| RELATED INFO |
| * College of Liberal Arts |
May 14, 2008
James Earl Jones will speak during Experience Liberal Arts
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
"An Evening with James Earl Jones" is at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse. The event is free and open to the public, however, tickets are required. Additional event details and ticket information will be available in early fall.
The instantly recognizable voice featured on CNN, Jones has appeared on stage, television and movies in performances such as Mufasa in "The Lion King" and Darth Vader in "Star Wars," as well as "Field of Dreams," "Patriot Games" and "The Hunt for Red October."
"James Earl Jones' visit is the perfect keystone event for Experience Liberal Arts because he is an advocate for literacy and lifelong education," said John J. Contreni, the Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "Also, James Earl Jones has a history with Purdue's theater program. In 1967 he and his father, Robert Earl Jones, performed together in 'Of Mice and Men' at Purdue's Experimental Theatre as guest artists in the former Purdue Professional Theatre program."
Jones' career began in theater when he performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival. He earned Daniel Blum's Theater World Award as Most Promising Personality in "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl" in 1962. In 1969 he won a Tony Award for his performance as boxer Jack Johnson in the Broadway hit "The Great White Hope." The same role also garnered him an Oscar nomination for the 1970 film adaptation. He won a second Tony Award in 1987 for August Wilson's "Fences." Jones also is the recipient of four Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Grammy. Jones was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992 and the John F. Kennedy Center Honor in December 2002.
Experience Liberal Arts month will feature a variety of lectures, films, performances, events and exhibits that reflect the college's ongoing coursework and research in the arts, humanities, and social and behavioral sciences. Information about events during October will be available in early fall.
The College of Liberal Arts is home to the departments of communication; English; foreign languages and literatures; health and kinesiology; history; philosophy; psychological sciences; sociology and anthropology; speech, language and hearing sciences; and visual and performing arts. On Aug. 1, sociology and anthropology will become two departments. The college's other programs are: African American studies, American studies, Asian studies, Asian American studies, classical studies, comparative literature, film studies, Italian studies, Jewish studies, linguistics, medieval studies, philosophy and literature, religious studies and women's studies.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Sources: Chris Sharp, director of alumni relations and special events, (765) 494-7884, ctsharp@purdue.edu
John Contreni, (765) 494-3661, contreni@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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