Geva Theatre in Rochester is where Fairport native Philip Seymour Hoffman first got really interested in acting, so family and friends say it is fitting that they have now announced the Philip Seymour Hoffman Scholarship Fund.
Hoffman, who died earlier this year of a drug overdose at the age of 46, first got excited about acting when his mother, retired judge Marilyn O'Connor took him to plays at Geva, particularly the production of " All My Sons."
O’Connor tells WXXI News that as much as he's known for movies, her son's first acting passion was the theater.
"He knew that exposure to the theater will create an interest for life. You may not become an actor even, but you're going to love theater for life and he loved theater and Geva is where he found that love, I took him to that play and it changed his life."
O’Connor says that when her son came back to Fairport High School to accept an award some years ago, he wouldn't go to the school unless he had a chance to talk to the students.
"He didn't want to just come back and accept an award, he wanted to spend the day with the students, and that's what he did, and he loved doing that, always, so I know that this is something that he not only would love but would wish he were here for."
The new scholarship fund has a goal of raising $25,000.
That will provide two scholarships annual for Geva's Summer Academy Program which is designed to help train youths ages 12 to 18.
