CHICAGO - Actor Dan Proctor remained in critical but stable condition in a Chicago hospital nearly two weeks after being shot in the head in an unsolved attack.
Proctor, 37, was found at 1400 West Carmen St. early Sunday morning, June 26, and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Initially placed on a respirator, Proctor is now breathing on his own with strong vital signs, according to a family spokesperson; he remains in a drug-induced coma until cranial swelling eases and an assessment of damage can be made.
Elected last year to the Central regional board of Actors' Equity Association, Proctor is a steadily employed performer who has made a niche for himself in musicals, especially at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre. A regular in Drury Lane's theatre for young audiences productions, Proctor has also appeared there in "West Side Story" (as Bernardo), "Little Shop of Horrors" (Audrey II), "Fiddler on the Roof," and "The Music Man," among other shows. His 15-year career as a singer-dancer and occasional choreographer has included work at the Marriott Theatre, Hell in a Handbag Productions, and other local venues.
Proctor had filled a crew position on an emergency basis at Drury Lane on Saturday night, June 25, for a performance of "Tintypes" and left the theatre about 11:30 p.m., theatre associates said. He was found lying on a lawn at 3:15 p.m. after a man in a nearby apartment heard gunfire and called the police. The incident took place in a largely residential, low-rise neighborhood generally regarded as safe.
No witnesses have come forward and there is no obvious motive for the attack, according to police statements in Chicago's daily papers. Proctor still had his wallet when he was found. That he was the victim of a hate crime has been speculated, as Proctor was shot close to several gay establishments during Gay Pride Week.
Proctor's mother, traveling from the family home in Indiana, has opened his hospital room to a steady stream of concerned friends and colleagues, among them Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace artistic director Ray Frewen and producer Diane Van Lente.
Equity's Central regional director, Kathryn Lamkey, issued a statement of support: "When it is someone you know and care about, like Dan, it is very difficult to understand why anyone would want to shoot him. He was a hard-working, amiable actor who was well loved and respected by those around him. The entire Chicago theatre community is praying for his recovery."
Donations for Proctor are being solicited through the Actors' Equity Foundation and may be sent to the Proctor family, c/o Actors' Equity Association, 125 South Clark St., Suite 1500, Chicago, Ill. 60603. All funds collected will be distributed to the family to help defray expenses.