Obituary of Gerard E. Moses

Gerard E. Moses of Syracuse, 86, passed away on Thursday, June 5 of pneumonia. Born in Utica to the late Mabel and John G. Moses on January 13, 1939, Moses was an accomplished and celebrated actor and theater director. Professor emeritus at Syracuse University, he directed and taught in the theater department for 32 years and trained several generations of theater artists there and elsewhere.

A lifelong devotee of literature as well as theater, with a keen curiosity and capacious knowledge of culture, Moses told students: “Throughout history, the arts have had a spiritual as well as a kind of physical healing power. A knowledge of history makes it possible to be able to understand, for instance, how many years later once can still use an Aristotle or a Mozart.”

Moses also taught at Hamilton College and the University of Vermont. While on the faculty at Syracuse University, he established the department’s drama program in London, where he had been trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He held theater degrees from Syracuse University, Indiana University, and a degree in English literature from Hamilton College. Ever questing to expand his knowledge ofstage movement, he later sought training in Korean Mask Dance Drama.

Theater critic James MacKillop remembered him as “a rare, multiform and much-loved talent. No role was beyond him, from the doomed Cockney Soldier in Brendan Behan’s The Hostage to the Hindu god in Terrence McNally’s Perfect Ganesh. Nothing was too demanding either: Waiting for Godot, Murder in the Cathedral and late in life, King Lear. For the Drama Department he saw the gold in Kander and Ebb’s Chicago, when it was widely thought to be a failure. He wore his profound knowledge of the theater lightly.  No one else could begin a conversation with, ‘Don’t you think (Belgian avant-gardist) Michel de Ghelderode is unjustly neglected?’”

In addition to directing classics, musicals and contemporary dramas at Syracuse Stage and Syracuse University’s Drama Department, he directed numerous productions at Hamilton College, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Le Moyne College, Ithaca Opera, Syracuse Opera, Society for New Music, and was appointed founding artistic director at Redhouse, where he produced programming from 2004-07. 

Throughout his life and career, William Shakespeare was his lodestar. As actor and director, Moses was a longstanding artistic presence at the Champlain Shakespeare Festival in Burlington, VT, where he directed the Bard’s works, and took the title roles in King Lear, Timon of Athens, Henry IV, as well as such roles as Shylock (Merchant of Venice), Banquo (Macbeth), Duke of York (Richard III), Lepidus (Anthony and Cleopatra). 

For the past two decades, with the collaboration of multi-media artist Eugene (J.T.) Lee, Moses coached actors privately and led a weekly theater workshop, Studio24, which he called “a lab for actors, writers, filmmakers, directors and designers to explore the professional crafts of theater and film.” He focused on what actors call “the physical instrument” with breathing, movement,and diction exercises, as well as doing work in improvisation and masks, followed by rehearsals of original and published monologues, scenes, and scripts. Notably, every April Shakespeare’s birthday was celebrated with readings, performances and cake.

“Don’t play the result,” Moses often said to his actors, by way of warning them to stay connected to the present. “Acting is about breathing in the moment first, listening to the moment second, and plunging into the moment third with confidence.”

Philadelphia-based director, actress and teacher Kelly Jennings studied with Moses at SU, characterized his teaching this way: “Gerard whispered ‘yes’ to artists finding their voice. He listened deeply, taught deliberately, and believed presence and truth were an actor’s most powerful tools.”

Syracuse-based actress Karis Wiggins remembered his approach as unique and artistically freeing, saying that “Gerard never told his students how to act. Instead, he guided us to discover our way into a character and their world by examining the text—word by word, breath by breath and action by action. In his hands, Shakespeare became a spiritual experience, alive with its own life force, and he made that force accessible to everyone. He was love personified, embodying the highest artistic standards with deep compassion and integrity. His teaching studio was more than a classroom—it was a place where we learned a little more about what it means to be human.”

In addition to his partner of 33 years, Eugene (J.T.) Lee, Moses is survived by his brother Clement Moses and sister-in-law Suzon O. Kister of Durham, NC; and nephew Christopher Moses.

The family extends grateful thanks to the doctors and staff of Upstate Hospital staff for their generous and devoted care. Donations in the memory of Gerard Moses can be made to Francis House. A celebration of his life will be planned in the months to come.

Gerard’s memory will live on in the countless lives he touched & the love he gave.