Elon University chair of Department of Performing Arts dies

Performing arts students were told early Wednesday afternoon that professor and chair of the Department of Performing Arts Fred Rubeck died May 6. 

Co-chair of the performing arts department Kirby Wahl notified students via a Moodle announcement.

“We're sorry to share this news in this way, but email was the most efficient way to reach you all at once,” Wahl said in his email. “We know that this is very difficult news to hear.”

In an email from Elon President Connie Book, she invited the Elon community to a gathering of friends in Rubeck’s memory in the Numen Lumen Sacred Space on May 8 at 3 p.m.

According to Book’s email, Rubeck joined the Elon faculty in 1988 and served as chair of the department twice. At Elon, Rubeck directed more than 50 productions within the department, according to the email. 

Elon senior acting major Caroline Moore first met Rubeck when she auditioned for the acting program. She said she remembers Rubeck being full of joy and positivity about the acting program, which he founded. 

“It's thanks to him that this program even exists, and it was just fully his life passion,” Moore said. 

Moore said she would describe Rubeck as one of the most positive and just joyful people she has ever met. 

“He's never pessimistic, he's never upset, he's always just passionate about what he's doing and working on and he's encouraging to all his students, and he's just full of joy and happiness,” Moore said. “I've never seen him not that way.”

When students heard about Rubeck’s passing, Moore said they began to sit on the patio outside the Center for the Arts. 

“We've just been with educators and students, and we've just been sitting around all day just talking about Fred and all the good and hilarious and happy memories of him, and just we're so thankful for him, and he just means the world to us, and we're still going to celebrate him and everything's gonna be okay,” Moore said. 

Elon University’s Performing Arts comic improv troupe, Instant Laughter, was founded by Rubeck. Elon senior acting major and member of Instant Laughter,  Alan Kornbluth said he always attended the Instant Laughter rehearsals because of the energy that Rubeck brought to the group. 

“He would always laugh at the jokes that we throw around, and he would always give amazing feedback, and he would help us become better artists,” Kornbluth said. 

Kornbluth also recalled a fond memory of Rubeck from Halloween 2025, when Kornbluth needed a green shirt for a costume, so he took a trip to Goodwill and found a green Hawaiian shirt. 

On Halloween, the senior acting class was selling donuts to fundraise for their showcase. Kornbluth said that Rubeck entered the CFA and told Kornbluth that his shirt looked like one he had owned. 

“He saw me wearing the shirt, and he stopped by and he said, ‘Wow, that looks like one of my shirts.’ And then he asked to see the tag, and it turned out that it was one of the shirts that he just so happened to have donated to Goodwill, and it was just a very funny coincidence, and then I asked him to sign that shirt for me, and I'm currently wearing that shirt right now,” Kornbluth said.

Both emails also stated that resources are available to students, faculty and staff to discuss feelings of loss or concern for others. 

“Students can always access the 24/7 resources from the crisis counselor on-call at 336-278-2222, TalkNow from TimelyCare, or the Student Life administrator on-call through Campus Safety and Police at 336-278-5555,” the emails stated.