Bella Itkin papers

Dr. Bella Itkin was a theatre director and acting coach for 47 years, working at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and DePaul University. Born in Russia in 1920, she immigrated to the United States in 1932 with her mother and sister Israella "Iza" Itkin. Her father, David Itkin, previously a member of the Moscow Art Theatre, had already settled in Chicago and found work at both the Goodman School of Drama (then affiliated with SAIC) and the DePaul University Department of Drama. Bella went on to study at the Goodman, receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1943. She later received her doctorate from Case Western Reserve University.

Bella started her career at the Goodman as her father's assistant, but soon developed her own name in the theatre community. As a Goodman faculty member, she saw firsthand the administration's plans to close the school in the early 1970s, its acquisition by DePaul in 1978, and its reemergence as the Theatre School at DePaul University in 1985. She directed more than 200 stage productions at the Goodman/Theatre School, including "The Seagull," "The Cherry Orchard," "Romeo and Juliet," and "A Streetcar Named Desire." Affectionately known as "Dr. Bella," her students included Joe Mantegna, Lois Nettleton, Kevin Anderson, Betsy Palmer, and Geraldine Page, among many others. From 1945-1950, she also operated the Lake Zurich Playhouse, a summer theater established by Bella and colleagues and students from the Goodman School. She served as Artistic Director of Chicago Playworks (formerly known as the Goodman Children's Theatre) for 15 years.

In 1967, Bella met carpenter Frank Konrath on the set of "Hamlet." The two were married until his death in 2002. Bella retired from full time teaching in 1989, but continued to teach part time until 2000. She died in 2011 at the age of 90.