The Greatest Dame & English Gentleman by Ashley Sutherland

Lincoln Hudson was one of the most impressive actors that I had ever met.  We met in 2006 when I was hired as a performance medicine therapist at The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil. Every single day, before starting his “Mr Piggy” makeup (which could take a couple hours), Lincoln would come to the physiotherapy room to greet all of the athletic trainers, massage therapists, physical therapists and Pilates instructors.  He was such a kind and loving man.

During my time at the LOVE show, I was always impressed with Lincoln’s dedication to his role of “Mr Piggy”. He gave an incredible performance 476 shows a year, barring any illness or injury that caused him to miss a show.  He also had the incredible gift to be able to improv monologues on stage anytime that there was a technical issue which caused the show to pause.  Lincoln wore an in-ear audio monitor so he could be in contact with the calling stage manager, they would speak to him about when the issue was fixed and he would vamp until the problem was sorted.  It was really an awe-inspiring sight to witness, speaking/ improving to a crowd of 2,000 people while listening to cues in his ear.

Lincoln Hudson was one of the most generous people that I have ever known.  He was always willing to listen to a problem, appreciate your silly jokes, and always participated in other people’s great ideas.  In 2008, my husband Rob Winch and his friends Richard Perkins and Jo Cattell wrote a Pantomime, Cinderella, for their company the British National Theatre of America. They did not have to look far for their Dame.  When Lincoln was asked to join the production, he did not hesitate before saying yes.  He was just so giving with his time.

Photos © British National Theatre of America featuring (left to right) Ashley Sutherland-Winch, A Dandy Punk & Lincoln Hudson

Lincoln played the “Wicked Stepmother” to my “Cinderella”, and it was such an amazing honor to share the stage with him.

Photo © British National Theatre of America featuring Lincoln Hudson & Richard Perkin

When my business partner Anna Robb and I decided to create TheatreArtLife in April 2016, Lincoln was one of the first people we contacted to become a contributor.  We reached out to many friends from the entertainment industry and many of our emails went unanswered or we were told, “I’m interested, but let me get back to you.”  Lincoln loved our idea from the start and like the man he was, he did not hesitate to become burdened with yet another duty in his life.  We asked Lincoln for three articles and he gave us five and from there he began submitting articles very quickly.  In his last article, The Vanity Project, I fell in love with the idea of his new play, Ronnie Brixton.  After we received his Vanity Project article, we wrote to Lincoln to ask if we could add the poster graphic for his play that would be presented at the Hollywood Fringe Festival within the article. He was thrilled with the publicity and support.  We also asked if he would cover the festival and share his experiences with the TheareArtLife readers.  Of course, he agreed. Lincoln was a wonderful writer and always had interesting insights and views to share.  Everyone at TheatreArtLife will mourn this loss.

Lincoln Hudson was an impressive actor but through his heart, generosity, and kindness, his talent was truly limitless.

My greatest hope is that we can share Lincoln’s articles with sweet Olivia, Lincoln’s daughter when she is old enough to read.  I pray that she will know the incredible and respected man that was her father.  I am grateful for his friendship and his support during tough times in my life.  He will always be the greatest Dame and Gentleman that I have ever known.

I love you, Lincoln.

God Bless – Ashley “Cinders”

Tribute by Ashley Sutherland-Winch

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