Author Archives: Joseph Glennon

Associate Professor Williams-Witherspoon publishes textbook

Continuing the work from her earlier book, Associate Professor Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon, THEA, has written Through Smiles and Tears: The History of African American Theater (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011), which offers a much needed contextualization of West, East and South African performance traditions. From the development of musical instruments, to the creation of song styles and cadence, to the playful comic parody that would serve as modest entertainment for hundreds of thousands of Negroes in the plantation quarters of the South, this text seeks to shed light on the rich history and tradition of African American Theater. It is a follow-up to her The Secret Messages in African American Theater: Hidden Meanings Embedded in Public Discourse (Edwin Mellen, 2006).

Providing a rare analysis into the political economy of African American performance traditions, Williams-Witherspoon’s book offers a unique addition to the American Theater canon. For students of theater, anthropology, Africana and African American studies, this text offers a more in-depth history of African American theater, its African retentions and its contributions to American theater and popular culture.

 

 

 

Augmenting reality

Film and Media Arts Associate Professor Sarah Drury has been researching a technology-based art form called augmented reality, in which artists add virtual images to real landscapes that can be viewed through a mobile phone.

Watch Professor Drury discuss her research, an augmented reality exhibit that she curated and her take on the artists who work in this medium.

Video by Ryan Geffert

Lew and Janet Klein donate archives to Temple University Libraries

One image from Lew Klein's archive shows him with President Lyndon Johnson (L).

The Klein collection is a vast study of the television industry in the 20th century.

It’s episodes of the landmark television show “American Bandstand” and “This is Your Life.” It’s photographs of entertainers and athletes.

And now, it’s a permanent resource in Temple University Libraries.

Temple celebrated the donation to the Special Collections Research Center and honored Lew and Janet Klein at an April 10 ceremony. Lew Klein, an adjunct professor in Temple’s School of Communications and Theater for 59 years, is chair of the school’s Board of Visitors.

“Primary sources are a true learning tool within a university,” said Provost Richard Englert. “It is the raw material upon which our students and scholars shape their discoveries.”

The material has been in the Klein’s house for years, in cartons in the basement, in drawers and in files marked “etc.” The papers consist of photographs, newspaper articles, pamphlets, letters, scrapbooks, brochures, videos, periodicals and other recorded and printed materials.

“Lew always felt that the papers… of his activities were souvenirs that he wanted to keep,” Janet Klein said.

In total, Lew Klein said that 23 cartons have been donated. “Janet tells me that we have lots more at home, so we’ll be adding to the collection.”

At the ceremony, he spoke briefly about his early days in the television industry, when there were only 3,000 television sets in Philadelphia. One of his first jobs was to produce a commercial for Dutch Boy paint with marionettes, a job that paid $5 a week.

(L-R): Lew and Janet Klein with Carol Lang, interim dean of University Libraries. (photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg/Temple University)

“We’re honored that Lew and Janet have entrusted their legacy to Temple,” said Carol Lang, interim dean of University Libraries. “The materials are a great complement to Temple’s strengths in documenting the cultural, social, economic and physical development of our region.”

Lew Klein has made an indelible mark on the television industry. In the 1950s, as programming director for the six Triangle Group stations, Klein served as executive producer of the landmark program “American Bandstand” at WFIL-TV. In 1970, he co-founded Gateway Communications, which owned four TV stations, and served as Gateway’s president from 1983 to 1993.

Klein is respected by the Temple community and media professionals for his ability to motivate and inspire those around him. Many of the careers of top television professionals across the country have been launched by his wise mentorship.

 

Obituary: Professor John Roberts, founder of WRTI radio

image courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer

Former SCT Professor John B. Roberts passed away March 8, 2012. He was 94.

A Temple professor from 1946 to 1988, Professor Roberts helped to found WRTI-FM in 1953.

Born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., he was the son of the late John & Evelyn (Buckley) Roberts. Professor Roberts was a Navy veteran, having worked as a Navy broadcaster during World War II.

