Chandler arts center stage named for community icon

CHANDLER — The chair of the Chandler Cultural Foundation Board of Directors is just one of many Chandlerites who has praise for Steena Murray.

“I feel fortunate to have served on the board with Steena,” David Woodruff said. “Her generosity in both time and money has been extraordinary.”

Three entities have combined to honor Murray by naming an important performance space after her.

Chandler Center for the Arts, the City of Chandler and the Chandler Unified School District announced they have renamed the Arts Center’s main theater for Murray, a long-time supporter.

The unveiling of the now-named Steena Murray Mainstage was done with a ceremony and reception Jan. 30. Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke and City Council members, staff and board members of the Cener for the Arts, Cultural Foundation and CUSD were in attendance, as well as Murray’s longtime friends and family.

The Steena Murray Mainstage is Center for the Arts’ 1,508-seat theater used for major artist performances, local and national tours in Chandler and serves as the performing, rehearsal and assembly space for the CUSD.

Murray is a founding member of both the Chandler Education Foundation Board and the Board of Directors, for which she has served since the Arts Center opened in 1989. She has worked diligently for more than 30 years to make the Center for the Arts the community gathering space it has become.

Last year, the Chandler Cultural Foundation, the nonprofit that oversees programming and operations at the Center for the Arts, submitted a request for the naming of the main stage to both the school district and the City of Chandler in appreciation and recognition of Murray’s lifetime of support to the community.

The CUSD Governing Board and Chandler City Council unanimously passed resolutions approving the naming in March 2022.

“A founding member on the Chandler Education Foundation Board Steena has a passion for young people having access to education,” CUSD Superintendent Frank Narducci said. “Having her name associated with a theatre that serves students and Chandler citizens is a fitting honor for someone with such incredible commitment to her community.”

Murray’s considerable financial contributions to the Cultural Foundation make up the largest continuous gift from an individual philanthropist in its history.

She has sponsored student participation in youth arts education through Vision Kids and Connecting Kids programs since their inception. Over the last decade, her support has provided funding for 12,870 youth to participate in these programs.

For 11 years, she was the presenting sponsor for the Zoppé Family Circus, bringing joy to tens of thousands of families, in addition to 6,000 free tickets to Title I students served by CUSD.

Murray is also a member of the Jerry Brooks Legacy Society, having committed a gift to the Cultural Foundation in her estate planning.

“I can’t think of an individual who has provided more contributions to the enrichment of the community through the appreciation and support of the arts.” Michelle Mac Lennan, general manager of the Center for the Arts, said. “Steena is more than a donor, she is a fan. She has attended nearly every performance at the CCA. There is truly no one — not even staff — who has seen more shows in our theatre than Steena.”

Murray is a native of Chandler. Her parents, Frands and Bodil Thude, immigrated from Denmark to be closer to family.

In 1935, the Thudes purchased 160 acres east of Price Road and south of Galveston Street for a dairy and were among the original farming families in Chandler. Ellen Kristie “Steena” Thude Murray was born in December 1936.

After graduating from Chandler High School in 1954, she attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1959 with a major in business. She lived on the East Coast for a few years and moved back to Chandler in 1962, living in her hometown ever since.

The Thude family and their contribution to early Chandler has been commemorated with a city park located where the farm used to sit.

Murray is also a member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization Sisterhood’s Arizona Chapter, where women celebrate the advancement of women.

“While Steena’s reach within the community goes beyond her commitment to the arts, it is the generosity and vision of such a dedicated citizen that ensures the richness created and experienced within the walls of the Center remains for generations,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said.

Woodruff summed up the impact Murray has had on Chandler.

“Steena has a passion for the arts, Woodruff said. “Our community has benefited greatly from her passion.”

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