Phillip Jay Desser of Norwalk, CT, formerly of Monroe, Bridgeport, and Sharon, CT, New York, NY, and Memphis, TN, took his final bow on April 17, 2024. Phil chose his beloved late wife Barbara’s birthday to make his entrance into the afterlife; a surprise we’re sure she enjoyed.
Phil made his debut on August 1, 1936 in Bridgeport, and grew up there. His early years consisted of productions he staged in his Salem Street garage, summers on Fairfield Beach, and trips to Broadway with his parents. Phil was president of Central High School’s Players’ Club, and earned his BA in Theatre from the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Phil was honored to be the first assistant to respected UConn professor and famed puppeteer Frank Ballard, as well as stage managing and helping design/build sets for several productions.
Phil spent seven summers from his junior year of college and immediately after at the Sharon Playhouse, an Equity summer stock theater in Sharon, CT. Phil started out as crew chief/set builder, and eventually became stage manager – gladly handling just about every task you can imagine. After earning his degree, Phil relocated to New York City, where he stage-managed for five years off-Broadway at the Circle in the Square (Downtown) and other theaters.
Phil greatly enjoyed his time living in Brooklyn and Manhattan, where he rubbed elbows with many current and future Broadway, movie, and TV stars. Just before Phil passed, the last request he made of his granddaughter Emily, a drama student at NYU Tisch, was “when you are walking down Bleecker Street, think of me walking there”.
Phil returned to Bridgeport following a brief time in Memphis, stage-managing at the Front Street Theatre. Upon his father Sam’s death in 1963, he helped support his mother Lorraine. Phil obtained his teaching certification by completing an eight-week crash course at Southern Connecticut State University, and was soon hired by Samuel Staples Elementary School in Easton. He spent 33 years there teaching mostly fourth grade and staging numerous productions with his students. Phil’s favorites included Peter Pan – where Peter flew above the stage on a pulley-rigged wire as Phil pulled the other end offstage – Tom Sawyer, Oliver, and The Phantom Tollbooth.
Phil’s most cherished theatrical accomplishments were achieved at the Polka Dot Playhouse, a beloved community theater he started working with as a high schooler in 1954. He returned in 1966 and was a founding member in the new Polka Dot, helping build the theater on Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport that opened in 1967. It was here where Phil met Barbara – and while she spent most of her time on stage, Phil served at various times as managing producer, technical director, and mainly set designer for over 60 productions across nearly 20 years – all while he continued to teach, build sets, and direct his elaborate student productions during the day.
Phil leaves a legacy of selflessness. In addition to teaching – where he impacted countless students and spurred several toward a career in the arts – Phil was a volunteer ambulance driver for the Monroe EMS. He later drove the senior bus for the Monroe Senior Center, and volunteered at the Monroe Food Bank. Phil also cared for his ailing mother for many years, visiting her nursing home daily with a home-cooked meal kept warm on a hot plate. If you ever needed help with something, you could always count on Phil.
Phil loved to travel, especially with Barbara, his favorite travel companion. Together they ventured around the world, including dozens of visits to London – their favorite city. Phil’s dearest pastime was live theater; he saw countless Broadway and West End productions, and visited many regional theaters and festivals. Phil’s greatest joy was sharing his love of musicals with his grandchildren, and he was filled with pride watching them perform.
Phil’s final years were spent at Brightview on New Canaan in Norwalk, where he was an enthusiastic community member. He attended (and provided many suggestions for) nearly every Brightview performance, activity, happy hour, movie, and – of course – meal, for more than four years, with his companion Renee Haber always by his side. We are eternally grateful to Brightview’s compassionate staff, who provided Phil with an unlimited supply of cookies and wonderful care – especially in his last days.
Phil left a lasting impression on everyone he met. We will dearly miss him.
Phil is survived by his sons Jason Desser and his wife, Christine of Westport, CT; Scott Taylor and his wife, Valerie of Port Washington, NY; and his daughter, Pati Taylor and her husband, Jay Thrift of Windsor, CA and Mulege, Mexico. Phil leaves six grandchildren, Emily Desser of New York, NY, Kayla Desser of Westport, Christopher Dietl of West Haven, CT, Brittany Taylor of Madison, WI, Leah Taylor of London, UK, and Kevin Taylor of Port Washington, NY. Phil is also survived by one sister-in-law, Patty Brownstein and her husband, Alan of Dobbs Ferry, NY, his cousin-in-law, Karen Garrity, and her husband Peter, of Seymour, CT, as well as several other cousins, nieces, nephews, and two great-grandchildren.
In 2015 Phil wrote and assembled an extensive history of his theatrical life, entitled The Almost Professional Career of Phillip Desser. It is an incredible 200-page tome filled with photos and memories of a life well lived. Phil’s book may be downloaded from https://bit.ly/desserbook.
A celebration of life will take place on Saturday, June 22, at 11 a.m. in the old Samuel Staples Elementary School auditorium where Phil directed so many 4th grade plays (now Easton Country Day School, 660 Morehouse Road in Easton). More details are available on Facebook. Please email jdesser@yahoo.com if you’re interested in attending and/or sharing stories about Phil.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to your local community theater, public school theater program, EMS, food bank, or senior center.