He was the founder of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1996 and named him Person of the Year in 1987.

Throughout his teaching career, Professor Roberts inspired countless students to pursue careers in communications and is one of the reasons SCT has found such success. Hear from a few people who benefited from knowing him:

Jaclyn Adler, RTF ’73. “You gave so much to so many, and as for me, I carry and apply the knowledge you shared each day.”

Paul Gluck, JOUR ’76, BTMM associate professor. “John Roberts set a near perfect example for those of us who were practicing journalists and then entered the academic world. He was an erudite and urbane presence here at Temple SCT, who offered insight and reassurance to students as an educator and served as an aspirational model for media professionals.”

Len Guercio, RTF ’83, SCT film lab coordinator. “I enrolled in his RTF 101 Communications Theory class and fell under his tutorial thrall. John Roberts was the consummate communications professional and professor. His classes were very well-organized, the information he imparted was systematized into logical, digestible components, and his radio and TV war stories—while sometimes seemingly tangential to the matter being discussed—always ultimately underscored the main points of the day’s lesson.”

William Johnson, WRTI station manager. “It’s doubtful he could have ever foreseen the 14-station network that now broadcasts in high-definition, serving hundreds of thousands of listeners each week in the Greater Philadelphia region. What he did see, though, was the need for students to have a practical application for the theory they were learning in the classroom, and the power of radio to reach and serve people in a way no other medium could achieve. Generations and thousands of students later, WRTI continues Roberts’ legacy of service to our community and excellence in broadcasting in what is now the age of digital media.”

Jim McCraw, JOUR ’66. “Professor Roberts tried to convince me to switch from print to radio, but I didn’t listen. Shame on me. A great guy who lived a long and wonderful life teaching kids like me.”

Dan Taylor, RTF ’79. “[He was] a top-notch professor. [I] learned a lot from him not only about the business, but how to be a professional.”

Song offers message of hope at Japan earthquake’s first anniversary

Many Temple students, including Sydney Daviston-Atkins (L) and Julia Basak, attended recording sessions in Annenberg Hall to lend their voices to the chorus of "Fukkatsu no Uta." (by Ryan S. Brandenberg/Temple University)

As the world marks the first anniversary of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of northeastern Japan and sparked a crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, BTMM Associate Professor Jack Klotz offers up a message of hope, as well as a way the world can support those still suffering from the disaster.

With the assistance of many volunteers, including Temple alumni, staff and students, as well as music industry professionals in Philadelphia and Toyko, Klotz, the director of the department’s recording industry concentration, has produced “Fukkatsu no Uta” or “The Song of Rising.”

Watch his story here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Watch a music video of the song with an English translation of the lyrics. The video was created by SCT senior web developer Naoko Masuda and Tyler School of Art student Natsumi Kitano.

To make a gift to the Temple University Japan Relief Fund, which was set up to help those most impacted by the devastation of the earthquake and tsunami, click this button:

All of those who make a gift to this fund will receive an e-mail with directions to download “Fukkatsu no Uta.”

FMA professor’s Top Secret Rosies wins Fargo Film Festival honor

A film by Associate Professor LeAnn Erickson, FMA, was awarded the Ruth Landfield Award at the 2012 Fargo Film Festival.

The award honors films that profile women of courage, conviction and compassion.

Erickson’s film, Top Secret Rosies, shares the little-known story of a group of female mathematicians who did secret ballistics research for the U.S. Army during WWII.

A letter to Erickson from festival organizer Emily Beck says, “Ruth Landfield was a tremendous advocate and supporter of women in the arts in the Fargo-Moorhead community. The first time I screened your film, I was moved and inspired. I know Ruth would have felt the same.”

Erickson says she continues to travel with the film, including a screening at the Google headquarters in California.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Associate Professor Tajiri to discuss social justice documentary at Smith College

Associate Professor Rea Tajiri, FMA, will participate in a two-day symposium, “Women, Social Justice, Documentary,” March 31 and April 1 at Smith College in Northampton, Mass.

