Tamara Tatiana “Tanya” Lazar
September 6, 1945 - June 3, 2024
Tamara Tatiana “Tanya” Lazar, age 78, of Arden, DE, passed away on Monday, June 3, 2024.
Born on September 6, 1945 in a DP (displaced persons) camp in Stuttgart, Germany, she was the daughter of the late Stefan and Raisa Hovanessian. The family emigrated to the United States in August, 1949, thanks to the generous sponsorship of an Armenian family residing in Boston. When her father became an editor and announcer on the newly formed Voice of America, the family moved to New York, and subsequently to Virginia, when the VOA was relocated to Washington, D.C. Tanya graduated from McLean High School, Mclean, VA, in 1963, and from Grinnell College, Ginnell, Iowa, in 1967 with a degree in Speech and Theatre. After college, Tanya moved back to New York, where she met her husband, Miklos T. Lazar, who had come to the United States after fighting the Soviet occupation of Hungary in the revolt of 1956. They married in 1969 and moved to Delaware in 1970. They had been together nearly 30 years when Miklos died on October 10, 1998.
For a few years, Tanya worked on contract with the Voice of America and the U.S. State Department, and as a free-lance translator of technical articles from Russian to English. She began her publishing career as editor of the Commuter News Digest in Wilmington. She then moved into medical publishing at Lea & Febiger, at the time, the oldest publishing house in the United States, having been established by Matthew Carey in 1775 with a loan from the Marquis de Lafyette. Tanya began as a copy editor in 1980 and retired as a managing editor in 2006, by which time the company had undergone many changes and was called Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, a subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer Health. For many years she worked in various community theatres as an actor and director, including Chapel Street Players, Wilmington Drama League, and Arden Shakespeare Festival. Tanya then decided to follow her dream and pursue a professional acting career, primarily in the Philadelphia area. Although she was fortunate enough to have played a variety of roles, her favorites included Lady MacBeth, Professor Vivian Bearing in Wit, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, and Claudia in Nuts. Among the many shows she directed, she was most proud of Children of a Lesser God.
Tanya is survived by her daughter, Judith Giovanni; and her three grandchildren, Christine, Jeannine, and Jeremy; and six great-grandchildren, Emily, Aiden, Kieran, Meghan, Matthew, and Erin.
A memorial gathering and repast will be held in the future.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a community theatre of the donor’s choice.
richard gaw
A particularly large and illuminating light has vanished in every stage theatre in northern Delaware, and one that will never shine again. Though diminutive in stature, Tanya had the temerity and will of a mountain, and her skills as an actor and a director were as powerful as the simple force of resilience. Like so many others who have plodded on the floorboards of Delaware stages, I have so many special moments in Tanya’s company, as both an actor and a playwright. In my mind, she was Nicky’s equal and, in some ways — as I’m sure Nicky would attest — his superior. She suffered no fools; in a cottage industry of self-important grandiosity, Tanya sought the company of those whose creative vision was pure and honest, and we, on the receiving end of that gift, are ourselves blessed. Blessings, Madame Lazar.
David Hastings
I will miss Tanya very much. She was warm, funny, wise, and incredibly talented. She was a good friend and introduced me to a wider world of community theater and will always be one of my favorite directors.
Suzanne
I am so privileged to have known Tanya; my respect for her creative vision is eclipsed only by my admiration for her ability to find precisely the right words for any situation. Whether it was on stage, or in the director’s chair, or sitting across from you with a drink, Tanya was a skilled storyteller, weaving tapestries with the twists and turns of human emotion and experience. She was class, all the way; I always felt a little bit like I was among royalty when I was in the same room with her. The theatre community was so blessed to have Tanya, and I’m so grateful to have known her and created art with her. She is an inspiration to all of us. Thank you, Tanya, for everything you taught us.
Angelo Parodi
I am so sorry to hear about Tanya’s passing. I worked with her for a couple of years after college, at Arden. She was both a wonderful director and actor and a joy to work with. Both she and Nicky are indelible parts of my memories as a young man. My deepest condolences to her family.
Allen Radway
We are so sorry for your loss. I worked with Tanya on CCTC’s Summer in the Parks production of OUR TOWN. It was an absolute pleasure to direct her. She brought so much earnestness and joy to Mrs Soames in the first act and then the perfect balance of grace and solemnity in the second. I cherished her as Professor Willard. She stuck up for her take on the character, I’m so happy she did, and she schooled us on geology. Tanya was so at home in a company of actors, and couldn’t wait for the next performance. She brought generosity, kindness, a sly sense of humor, detailed work, and real love to every collaboration. I’ll miss her laughter, her passion to share her knowledge, and her cool company in the heat of summer stage. Flights of angels and much love.
Susan moak
I am lucky to have known Tanya and called her friend. She was an excellent actress, director and mentor. Her passion for the theater was contagious and I am grateful to have worked with her. I will miss her beautiful smile and the sound of her laugh. I will miss her. The love she shared with Nicky was a wonder to me and I am comforted to know that they are journeying together again on the other side.
My condolences to the family for their loss.
Chris Wright
What a remarkable life she had! It was my great pleasure to be directed by Tanya on several occasions. Her dedication to the arts, and to theater in particular was impressive and inspiring.
Mike H
пока моя подруга!
пока!
мы будем смотреть тебя завтра.
пока моя подруга!
пока!