Early Anchorage theater figure dies

Brink was born on Aug. 26, 1916, in Eagles Meer, Pa. According to an upcoming book by former Daily News critic Catherine Stadem, "The History of Theatre in Anchorage," he attended Maryville College in Tennessee, studying under playwright Paul Green, who was famed for his epic historical dramas, usually performed outdoors.

Brink served in the Navy in World War II, coming to Anchorage after his discharge to take a job as a radio announcer on KFQD. In April, 1945, when the director of a USO performance had to step into one of the roles, Brink took over direction of the show.

He went on to establish the Anchorage Little Theatre which, after several name changes, is now known as Anchorage Community Theatre, as well as the drama program at Alaska Methodist University (now Alaska Pacific University).

In the 1950s, Anchorage was mad for theater. Brink oversaw the production of as many as 50 plays -- many of them one-acts -- in one season. Hundreds of people showed up for tryouts. He became the first director to explore the possibilities of the auditoriums at (West) Anchorage High School and AMU's Grant Hall. He managed to talk national stars like Boris Karloff and Will Rogers Jr. into coming to Alaska to perform with local casts.

His obsession with stagecraft and his sometimes aloof manner caused many to see him as a stern taskmaster. "You couldn't just take or leave Frank," said Bob Pond, who performed in several Brink productions and later directed ACT. "You either genuinely respected the charismatic figure or you didn't."

Pond recalled rehearsals lasting until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning.

But few doubted his sincere interest in cultivating amateur talent.

"Brink wanted a theater program for all the community, not just the experienced or the wannabes," Pond said. "His theater included the powerful and the unemployed; the dedicated and those who just wanted to make coffee and hang out. He had a category of casting for 'need casting,' putting people in a play just because he sensed that they really needed and wanted to be in community theater. The shows rarely suffered, as Brink was the master of staging; it was stunning to watch his work."

His writing included "Cry of the Wild Ram," about the early Russian settlements in Alaska, which was presented outdoors in Kodiak for several summers. He also wrote the libretto for "Toyon," an opera by New York composer Willard Straight, on the same subject, commissioned for the centennial of the purchase of Alaska, and a musical, "Song of the Great Land."

Brink was also an announcer and reporter for local radio and television stations. He filmed news programs and documentaries around Alaska and recorded interviews with old timers whose memories dated back to the Gold Rush. His most spectacular cinematic coup was capturing the breakup of Lake George as it smashed through Knik Glacier.

He was selected as the Alaska Press Club's "Outstanding Alaskan" in 1975 and awarded an honorary doctorate from AMU in 1976. That same year saw his last play in Anchorage, "Macbeth" at Grant Hall.

After leaving Alaska, he produced theater in Shreveport, La. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie, and is survived by his son, David, of Anchorage.

Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.