Robert "Bob" Greenwood

Robert Walter Greenwood died on January 5, 2024 at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, with his beloved partner and spouse Dana Luebke at his side. Bob’s friends remember him for his energy, passion for the arts and justice, and delight in telling stories.

Bob was born on March 1, 1941 in Hanover, New Hampshire, to Clayton and Lillian Greenwood. When Clayton asked his five year old son what he wanted to be when he grew up – inspired by the vaudeville shows and movies at the local opera house – Bob said, “an actor!” He was involved in community theatre, singing on the radio and in churches by the time he was six. Bob went on to receive the first Ina Bolder Scholarship to study art history, painting and sculpture at Dartmouth College, graduating with Highest Honors, cum laude, and winning the Alberta Ames Award for Art History and the Marcus Heiman Award in Theatre Arts. He then attended the Yale School of Drama, earning an MFA in acting, directing and design.

After acting at the Dartmouth Repertory Theater and in New York City, as well as managing the mail room at the Ford Foundation, Bob chaired the Acting and Directing Program at Oklahoma University, where his students included Ed Harris, K. T. Sullivan, Larry Drake, and many others who went on to professional careers in theatre.

In 1973, Bob moved to Alberta, Canada to chair the Acting-Directing Programme at the University of Calgary. He founded the Dance and Theatre Arts Calgary Society and the Calgary Council For All Arts Association as well as serving on numerous boards. In 1977, he met dancer Dana Luebke and they formed Sun.Ergos, A Company of Theatre and Dance. Their shared vision: A world where people realize and embrace our common, shared humanity. Their mission: To celebrate the differences and recognize the similarities among people and cultures through timeless stories expressed in theatre, dance and the visual arts.

Together they created over 60 productions, Bob designing and crafting most of their exquisite props and masks. They toured to every corner of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan as well as 26 other countries, performing and teaching arts residencies. Audience members remember his chameleon ability to transform himself into different characters before their eyes, moving them to laughter one minute and tears the next. Many students will remember him saying, “Don’t be perfect, be wonderful!” Wherever they traveled, they visited museums, historical and cultural sites, Bob recorded all their research with his camera.

They had an especially meaningful relationship with Croatia throughout its war for independence and received Croatia’s highest civilian honour, the Redom Danice Hrvatske s Likom Marka Marulica from the President of Croatia and Honorary Citizenship in the Zupanija of Sibenik. On their last international tour, Bob performed his one-man production, Shakespeare, portraying 21 characters, at the City Theatre of Tehran, Iran.

Bob and Dana were married in 2007, on the anniversary of the day they met 30 years before. Bob was a faithful correspondent to all his friends around the world. During his last years, he created over 100 paintings, both landscapes and vibrant, colourful abstracts.

There will be a celebration of Bob's life, art, photography, painting, and infinitely creative spirit, as well as showings of his Shakespeare performance, at cSPACE Marda Loop in Calgary, May 30 - June 2. Details to follow.