Reva Shiner

Reva was born in Oklahoma City, on August 15th 1926, to Ruby and Charles A Percival. During the depression her family homesteaded in New Mexico. Those years were challenging, adventuresome, and frontier-like. They provided experiences that Reva later considered to be formative.

With the end of the depression and the beginning of WWII, her family moved to El Paso. There she continued to develop an interest in dance, learned to fly a Cessna, and obtained her pilot’s license. She graduated from El Paso High School in 1943 and began her college years at the University of Texas in El Paso. She met her future husband Jack Shiner there in a chemistry class. While Jack served in the Navy during WWII, Reva transferred to Sargent College of Boston University. The two married while Jack was on leave during Christmas of 1946.

Reva received a BA in modern dance in 1947. Jack and Reva then moved to Ithaca, New York where Reva taught dance at Ithaca College while she studied for her Master’s degree in Education at Cornell. In 1950, Reva and Jack moved to London, where Reva’s love of theater and the performing arts truly blossomed. She would continue to pursue her passion for dance, education, and the arts, at Cambridge in Boston, and Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana, where the couple made their home in 1952.

Reva had many accomplishments during her life. She co-authored one of the first textbooks on modern dance with colleague Dorothy Koch Norris titled "Keynotes to Modern Dance" originally published in 1965. Reva not only participated in the performing arts as a dancer, choreographer, and playwright, she worked diligently to support a range of cultural initiatives at the local and national level. Reva played an essential role in the development of the Bloomington Playwright’s Project, where she was involved as an actor, writer, director, organizer and patron for over thirty years. Her interest in art and literature also led her to involvement in the National Society of Arts and Letters. She was first active in the Bloomington chapter and eventually became national president of the organization. Reva was a long time member of Trinity Episcopal, where she served as Director of Christian Education, among other roles. Reva also directed youth theater productions, was engaged in bible study and instruction, and was a member of the Sorosis Club since 1968. She was an avid reader, loved travel, and deeply valued gatherings of friends, which she infused with humor, warmth and charm.

Reva is survived by her husband Jack of 69 years, son-in-law Gilbert Wong, son David and his wife Leslie, daughter Diane and her husband Eric, and grandchildren Eva and Nathan Wong; and Clare, Miles and Jane Allsopp-Shiner. Reva rejoins her children Lora and Paul.

Viewing will be held at Day and Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home, 4150 E Third St., on Friday, January 15th from 5:00-8:00 PM

Funeral services will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 111 S Grant St., Bloomington, Indiana on Saturday, January 16th at 2:00 PM, reception to follow.

The family requests that donations be made in Reva's honor to Bloomington Playwrights Project or National Society of Arts and Letters in lieu of flowers.