02/21/2026
We are struck and saddened by the news that beloved theatre maker Paul Ford died on Tuesday, February 17th. He was a teacher, actor, director, and mentor to many artists for decades, and he was the heart of the Albuquerque theatre scene.
Paul came to New Mexico from California in 1986 to run an education program for New Mexico Repertory Theatre that he named Theater-in-the-Making. In 1988 he separated from the Rep and started Center Stage, a black box theatre in Nob Hill (now Two Fools Tavern) where he ran Theatre-in-the-Making and produced shows with many local artists for years. Paul's specialty was what he called story theatre. He adapted fables, novels, fairy tales, poems, and short stories for the stage. A favorite of his was Dylan Thomas's poem Under Milkwood.
Paul was also a lecturer in the University of New Mexico’s Department of Theatre and Dance for over 20 years. He taught Acting I and was often students' first encounter with the department. Paul was a wonderful teacher. He immediately made young actors feel at ease while teaching them how to open up and be brave on stage. He directed multiple shows at UNM as well as helping to create summer playwriting programs, hosting guest artists, and teaching theatre for young audiences. Paul had a gift for opening the door to theatre for all people.
He was THE teacher for decades of theatre artists in Albuquerque. The community is grieving his loss deeply and we grieve with them. His impact was enormous. He was a mentor, a teacher, a friend, an artistic collaborator, and a truly great human being.
"I feel exceptionally lucky to have been taught, directed, and mentored by him. Paul Ford is the reason I came to UNM. I wanted to move to New York and jump into the fire. He convinced me that school was important. He truly loved theatre and he loved sharing theatre with others. He was an extraordinary man." - Juli Hendren
For Ford Theatre-in-the-Making “has always been focused on the performer and creating opportunities for inexperienced performers, beginning performers, to mix with experienced performers to develop skills. At one point in the early ’90s we were at Center Stage and I was running classes and productions for young people and adults. There was a moment in which I looked at all the theaters in town and all the shows that were going on.” It was then that Ford realized virtually every show had an actor who had done their first production or had their first class with Theatre-in-the-Making. “I thought that’s about as good a representation of our mission as anything we could lay our hands on. Because we were providing an access point for both adults and young people to move into having experiences as expressive artists.”
Thank you Paul for all you gave to the Albuquerque Theatre Community, and for inspiring generations of theatre makers. ❤️