She will be part of a panel discussion entitled “Experimental Documentary: What Does Social Justice Look Like?” with fellow film and video artists Su Friedrich of Princeton University and Barbara Hammer.

The keynote address will feature documentary filmmaker Lourdes Portillo, Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, Senorita Extraviada.

CLICK HERE for more information.

FMA professor reveals his Oscar picks

“And the Oscar goes to…”

Like millions of people around the world, Film and Media Arts Assistant Professor Mark Rosenthal will be awaiting to hear the end of that sentence Feb. 26 during the Academy Awards broadcast. But unlike a majority of the viewers, he’ll know which nominees have received at least one vote in each category.

He voted for them.

Rosenthal, the only member of the Academy at the School of Communications and Theater, is a screenwriter, with films such as Mona Lisa Smile, Superman IV, Star Trek VI and Planet of the Apes (2001) on his resume.

One of 5,783 voters this year, Rosenthal filled out his ballot during a Super Bowl party this year, fielding commentary from this friends and family before making his decisions. His son hounded him to select Tree of Life as Best Picture, “and then somebody said ‘you’re going to waste your vote.’” Instead, Rosenthal voted for Hugo and will be surprised if neither the Martin Scorsese film nor the silent film The Artist take the top prize.

Oscar voting happens in two phases. In the first round, Academy voters are asked to pick nominees from the list of every film that was released theatrically (there were 265 feature films in 2011). Voters are only able to select nominees for Best Picture and for their area of expertise, meaning Rosenthal also voted for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay nominees. The second round occurs after the nominations are announced and all voters select their winners in every category.

Assistant Professor Mark Rosenthal, FMA

In both rounds, voters don’t just pick their favorites – they are asked to rank their selections, “so it’s not a winner take all,” he says.

The Academy’s rules for eligibility are quite specific. According to a news release, “Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format. Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category.”

However, Rosenthal believes that the theatrical release requirement’s end is nearing, as younger viewers consume films outside of the movie theater more and more.

“SCT majors today are probably the last generation with any connection to a movie theater as a sacred place,” he says.

The young movie lovers are more likely to stream films on their laptops or iPads, he says. But a majority of Academy voters watch the nominees at home, too. Studios send out what they call “screeners,” to voters to ensure their nominees are seen by as many voters as possible. “Some of these films only play for a couple of weeks in one theater. Given my schedule, I probably wouldn’t have gone to see them.”

When selecting the screenwriting awards, Rosenthal says he votes for movies he thinks are harder to write. For example, he says he’ll be floored in Bridesmaids wins anything. While he appreciated the humor, “that ain’t writing; it’s sketch comedy.”

 

StratComm professors discuss governmental communications with Guinea official

The minister and chief of cabinet for the president of Guinea was at Temple University Feb. 10 to learn more about managing government and presidential communications from two faculty members in the Department of Strategic Communication at the School of Communications and Theater.

(L-R): Associate Professor Gregg Feistman, STRC; Guinea Minister and Chief of Cabinet Naby Bangoura; and Professor Deborah Cai, STRC. (photo by Ethan Schwartz)

It was part of a two-week visit to the United States as part of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership program. Naby Bangoura is traveling the East Coast, visiting universities such as the University of Maryland, Harvard University and Temple.

For two hours, Bangoura, accompanied by a translator from the State Department, met with Professors Gregg Feistman and Deborah Cai. They discussed strategies for managing government communications to a diverse population that has been ruled in recent history by military regimes.

As the theoretical basis for the rest of the discussion, Cai talked about how to build four dimensions of trust and Feistman discussed media agenda setting. Topics ranged from how President Alpha Condé can build trust with people across the nation to how to manage messages across different types of media—some of which are not available to all areas of the country. They also discussed how to manage communication within the government, which has a large number of ministers, and how to encourage pursuing vision rather than reacting to immediate problems.