Ms. Stewart founded La MaMa, E.T.C. (short for Experimental Theatre Club) in 1961, and remained its tireless director until her death. In its early period, the company nurtured aborning talents like playwrights Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, Adrienne Kennedy, Rochelle Owens and Jean Claude Van Itallie and performers such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel.
The African-American Ms. Stewart, a striking figure with her wild mane of blonde hair, was a familiar sight at the complex, often personally introducing each performance, and more than occasionally implored the audience members to donate to the perpetually cash-strapped organization.
Her influence in the New York theatre world was so far-ranging that, in 1993, she was inducted into the "Broadway Theatre Hall of Fame," the first Off-Off-Broadway producer to be so honored. Her Broadway credits include roles in the original Godspell and Torch Song Trilogy.

Source: Playbill.com