Help Stephen Forsyth’s Ongoing Recovery
Donation protected
Stephen Forsyth is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist and a much loved member of the Toronto arts and cultural community.
In December 2018, Steve suffered two major strokes and subsequently fought courageously through many life-threatening infections and medical conditions in his hard-won, but ongoing, recovery. He was in ICU fighting for his life for almost four months. Now he is just completing four months of intensive inpatient rehabilitation in Bridgepoint Hospital’s Stroke Rehab programming in Toronto.
He will be released on July 29, 2019 but is still dealing with partial paralysis and other symptoms and is wheelchair bound.
We need to urgently raise funds for his ongoing outpatient physiotherapy, stroke rehab, wheelchair and other mobility devices, apartment modifications, personal assistance and home care. This will allow him to return to his home at Toronto’s Performing Arts Lodge (PAL).
All donated funds will be used for his medical, mobility, and rehabilitation expenses. All donated funds will be deposited into Stephen Forsyth’s personal bank account, which will be controlled exclusively by him.
Donations can also be made through Interac email or PayPal to the account "[email redacted]" or by mail (address on request).
Steve thanks you for your generosity in this time of need.
About Stephen Forsyth
After graduating from McMaster University and and attending The London School of Economics, Stephen moved to Rome to work on composing, recording and performing his music in French and Italian.
He became famous as a star in Italian Photo-Romance magazines and starred in eight of his ten European films, ranging from “spaghetti westerns,” political and espionage dramas to romantic comedies. Mario Bava's "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" (1970) starring Forsyth, is a perennial cult classic.
While living in Italy, Stephen also worked as a freelance photojournalist, photographing and interviewing many artists including Vittorio De Sica, Valerio Zurlini, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, the Bread and Puppet Theatre, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Marc Chagall.
Stephen also had success as a recording artist in Italy, including his hits "Io Saro’ Poeta " and "Ragazzi Questa Sera ". He also worked on French versions of songs by Antonio Jobim with Jobim and João Gilberto. Forsyth released two English albums of his music and lyrics, the latest of which included, for the first time after 25 years, his and Jim Ryan's commissioned theme song for the James Bond movie "Never Say Never Again " (1983), sung by Phyllis Hyman.
When he moved to New York City in the early 1970’s, Stephen continued working in a wide range of art disciplines. Live performances of his music, choreography and performance art were presented in New York at the Joyce Theater, the Bottom Line, Reno Sweeney's, the Pyramid, Danceteria, Lincoln Centre, and others. During this period he created songs such as "Magdalena ", "When You Were My Lady " (featuring Snooky & Tish of Manic Panic) and "Runaway ".
Forsyth was co-founder of the Rebecca Blake Studio in New York, and he has had photographic exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, Nikon House, the Witkin Gallery, and others.
Forsyth’s musical production and composition with lyrics, Step out of Love, choreographed by the Tony Award-winning Margo Sappington, was performed worldwide by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for ten consecutive years, and it was newly remounted for their 25th anniversary. Still performed by many dance companies including the Dallas Black Dance Company. It was most recently performed at the Berklee Theatre in Boston in April, 2019.
Forsyth’s dance video series Passages , based on his piano compositions, are the inspiration for a powerful weave of visuals, music and dance, was aired on PBS' Alive from Off Center in 1984. Neil Seiling said of this work, “It is indeed one of the rare pieces that aspires to and pulls off a meeting of the performance world with television time and space.”
Stephen Forsyth is a member of Toronto’s Gallery 44 and his photographic work is in the permanent collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, the George Eastman House Museum of Photography and Film, and the Harvard Film Archives. His photographs have been recently exhibited in Toronto at the Italian Cultural Institute, Fran Hill Gallery, Awol Gallery, Artscape Triangle Gallery, Redhead Gallery, Kensington Market, 401 Richmond’s Art in the Fall, and Nuit Blanche.
In 2016 Stephen released a DVD titled Stephen Forsyth, Piano Solos: Scenes from My Window, a trans-disciplinary synthesis of his piano solos, poetry, and photography.
