colleagues said a celebration would be announced later and held at 7 Stages, so it’s important to note that the event has been moved to the Alliance. (Moore had an office for years at the Little Five Points playhouse, where he held forth as artistic director of Not Merely Players, the professional ensemble he founded for disabled artists after suffering a series of strokes and other catastrophic health problems.)

“Even though it was Gene-Gabriel’s theater home, 7 Stages is in production, so the good folks at the Alliance have offered the Hertz Stage for our gathering,” says Deadra Moore, a local stage manager who worked with Mooore on the Suzi Bass Awards from the very beginning. The two were not related.

“We plan on a simple, informal event, and anyone who would like to say a few words or share a memory will be welcome,” the Suzi Bass Awards chair said in her email shout-out to the theater community. Alicia Quirk, who looked after Moore in his final years and considered herself his “adopted granddaughter,” is planning the event with Deadra Moore.

The two have requested photos and memories to be shared at the celebration. Anyone who would like to share but can’t attend can send emails to Suziawards@comcast.net.

Meanwhile, the Suzi Bass Awards is seeking contributions in Moore’s honor, and plans to use the funds to endow its playwriting award, already named for Moore. Anyone wanting to make a donation in his memory can contact the Suzis at SuziAwards@comcast.net.

On a personal note, I’ll miss Gene-Gabriel’s raucous laughter and delightful presence. He was at the theater all the time, and his empty chair will be impossible to fill. He was truly one of a kind.

Good night, old chap. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

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