Frank C. Rutledge

The Department of Theatre mourns the loss of a long-time colleague and friend. Countless MSU students who knew and loved Frank share our profound sense of loss. Our condolences go out to his wife Gretel and family.

A celebration of life will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 8 at the family residence in East Lansing.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the MSU Department of Theatre or the Michigan Nature Conservancy.

Emeritus Professor of Theatre History and Directing

Frank C. Rutledge

The following biography was written for Frank after receiving the 2007 Paul Varg Alumni Award for Faculty from the College of Arts and Letters Alumni Association. The award is presented annually to an Arts and Letters faculty member who has provided the highest quality of education to students. Rutledge was nominated by department chair George Peters, supported by department colleagues and former students, and finally selected by a committee of the College of Arts and Letters Alumni Association board.

Frank C. Rutledge received a B.A. in History and Philosophy and an M.A. in Speech and Theatre from the Ohio State University. He joined the faculty at Michigan State University in 1959 in what was then the Department of Speech.

During his forty-seven years of service to the University Frank served as Technical Director, Scenic Designer, Play Director, Director of Theatre Production, and Professor of Theatre. He completed two long terms as Chairperson of the Department of Theatre, first in the 1970s, then from 2001-2005. Frank oversaw the emergence of Theatre as a core discipline in the College of Arts and Letters and was a key member of the Planning Committee for the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts. A staunch advocate of drama and theatre as an integral part of a liberal arts education, Frank also promoted theatrical performance in the community and across the state. As co-founder and long-time director of Summer Circle Theatre he championed new American plays and exposed audiences to a rich blend of classics and contemporary fare. Shakespearean productions have been a highlight of Frank’s directorial work; hundreds of high school students were first exposed to the Bard during special matinée performances for the schools or through the MSU high school touring company, Simply Shakespeare.

Frank is the author of several original scripts and has been recognized with the Gold Medallion Award of Excellence by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He is recipient of the College of Arts and Letters Paul Varg Alumni Award.

We leave Frank's biographical sketch below which he wrote for the Department:

Emeritus Professor and Theatre History and Directing, holds degrees from The Ohio State University in History, Philosophy, and Theatre where he also attended law school. He has toured extensively in Michigan and the Midwest with Medea, Hamlet, and St. Joan, among other plays; and has directed in New York and other professional and semi-professional theaters. He is a student of the Renaissance and Baroque periods of Theatre History, as well as that of the 19th Century. He toured classical theatre sites under a sabbatical leave grant in Europe, Greece, Turkey, and has made several films. His productions include Scapino, Hamlet, Beaux Stratagem, The Birthday Party, Macbeth, and 150 other works. Professor Rutledge served as Department Chairperson from 1971 to 1982; was a member of the initiation committee of the University/Resident Theatre Association; and was on the original committee for the planning and design of the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. He created, with Professor Geist, the award-winning Summer Circle Theatre and directs the SIMPLY SHAKESPEARE Tour of Michigan's secondary schools. He is the Director of the MSU Opera House Study.