In December 2018, Steve suffered two major strokes and subsequently fought courageously through many life-threatening infections and medical conditions in his hard-won, but ongoing, recovery. He was in ICU fighting for his life for almost four months. Now he is just completing four months of intensive inpatient rehabilitation in Bridgepoint Hospital’s Stroke Rehab programming in Toronto.
He will be released on July 29, 2019 but is still dealing with partial paralysis and other symptoms and is wheelchair bound.
We need to urgently raise funds for his ongoing outpatient physiotherapy, stroke rehab, wheelchair and other mobility devices, apartment modifications, personal assistance and home care. This will allow him to return to his home at Toronto’s Performing Arts Lodge (PAL).
All donated funds will be used for his medical, mobility, and rehabilitation expenses. All donated funds will be deposited into Stephen Forsyth’s personal bank account, which will be controlled exclusively by him.
Donations can also be made through Interac email or PayPal to the account "[email redacted]" or by mail (address on request).
Steve thanks you for your generosity in this time of need.
About Stephen Forsyth
After graduating from McMaster University and and attending The London School of Economics, Stephen moved to Rome to work on composing, recording and performing his music in French and Italian.
He became famous as a star in Italian Photo-Romance magazines and starred in eight of his ten European films, ranging from “spaghetti westerns,” political and espionage dramas to romantic comedies. Mario Bava's "Hatchet for the Honeymoon" (1970) starring Forsyth, is a perennial cult classic.
While living in Italy, Stephen also worked as a freelance photojournalist, photographing and interviewing many artists including Vittorio De Sica, Valerio Zurlini, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, the Bread and Puppet Theatre, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Marc Chagall.
Stephen also had success as a recording artist in Italy, including his hits "Io Saro’ Poeta " and "Ragazzi Questa Sera ". He also worked on French versions of songs by Antonio Jobim with Jobim and João Gilberto. Forsyth released two English albums of his music and lyrics, the latest of which included, for the first time after 25 years, his and Jim Ryan's commissioned theme song for the James Bond movie "Never Say Never Again " (1983), sung by Phyllis Hyman.
When he moved to New York City in the early 1970’s, Stephen continued working in a wide range of art disciplines. Live performances of his music, choreography and performance art were presented in New York at the Joyce Theater, the Bottom Line, Reno Sweeney's, the Pyramid, Danceteria, Lincoln Centre, and others. During this period he created songs such as "Magdalena ", "When You Were My Lady " (featuring Snooky & Tish of Manic Panic) and "Runaway ".
Forsyth was co-founder of the Rebecca Blake Studio in New York, and he has had photographic exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, Nikon House, the Witkin Gallery, and others.
Forsyth’s musical production and composition with lyrics, Step out of Love, choreographed by the Tony Award-winning Margo Sappington, was performed worldwide by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for ten consecutive years, and it was newly remounted for their 25th anniversary. Still performed by many dance companies including the Dallas Black Dance Company. It was most recently performed at the Berklee Theatre in Boston in April, 2019.
Forsyth’s dance video series Passages , based on his piano compositions, are the inspiration for a powerful weave of visuals, music and dance, was aired on PBS' Alive from Off Center in 1984. Neil Seiling said of this work, “It is indeed one of the rare pieces that aspires to and pulls off a meeting of the performance world with television time and space.”
Stephen Forsyth is a member of Toronto’s Gallery 44 and his photographic work is in the permanent collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, the George Eastman House Museum of Photography and Film, and the Harvard Film Archives. His photographs have been recently exhibited in Toronto at the Italian Cultural Institute, Fran Hill Gallery, Awol Gallery, Artscape Triangle Gallery, Redhead Gallery, Kensington Market, 401 Richmond’s Art in the Fall, and Nuit Blanche.
In 2016 Stephen released a DVD titled Stephen Forsyth, Piano Solos: Scenes from My Window, a trans-disciplinary synthesis of his piano solos, poetry, and photography.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ian Murray
Organizer
Toronto, ON
Stephen Forsyth
Beneficiary