Honoring Coach J. Michael Reilly
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THE SITUATION
An abridged production of "Godspell," performed by exhausted H.H. Dow High School students for an audience of five in an auditorium somewhere in central Michigan, has just concluded. The performance is the troupe's entry in that year's regional theater competition, and the general vibe in the room is that it hasn't gone especially well. The year is 1989.
(Coach gives notes after a dress rehearsal of Noises Off! in 1986)
THE BACKGROUND
"Godspell" is a musical created by American playwright and director John-Michael Tebelak. Composer Stephen Schwartz wrote the music for "Godspell." Coincidentally, the director of the production is named J. Michael Reilly -- known to all adults as "Mike" and his students as either "Mr. Reilly" or simply "Coach." (Most definitely not "John," though that is what the "J." stood for.)
The lead judge in the audience of five is a theater professor from Michigan State University. The professor begins her critique of the performance:
PROFESSOR
(huskily, gesturing to the stage)
"Where is the love, John Michael? Where is the love?"
The professor asked that question again and again throughout her critique, to a point where it became difficult for the students not to laugh as they watched Coach's face flinch ever so slightly every time she said it. As she continued, the troupe knew their production of "Godspell" would not advance to the state finals. Intuiting this, Coach became slightly more animated with each "John Michael" when the professor shifted her gaze away from him.
On the bus ride back to Dow High from the disappointing end to their competitive theater season, Coach lifted the troupe's spirits by musing aloud just who the professor thought he might be because no one calls him "John Michael." What could have been a depressing night for the cast and crew instead became a favorite memory of many who were present. In the years that followed, one need only say "Where's the love, John Michael?" at the right moment to bring gales of laughter from Coach and anyone else who sat through that eternal critique.
THE ANSWER
To answer the professor's question, the love was and is everywhere J. Michael Reilly was.
J. Michael Reilly, beloved teacher, mentor, and director, made his exit in the early hours of March 13, 2021, following a battle with cancer.
He leaves behind his partner Jose "Louie" Duran and hundreds of students and colleagues he influenced and inspired. His students became theater directors, professional actors and/or musicians, music teachers, and communications professors. His legacy is thousands of people, spanning generations, who have a deeper appreciation of art and its abilities to transform people.
Most of his students gained a greater appreciation of themselves. A recurring sentiment among his grieving former students is "he really believed in me, and he let me know it." He challenged his public speaking students to break free of their insecurities and believe in themselves. He engaged his "at-risk" students by hopping up and stepping from desktop to desktop, extolling the importance of speaking with confidence and projection. He committed to his students' success in ways few of his students can recall any other teacher doing in their lives.
THE PRICE
Coach lived alone for much of his career, with his only family obligation his aging mother. He invested heavily in his students, regularly spending 60 or more hours a week working with them. Beyond his daily class schedule, he coached the Debate Team, the Forensics Team and directed between two and four plays a year, each with late-night rehearsals. He arrived at H.H. Dow High School before 7 am and often did not return home until after 11 pm.
After leaving his position at Dow High, Coach continued teaching in various settings in the Midland Public Schools and around the country. Wherever he worked, his work ethic remained extraordinarily high—which ultimately took a toll on his health.
J. Michael Reilly survived his first heart attack at age 35. That cardiac event led to his first quadruple bypass surgery that same year. Fueled by coffee, nicotine, and countless meals-on-the-fly while fulfilling his commitments to his students, Coach paid for his commitment with his health. His second quadruple bypass cardiac surgery was at age 65.
In 2020, at age 69, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Following surgery at the Mayo Clinic to remove his bladder, Coach contracted asymptomatic COVID-19 during a hospital visit meant to address numerous compounding complications stemming from the bladder removal surgery. In the four months between his surgery on November 13, 2020, and his death on March 13, 2021, Coach only spent a few weeks out of a hospital or professional care facility. He spent greater than four weeks during that period in an Intensive Care Unit, much of that time sedated and on a ventilator.
He hoped he had many more years to give and many more students to teach and believe in.
THE AFTERMATH
The bills are still accumulating. At this writing, Louie does not know their full extent. Still, he fears Coach's post-life expenses will jeopardize his ongoing residence in the house in suburban Albuquerque that he shared with his mother and Coach.
Coach was actually quite good at investing and had frequent financial wins in the stock market. It is precisely those financial gains that allowed him to get through his increasingly frequent medical challenges during the last decade of his life. Ultimately, the costs of his medical challenges depleted his financial resources.
Immediate needs include approximately $10,000 for post-life expenses. We will update this campaign as the financial situation becomes clearer.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The last year has been tough on everyone, and not everyone whom Coach inspired can afford to help out financially.
If you can make a donation that will help cover his medical bills and other post-life expenses, Louie and his mother may be spared from compounding their grief by selling the family home to cover those costs.
If you can't donate, you can get the word out about this campaign. Can you share the link on your Facebook timeline or your Twitter feed?
J. Michael Reilly inspired generations of students. Many of those students, in turn, became teachers themselves, passing on what they learned from Coach. Many of his students became performers as well, who gave comfort and joy to audiences around the world. Directly or indirectly, J. Michael Reilly touched the hearts of tens of thousands of people. Those people have gone on to support and *fund* the arts in their communities, enriching the lives of so many more.
If a fraction of all those people contributed $20, $50, or $100 to this campaign, I am confident the goal is attainable.
WHERE IS THE LOVE?
The love is everywhere.
Keep spreading it. Believe in a shy kid. Ensure someone you know *knows* you believe in them and support them through practice, practice, and more practice it takes to achieve their dreams.
Thank you so much for reading, for spreading J. Michael Reilly's story, and for contributing to this campaign in any way you can. Coach's friends, family, and loved ones are all grateful for your support.
