Up until her final days, if you looked at the audience from the stage at any major theater in Charlotte, Mary Marie Mitchell likely would have been there.
More specifically at Charlotte Ballet or Theatre Charlotte, it was extremely rare that the woman known as “Marie” to most would miss a performance or a special event, company directors say.
This season, her seats there will be empty.
The Charlotte native and daughter of Lebanese immigrants died on Thursday, Sept. 1, according to her obituary. She was 90.
‘She was always curious’
Marie Mitchell recalled early school days as a Charlotte native in a 2018 Charlotte Observer profile about her life and philanthropy efforts in the Charlotte arts world. courtesy of Marie Mitchell
A community “staple,” as described by Charlotte Ballet executive director Doug Singleton, Mitchell first became involved in the local arts scene around the mid-90s when she became an usher at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.
The role was a way for Mitchell to be closer to the world she loved. In the years that followed, she would eventually become a benefactor for a host of institutions around the city, The Charlotte Observer reported in a profile about her work.
But before she transitioned to arts philanthropy, Mitchell was first known to the staff at Charlotte Ballet as a particularly “curious” colleague who would casually strike up conversations with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, the company’s artistic director from 1996 to 2017, Singleton explained.
“I remember a conversation that Jean-Pierre told me about,” Singleton said. “She was still just an usher at the Blumenthal and she just struck up a conversation with Jean-Pierre. She was always just curious about other people and their curiosity together started to build this relationship.”
The more Mitchell talked with people at Charlotte Ballet, the more she learned about how the world of arts philanthropy worked.
In the beginning, her philanthropy investments were small, Singleton said. However, equipped with a detail-oriented outlook and coming from a family that owned a business in Charlotte, Mitchell was a visionary, even as she commissioned her first ballet, Singleton recalled.
“That’s the thing about Marie, she knew exactly what she wanted. Always did,” he said.
Marie Mitchell, a Charlotte native, grew up on Graham Street. Courtesy of Marie Mitchell
Mitchell was ‘full of life’
Aside from her generous giving, Mitchell was omnipresent. She was reportedly always the first one to arrive at special events in the Charlotte arts community, according to Singleton.
“On time to her was five minutes early,” Singleton said. “There was always a running inside joke within our team, ‘alright, we gotta get ready for Marie.’’”
Chris Timmons, the acting executive director of Theatre Charlotte, explained how Mitchell was always excited about life and the arts.
“She was full... full of life,” Timmons told The Observer. “Perhaps the better way of putting it is that she was fulfilled.”
“Before COVID and when she was able to get around easier, conversations with Marie were often about how busy she was,” Timmons said. “’I’m ushering at CP tomorrow. I’ll be at Theatre Charlotte tonight, then I’ve got to be at the Ballet on Saturday.’”
As Mitchell began experiencing physical challenges, she was unable to attend events as frequently as she once did. But she refused to live a life devoid of entertainment.
“When she was no longer able to spend as much time at all the places she enjoyed, those conversations (about being busy) shifted to her full lineup of television shows that she watched,” Timmons said. “That’s how our last conversation with her started and ultimately, I think she just loved life and loved to be entertained.
Overall, it is simply Mitchell’s presence in the theater that Singleton said he will miss the most.
“She was truly thankful and gracious for the life that she had and you could tell that by talking to her, Singleton said. “When we found out (about her death), there were just no words. We didn’t have words.”
Marie Mitchell of Charlotte, NC died on Sept. 1, 2022 at the age of 90. REUBEN BLOOM
Mitchell was a longtime member of St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Charlotte.
“She certainly was very humble and in Marie’s life, she was very childlike and simple,” Father Mike Mitchell said at her funeral. “Anyone who loves the arts and theater and all that is beautiful as much as Marie did, you have a delicate, sensitive soul who can see wonder in the world the way children do.”
Timmons told the Observer that Theatre Charlotte will leave a seat open for Mitchell at every performance and will dedicate the season to her.
The Charlotte Ballet may also leave a chair out for Mitchell this season in honor of her, Singleton said.
Evan Santiago is a reporter for the Charlotte Observer writing for the publication’s Service Journalism Desk. He hails from New York City and is currently based in the Queen City where he works to help local readers navigate the challenges that come with daily life in the modern world.
