Jay Malarcher, associate professor of theatre and dramaturg in the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts, will speak about the year he spent at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, during 2009-2010 as a Fulbright Scholar.
Dr. Malarcher will present “American Comedy in Coatia!” Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre of the Creative Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public, especially those interested in the arts, modern Europe and the Fulbright program.
His primary area of research and teaching—comedy on stage and screen—led to classes in “American Comedy as Cultural Mirror” aimed at international students and what they could learn about America through our social and satirical comedies.
Malarcher will talk about the University of Zagreb, the students, the society, and the issues faced in a Croatia at the crossroads of European inclusion.
He will make use of video and pictures taken in Croatia and the surrounding countries to describe the year and the effect it had on him personally and professionally.
One of the most prestigious and competitive awards any faculty member may earn, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Under a cooperative agreement with the bureau, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) assists in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals.
Established in 1946, the program’s purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement and because they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership potential in their fields.
Malarcher has published and presented extensively on comedy from Aristophanes to the present. His book, “The Classically American Comedy of Larry Gelbart,” was published by Scarecrow Press in 2003.
For more information, contact the College of Creative Arts at 304-293-4359 or Dr. Malarcher at jay.malarcher@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-6807.
-WVU-
CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu
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