An abridged production of "Godspell," performed by exhausted H.H. Dow High School students for an audience of five in an auditorium somewhere in central Michigan, has just concluded. The performance is the troupe's entry in that year's regional theater competition, and the general vibe in the room is that it hasn't gone especially well. The year is 1989.
(Coach gives notes after a dress rehearsal of Noises Off! in 1986)
THE BACKGROUND
"Godspell" is a musical created by American playwright and director John-Michael Tebelak. Composer Stephen Schwartz wrote the music for "Godspell." Coincidentally, the director of the production is named J. Michael Reilly -- known to all adults as "Mike" and his students as either "Mr. Reilly" or simply "Coach." (Most definitely not "John," though that is what the "J." stood for.)
The lead judge in the audience of five is a theater professor from Michigan State University. The professor begins her critique of the performance:
PROFESSOR
(huskily, gesturing to the stage)
"Where is the love, John Michael? Where is the love?"
The professor asked that question again and again throughout her critique, to a point where it became difficult for the students not to laugh as they watched Coach's face flinch ever so slightly every time she said it. As she continued, the troupe knew their production of "Godspell" would not advance to the state finals. Intuiting this, Coach became slightly more animated with each "John Michael" when the professor shifted her gaze away from him.
On the bus ride back to Dow High from the disappointing end to their competitive theater season, Coach lifted the troupe's spirits by musing aloud just who the professor thought he might be because no one calls him "John Michael." What could have been a depressing night for the cast and crew instead became a favorite memory of many who were present. In the years that followed, one need only say "Where's the love, John Michael?" at the right moment to bring gales of laughter from Coach and anyone else who sat through that eternal critique.
THE ANSWER
To answer the professor's question, the love was and is everywhere J. Michael Reilly was.
J. Michael Reilly, beloved teacher, mentor, and director, made his exit in the early hours of March 13, 2021, following a battle with cancer.
He leaves behind his partner Jose "Louie" Duran and hundreds of students and colleagues he influenced and inspired. His students became theater directors, professional actors and/or musicians, music teachers, and communications professors. His legacy is thousands of people, spanning generations, who have a deeper appreciation of art and its abilities to transform people.
Most of his students gained a greater appreciation of themselves. A recurring sentiment among his grieving former students is "he really believed in me, and he let me know it." He challenged his public speaking students to break free of their insecurities and believe in themselves. He engaged his "at-risk" students by hopping up and stepping from desktop to desktop, extolling the importance of speaking with confidence and projection. He committed to his students' success in ways few of his students can recall any other teacher doing in their lives.
THE PRICE
Coach lived alone for much of his career, with his only family obligation his aging mother. He invested heavily in his students, regularly spending 60 or more hours a week working with them. Beyond his daily class schedule, he coached the Debate Team, the Forensics Team and directed between two and four plays a year, each with late-night rehearsals. He arrived at H.H. Dow High School before 7 am and often did not return home until after 11 pm.
After leaving his position at Dow High, Coach continued teaching in various settings in the Midland Public Schools and around the country. Wherever he worked, his work ethic remained extraordinarily high—which ultimately took a toll on his health.
J. Michael Reilly survived his first heart attack at age 35. That cardiac event led to his first quadruple bypass surgery that same year. Fueled by coffee, nicotine, and countless meals-on-the-fly while fulfilling his commitments to his students, Coach paid for his commitment with his health. His second quadruple bypass cardiac surgery was at age 65.
In 2020, at age 69, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Following surgery at the Mayo Clinic to remove his bladder, Coach contracted asymptomatic COVID-19 during a hospital visit meant to address numerous compounding complications stemming from the bladder removal surgery. In the four months between his surgery on November 13, 2020, and his death on March 13, 2021, Coach only spent a few weeks out of a hospital or professional care facility. He spent greater than four weeks during that period in an Intensive Care Unit, much of that time sedated and on a ventilator.
He hoped he had many more years to give and many more students to teach and believe in.
THE AFTERMATH
The bills are still accumulating. At this writing, Louie does not know their full extent. Still, he fears Coach's post-life expenses will jeopardize his ongoing residence in the house in suburban Albuquerque that he shared with his mother and Coach.
Coach was actually quite good at investing and had frequent financial wins in the stock market. It is precisely those financial gains that allowed him to get through his increasingly frequent medical challenges during the last decade of his life. Ultimately, the costs of his medical challenges depleted his financial resources.
Immediate needs include approximately $10,000 for post-life expenses. We will update this campaign as the financial situation becomes clearer.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The last year has been tough on everyone, and not everyone whom Coach inspired can afford to help out financially.
If you can make a donation that will help cover his medical bills and other post-life expenses, Louie and his mother may be spared from compounding their grief by selling the family home to cover those costs.
If you can't donate, you can get the word out about this campaign. Can you share the link on your Facebook timeline or your Twitter feed?
J. Michael Reilly inspired generations of students. Many of those students, in turn, became teachers themselves, passing on what they learned from Coach. Many of his students became performers as well, who gave comfort and joy to audiences around the world. Directly or indirectly, J. Michael Reilly touched the hearts of tens of thousands of people. Those people have gone on to support and *fund* the arts in their communities, enriching the lives of so many more.
If a fraction of all those people contributed $20, $50, or $100 to this campaign, I am confident the goal is attainable.
WHERE IS THE LOVE?
The love is everywhere.
Keep spreading it. Believe in a shy kid. Ensure someone you know *knows* you believe in them and support them through practice, practice, and more practice it takes to achieve their dreams.
Thank you so much for reading, for spreading J. Michael Reilly's story, and for contributing to this campaign in any way you can. Coach's friends, family, and loved ones are all grateful for your support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Clay Loveless
Organizer
Gates Mills, OH
Jose Duran
Beneficiary