Thursday, March 28, 2024

'He was a great professor and a wonderful mentor to us all'

Late theatre professor Greg Reuter had a profound impact upon his students and the department

January 14, 2015
<p></p>

But suddenly and tragically on Dec. 18, 2014, Reuter died at the age of 43. The cause of death was not released by the family.

“Greg loved his job and his students so much,” wrote Roger and Peggy Reuter about their son in a local obituary. “He was so proud of the students he taught and commented many times on how fulfilling being a professor was for him.”

Reuter’s glowing reputation among theatre students is made clear by the actions taken after his sudden death.

The rock on Farm Lane was immediately painted with his name after his passing, and a group of students gathered to honor the contributions Reuter made to their schoolwork. In addition, some of his pupils sang at the funeral at the request of his family. A page asking for donations in Reuter’s memory was started by theatre senior Teriah Fleming on IndieGoGo.Com.

“Ultimately whatever is raised will be given to his parents to do with as they please,” Fleming said.

The original plan was to cover funeral costs, but the family plans to donate most of the contributions back to MSU’s theatre department in Reuter’s name, Fleming said.

Donations have gone above and beyond the $500 goal. As of Wednesday, almost $700 had been raised.

Reuter had a lifelong passion for theatre; he graduated from Western Michigan University with a fine arts degree in 1993 and went on to spend the next 20 years in New York City working on several Broadway productions.

When Reuter came to MSU last August, he brought with him a network of important and helpful contacts for students who aimed to ‘make it’ in the world of professional theatre.

“He came into the department at full speed,” theatre senior Joshua Whitson said. “He was unbelievably qualified, having been in numerous Broadway shows, and was a great professor and a wonderful mentor to us all.”

From actor to professor

Reuter appeared in eight Broadway productions as an actor, including, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Chicago,” “Fosse,” “Bells Are Ringing,” “The Producers,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and “Shrek The Musical.”

He also frequently hosted Broadway sessions and designed curriculum at Broadway University.

Kirk Dormer, the Department of Theatre chairman, said the career transition for Reuter was huge and he admired “his enthusiasm toward the professional aspects of performing.”

Reuter’s connections to Broadway made him a widely successful addition to MSU’s theatre department.

“(Greg’s) biggest contribution in his short time teaching at MSU was connecting students to current Broadway professionals that gave them intimate access to their lives,” said Rob Roznowski, head of acting and directing in the department.

Although his time at MSU was short, Reuter brought passion and progress to the theatre department. Using his Broadway contacts, Reuter organized a mentor program which paired individual MSU students with professionals currently working in Broadway.

Several of the students in this program were paired with professional actors, directors and writers. The program and the connections it created will act as a powerful legacy for Greg Reuter within the Theatre department.

Whitney Bunn, a theatre senior, was inspired to pursue her dream career by her mentor Erica Lustig, who recently won the title of The New York Musical Theatre Festival’s ‘Next Broadway Sensation.’

“She has given me advice on everything from material selections and how to survive as a working actor in New York City,” Bunn said about Lustig. “As theatre students, our dreams are big. Having a mentor that is a working professional makes these big dreams tangible.”

As a professor, Reuter was working intimately inside the university as well as reaching out across the state and country.

A national legacy

The ?máGEN program’s March performance will be dedicated to Reuter’s memory, as it was a collaboration that he passionately led in the fall. ?máGEN is a musical theatre immersion program that features MSU students, select high school students and Broadway professionals developing new theatre works to be performed at Wharton Center.

“Professor Reuter had nearly finalized all of the Broadway professionals for this spring’s production and was already working on solidifying a new musical theatre work (in the development phase) for next year’s program,” Dormer said.

In addition to creating and leading both of these inspirational programs, Reuter taught three full-time courses in the department: a musical theatre class, a dance improvisation class and a dance technique class focusing on jazz.

Countless members of the theatre department have expressed their grief that he only was with the university for a short period.

“The thing I loved most about Greg was his steadfast belief in every single one of his students,” Bunn said. “He believed in his students, and he believed in Michigan State. He was a Michigan native who worked hard to make his dreams of performing on Broadway a reality.”

Although Reuter played multiple roles onstage and off, his pupils at MSU remember him for simply being himself.

“He was a true inspiration to us,” Bunn said.

Discussion

Share and discuss “'He was a great professor and a wonderful mentor to us all'” on social media.