SyndicateMizzou Video Podcast

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Albert Devlin - Collaboration on Campus

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:45:50 GMT

Devlin discusses work he is doing with others on campus, including his joint appointment in the Theatre department.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Albert Devlin - The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:41:23 GMT

Devlin describes the content of The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams. Volume I covers the period from 1920 to 1945 (with the success of The Glass Menagerie), while volume II concerns Williams’ “major period” from 1945 to 1957, during which A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof were introduced.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Jim Miller - A passion for theatre

Tue, 30 May 2006 17:14:59 GMT

Miller talks about theatre, his love for it, and the challenges it presents.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Jim Miller - Film vs. Theatre

Wed, 31 May 2006 14:28:26 GMT

Miller talks about his preference of film over theatre as an actor's medium.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: M. Heather Carver - Booby Prize, an ever-evolving comedy about breast cancer

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:58:21 GMT

Since October of 2006, Carver has been developing _Booby Prize_, a comedy about the unfunny subject of breast cancer. “It’s a one-woman show featuring me [laughs],” and how she was “lucky” to be the one of every seven women to get the disease. Through _Booby Prize_, which is ever evolving, Carver is able to combine her interest in social activism, women’s health, and autobiography: “I decided that I _could_ have breast cancer and still have a sense of humor, and still do my work. And so that’s when _Booby Prize_, you know, became born, the idea that—unfortunately—I won the prize. I won the Booby Prize, which you don’t want to win, you don’t want to be the 1 out of 7 who wins, but I won, and so that’s how I start off the performance.” Much of the performance features Carver performing actual stories that happened to her, infusing humor into the reality of her situation. At the conclusion of _Booby Prize_, Carver warns the audience against expecting closure and a happy ending. Despite the clean bill of health at her last medical checkup, the possibility of cancer returning lingers on, and so Carver reminds the audience, “I don’t have a pretty ending; my ending is still up in the air.” Among audience members, Carver has observed not only laughter and tears, as might be expected, but “people doing both at the same time, and not quite knowing what to do about it.” The thread that runs through _Booby Prize_—like Carver’s other scholarly and creative projects—is storytelling. Some of the stories are painful, and some are funny. Either way, Carver always tries “to keep it raw.”

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: SyndicateMizzou - Why is this research or creative activity important?

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:44:42 GMT

Whether their work seeks to counter domestic violence and ethnic genocide, identify cancer treatments, or employ literature and music to understand humanity, these MU faculty describe in their own words why this work is important to society.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Clyde Ruffin - Career Highlights

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:01:17 GMT

Although Ruffin emphasizes that many of his productions are dear to him, the works that resonate as unforgettable are Langston Hughes’ Tambourines to Glory and the Black Theatre Workshop’s Strands. In Tambourines, he worked with a predominantly African American cast, and the production sold out every night. Strands took two years to create, won various playwriting awards, and was a regional and national winner at the American College Theatre Festival.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Clyde Ruffin - The Director’s Philosophy

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:01:38 GMT

Ruffin explains his approach: “You know, I hadn’t really thought about whether or not I had a philosophy, because I was committed to doing what I felt was right; I’m kind of guided by my heart in that way.” He inspires his students and actors by encouraging them to be confident and to take ownership of their talent. He doesn’t believe in offering his students intensive direction throughout rehearsals and class; he feels that personal development is more valuable to human growth.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Clyde Ruffin - Challenges As A Director

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:01:58 GMT

Ruffin states that the advent and departure of talented students is the biggest challenge he faces. “The work goes on while the students come and go,” he observes. “There are periods where I’ve had so many wonderfully talented students that anything seemed possible, and then there are years where the talent pool is not as significant as you’d desire.” Casting appropriately for plays is another obstacle he must overcome.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Clyde Ruffin - Life-Changing Award

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:02:19 GMT

Ruffin received the Kellogg Fellowship in 1984 and completed the program in 1988. He chose to work on issues of aging, and how cultures are transferred from one generation to the next. The fellowship provided him with funding to travel around the world, and these adventures taught Ruffin life-changing lessons.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Clyde Ruffin - Hopes for the Theatre Department

Tue, 18 May 2010 21:02:41 GMT

“Part of my hopes or desires for the department is that we will continue our legacy in order to strengthen our Ph.D. program and our M.A. program,” says Ruffin. Along with these goals, he hopes that the department will obtain the necessary resources to continue to have an extraordinary production program and to improve classroom and studio space.

SyndicateMizzou Podcast: Clyde Ruffin - An Inside Look At Holding Up The Sky

Tue, 18 May 2010 20:59:55 GMT

Ruffin takes us backstage to watch actors prepare and warm up for the night’s performance of Holding Up The Sky.