06/25/2026
It is with deep sadness that I let you know our dear friend Marc Olivere, former long-time Technical Director at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and award-winning fiction writer, died Tuesday, June 23, after a brief struggle with cancer. Marc was an “old-school” theatre technician. He was “brought up” in the ways of the theatre at the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, MA, and he retained those teachings throughout his 30-some-years with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre.
Two things that I will remember forever about Marc are, first, his willingness to do anything I asked him to do to make BPT stronger. He would balk, saying “No, no, it can’t be done.” And then he would do it. Always. With Marc it was "No + Time = Yes." Second, was his singular writing style in the brief notes he would leave when someone called. They were hilarious although I’m not sure he knew it. I still have two framed pink slips that still make me laugh when I think of Marc writing them down. They were blunt to the point of comedy: “Call Marc Carver. He lost his shorts (tan).” He had bigger fish to fry as he built our sets, scheduled 50 theatre companies for the Boston Theater Marathon, worked with sometimes-testy designers (Marc always made it work), and oversaw the planning and ex*****on of our daily theatre lives. His work ethic was impeccable.
Toward his last years with BPT his sometimes-hidden lifetime vocation of writing fiction came to the forefront. He continued writing when he and his beloved wife Maureen (I was there when they first met!) moved back to Dennis. He won awards with his short stories, and he loved to escape into these new worlds. In these past years, he and Maureen traveled extensively, and they were looking forward to more of that in the coming year. Maureen plans a memorial for the fall of this year where we can all celebrate Marc’s life. We will let you know. RIP, dear friend.
—Kate Snodgrass
