Theatre program receives ‘transformational’ estate gift

A major gift from the late mother of an alumna will have a dramatic effect on the University’s Theatre Department.

“This gift means a great deal to the program,” said Andrew Papa, chair of the Theatre Department and an associate professor of Theatre. “While we hope this will lead to increased visibility of our program, the department is especially excited about the increased opportunity it will provide for our prospective students.”

Every year, the Theatre Department engages with hundreds of students at recruiting events and in workshops and at high school nights for Detroit Mercy Theatre Company productions, Papa says, but one of the biggest inhibitors for students to attend Detroit Mercy is the cost.

“This gift will allow us to support more students for many years to come, and we are immensely grateful,” Papa said.

It comes at a propitious time as Detroit Mercy Theatre Company is celebrating its first season in the University’s new Black Box Theatre, bringing live theatre back to the McNichols Campus.

The gift from the estate of Christine Leonard revives and endows a long-dormant scholarship for theatre students created in 1995 and named for her daughter, Geraldine Regal. The scholarship was set up shortly after Geraldine ’94 died when the car she was in was hit by a driver who had been drinking. She was 23.

Geraldine’s father, David Regal, was the founder of University of Detroit’s Theatre Company and was on the faculty at the University for 44 years. When she was young, he put her in small parts in The Theatre Company productions, but “as soon as she got old enough to know what she wanted to do, it was no dice.” Geraldine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

“She knew everybody in The Theatre Company very well and was always volunteering to help, but she didn’t want to be on stage,” he said.

Christine Regal became Christine Leonard in 1993 when she married acclaimed crime novelist Elmore Leonard ’50. She was known for her cooking and her deep and varied knowledge of politics, travel, flowers, music, theatre, movies and art. She died in 2022 after a short illness.

Regal described his former wife Leonard as a “superfan” of Detroit Mercy’s theatre program. “She really dug The Theatre Company, and I think she’s shown that by the donation.”

The scholarship, which could begin disbursements as early as this fall, will be awarded to full-time students majoring or minoring in Theatre, with good academic standing with a preference for students who demonstrate financial need.

“This gift is truly transformational, and will make a difference long into the future,” Papa said.