Theatre Grad Dives into Directing

Alumna Lindsey Augusta Mercer is quickly making a name for herself in the world of theatre after graduating in 2013 with a BA in theatre, music, and history, cum laude.

Photo credit: Mikki Schaffner Photography

For the past two years, Mercer has been living in the Greater Cincinnati area where her directorial life began to bloom, beginning with gigs at New Edgecliff Theatre and Diogenes Theatre Company. Mercer continued her streak of success at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where she started as assistant to the artistic director in 2014. She staged CSC's touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for their Shakespeare in the Park program.

Photo credit: Queen City Queer
Theatre Collective website

In November of 2014, Mercer co-founded the Queen City Queer Theatre Collective with Linnea Jean Bond. Their mission, as described on the QCQTC website, is "to celebrate and share queer experiences while challenging theatre convention. We embrace “queer” as a verb, and a liberating way to work free of creative prejudice." Mercer regularly works as producing artistic director here, working on staged readings.

Her most recent endeavor is at the Falcon Theatre, where she will be directing two one acts known as "The Mystery Plays". The shows open November 6th. In an interview with Cincy Magazine, Mercer says, "It’s a great atmosphere for creating plays," with directors supporting her unique directorial choices.

She will also be playing the role of Amiens in CSC's production of "As You Like It", which runs November 20-December 12.

Professor Infuses Music, NPR into Murder Mystery Novel

After nearly a decade of crafting a murder mystery novel, writing "on and off," BW adjunct history professor Robert Stinson is currently promoting the recently published book, Love and Death on Public Radio.

The book is "part murder mystery and part satire on Public Radio." In his description of the story, Stinson said, "My book takes classical music seriously as a theme for fiction without, however, requiring readers to bring a technical understanding to the story. In that sense it will appeal to anyone who listens to an NPR station, liked Amadeus, or reads novels like Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam (1999)."

Stinson's book is currently available as an ebook on Amazon. The story was inspired by and draws on his time as a classical broadcaster for an NPR station. Stinson began teaching part-time at BW following his retirement from Moravian College.

Stinson also has published three scholarly books; this is his first novel since 1987. 

Renowned History Grad IDs Remarkable Jamestown Skeletons

Bill Kelso '63 with bone fragments from the Jamestown colony - Susan Walsh AP

BW’s most accomplished history major, William M. Kelso '63, is in the midst of a remarkable announcement by archaeologists working at the Jamestown, Va. settlement he unearthed. Tests on skeletons found buried at the church where Pocahontas married Captain John Rolfe in 1614 have pegged the remains to the earliest leaders of the English colony that would become America.

News of the recaptured piece of 400-year-old history is making headlines worldwide with Kelso, director of archaeology at Jamestown Rediscovery, helping to explain the find to The Washington Post, BBC News, USA Today,  National Public Radio (NPR) and Smithsonian.com, just to name a few.

Kelso, who once escorted the queen of England to the site of his Jamestown excavations,  has served as director of archaeology for the APVA Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project for more than 30 years. He has built a reputation as one of America's foremost historical archaeologists in Early American history.

BW Film Alum Gets Break in Industry Productions

Baldwin Wallace's own Lydia Griffiths '14 has just wrapped not one, but two hands-on film experiences working with Stephen David Entertainment, known for the shows Men Who Made America and The World Wars.

As a set decoration production assistant for an upcoming mini-series, the film studies and history double major worked on a team with the art department assisting the set decorator and production designer, moving and arranging everything on set from furniture to crates.

Before filming even wrapped, "Dia" was asked to return for another shoot, where she did everything from locking down streets to putting as many as 80 extras through wardrobe, hair, and makeup.

"It's hard to believe that I have already gotten to work in my chosen field with people who are doing what I love for a living," Griffiths said.

The recent grad broke into the business with the help of a Production Assistant Training Seminar this summer, but she attributes many of her skills to her hands-on work at BW.

"Getting to work with everyone in [BW's] PR department gave me an opportunity to be a self starter while working in a hierarchy system," Griffiths  said. "Thats how it rolls in the film world, too."

Though further details about the projects are still under wraps, Lydia said she is looking forward to sharing her success with the BW community.

History Prof Weighs in on Middle East Conflict for "US News" and "Huffington Post"

BW History Department chair Dr. Indira Gesink put her expertise as a professor of Middle Eastern history into two, recent, thought provoking, national opinion pieces on violence in the region.

For US News, Gesink entered into the fray of the magazine's Debate Club, billed as "a meeting of the sharpest minds on today's most important topics."

Her essay, which garnered the most thumbs up from readers (at last check), answered the question, "Should Obama Have Armed Syrian Rebels Sooner?" Gesnik argued, "No. Arming Rebels Wouldn't Resolve Syria's Conflict."

Earlier this month, The Huffington Post published another piece by Gesink titled, "Iraq: Rise of the Gangster State -- Why We Need a Better, Bolder Response to ISIS." Gesink also is the author of Islamic Reform and Conservatism.

Student's First Screenplay Ranked Top 10 Percent

Lydia Griffiths '14 scored when she submitted her very first screenplay to the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. The Order was ranked in the top 10 percent among more than 4,000 submissions.

Lydia, a History and Film Studies double major, combines both her passions in The Order, a fictional story set in 1421 centering on English Baron Jasper of Hareford and the assassin sent to kill him. The work was conceived in a BW screenwriting class and through her research on 15th century England and the 12th century Islamic Assassin Sect.

The modest author shares that she submitted to BlueCat for "the exposure and the feedback," not expecting the sweet surprise she received six months after submission.

After graduation, Lydia's dream career is filmmaker, screenwriter or producer.

BW Alum Wins on Jeopardy

Matt Kish, a Baldwin Wallace University grad and social studies teacher at North Royalton High School is the latest Northeast Ohioan to succeed at Jeopardy. As the winner of last night's (March 13, 2014) edition of the trivia game show, Kish will appear again tonight (3/14) on WOIO-TV 19 at 7:30 p.m.

The Plain Dealer story on Kish's $23,000+ win quotes the principal at his high school as saying, "He's just got a knowledge base that's unheard of. He can talk about anything."

Kish picked up at least some of that knowledge earning a BA in secondary education and history in 2003, and later an MA in educational leadership, right here at BW, where he also happened to be an Academic All American Yellow Jacket football player!

Update: Before he lost in a close second appearance on Jeopardy (and added another $2,000 in winnings), the PD posted this follow-up interview with Kish on his prep and strategy for the game.