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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Update

Theatre and film department continues getting rave reviews
Psychology professor goes 'old school' to find cure for depression
Kansas poet returns to KU to deliver reading

 

Theatre and film department continues getting rave reviews
Students in the theatre and film and English departments continue to gain national and international recognition for their work on film, plays and other productions.

The University Theatre and English Alternative Theatre earned several awards at the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival held in January. The KCACTF National Selection Team chose to hold the KU production of "Hay Fever," directed by Jack Wright, professor of theatre and film, for consideration until the final national selections were made in late February after all regional festivals were completed.

Kelly Vogel, f'86, Lawrence third-year scenography graduate student, received the KCACTF Award of Merit for her scenic design for "Hay Fever." She also won first prize in the Technical Design Expo for her costume design for "Something's Afoot," produced last summer as part of KU's Kansas Mystery Theatre. Tim Boeshaar, Mission Hills senior in theatre design, won first place in the Technical Design Expo for his lighting design for "The Skin of Our Teeth." He also received first prize in the regional David L. Thayer Lighting Design Workshop/Competition.

KU students will get the opportunity to share their work on their home turf when the college and the theatre and film department host the 2009 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region V Jan. 18-24, 2009. This festival is expected to bring 2,500 students and faculty from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

In addition to the national recognition, the theatre and film department gained notice internationally when students from the KU Theatre for Young People presented a dramatization of Homer's "The Odyssey" at the International University Theatre Association Festival in Liege, Belgium. The International University Theatre Association was established at the University of Liege in 1994 to develop and promote post-secondary activity in theatre training, creations and theoretical and practical research throughout the world. Students performed the play four times, some of which were to Liege school children.

To find out more information on University Theatre productions, visit www.kutheatre.com.

 

Psychology professor goes 'old school' to find cure for depression
Steve Ilardi, associate professor of psychology, developed innovative methods to treat a growing depression epidemic. His research stretches back thousands of years to a time when hunting and gathering was the primary way of life. His program, known as Therapeutic Lifestyle Change, helps humans reclaim six disappearing lifestyle elements and strives to help cope with depression and other related illnesses in the modern world.

Ilardi and his team list several factors that help combat depression but are often thwarted in today's society. Among these are anti-ruminative behavior, exercise, light exposure, omega-3 consumption, sleep and social connectedness. His research involves treating patients who suffer from depression and are looking for alternative methods besides antidepressant drugs. While drugs can be effective for some, Ilardi isn't convinced.

"The drugs have been lifesavers for many people. But antidepressants aren't working as well as advertised, and their side effects can go from bad to devastating, including suicidal behavior," Ilardi told The Kansas City Star.

The difference in culture between humans now and during the Stone Age is drastically different. Ilardi believes that many of these differences are what contribute to the high rate of depression in today's society. For example, thousands of years ago humans were consistently outdoors, had lots of exposure to sunlight and ate wholesome foods.

The program lasts 12 weeks, and consists of 90-minute weekly sessions led by two clinicians. The six elements of the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change are introduced at each session. Ilardi's program has successfully treated more than 45 clinically depressed adults, with 75 percent of them recovering fully or having a significant reduction in common symptoms.

Ilardi hopes his methods may someday combine with traditional methods to help eliminate the nation's depression epidemic.

 

Kansas poet returns to KU to deliver reading
B.H. "Pete" Fairchild, c'64, g'68, has often been called Kansas' greatest living poet. His latest work, "Early Occult Memory Systems of the Lower Midwest," received the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry, the Bobbitt Award from the Library of Congress and the Gold Award from the California Book Awards.

Fairchild lives in Claremont, Calif., where he is a professor of English at California State University. He will return to campus in April to accept the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' highest award, the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award. As part of the weekend's events, Fairchild will deliver a poetry reading at 3:30 p.m. April 13 at the Spencer Museum of Art. This event is free and open to the public.

Fairchild received his bachelor's and master's degrees in English from KU, and has fond memories of the University and Kansas, the latter of which is often the subject of many of his poems. During his time at KU, he worked as a technical writer for a nitroglycerin plant and an English tutor to the KU basketball team. His poems have appeared in Southern Review, Poetry, Hudson Review, Yale Review, Paris Review, The New Yorker, Sewanee Review and the Best American Poems of 2000. His third collection, "The Art of the Lathe," was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Visit the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences for more information.



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