Get-together to Honor Eliot Muckerman at Opera House Tomorrow

Eliot Muckerman’s untimely passing at age 25 this past Wednesday (3/19/14) left many of us reeling with surprise, grief, and anger. While the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, there is so much that is clear. Eliot was a brilliant wit, a generous friend, a voracious reader, an inspired actor, and a devilishly clever writer. He is deeply missed and remembered with warmth and laughter as friends regale each other with tales of his extraordinary antics and acts of deep kindness.

Eliot is survived by his father and stepmother Peter and Rhonda Muckerman, his half- sister Ellen Muckerman, and extended family members: Mat Ryan, Kent Ryan and Kyra Wong. He mother, beloved San Miguel County judge Sharon Shuteran, died in 2012.

Born in Telluride on June 8, 1988, Eliot attended Telluride Elementary School and The Mountain School. He graduated Fountain Valley School in 2006 and continued on to Hampshire College, where he graduated with a degree in Creative Writing.

Growing up in Telluride, Eliot was an excellent skier and an enthusiastic performer with the Sheridan Arts Foundation Young People’s Theater and Telluride Academy’s Mudd Butts Mystery Theatre. After college, he was singled out for his excellent Bassanio in “The Merchant of Venice” in the Telluride Rep’s Shakespeare in the Park 2010 production. In the Rep’s 2012 production of “Measure for Measure,” Eliot delighted audiences with his charming portrayal of Duke Vincentio.

Like his mother, Eliot was a committed volunteer with the Telluride Film Festival. He started out popping popcorn as a concessionaire, but graduated to schlep crew, a job he was absolutely passionate about. He loved the heavy lifting as much as he loved the movies he caught before and after work.

Most recently, Eliot had been reviewing music for Telluride Inside and Out and writing for the Telluride Festivarian magazine. Lost to us at the beginning of his writing career, we can only imagine the wonderful stories Eliot leaves untold.