CONWAY, Ark. (August 21,
2017) – In the 2017-18 academic year, both Cabe Theatre and the Hendrix-Murphy
Foundation Programs in Literature and Language will mark 40 years at the
College, and Dr. Rosemary Henenberg, professor of theatre arts emerita,
celebrates her 80th birthday. A September 9 event will honor the
impact of these three Hendrix institutions.
The celebration begins in
Cabe Theatre at 4 p.m., and a reception (which will, of course, include birthday
cake) immediately follows. The public is invited to attend.
To commemorate the occasion,
three special guests will discuss the value of literature and language both on
the stage and in liberal arts education:
- Douglas
Blackmon ’86, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Atlanta bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal
- Dr.
John Churchill, former secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and former Dean
of the College
- Dr.
Jeanne Hensley Griggs ’82, director of the Writing Center at Kenyon College in
Gambier, Ohio
About
Cabe Theatre
Cabe Theatre opened its
doors to students in September 1977 and hosted its first performance in
November of the same year. Since then, 129 plays and many student-directed one-acts
have been performed on its thrust stage, which provides a more intimate
actor-audience relationship appropriate for modern plays and ancient plays
alike. Cabe has provided a home for experiential learning in acting, voice,
directing, costuming, theatre production, and more. It was designed by the late
Professor Frank Roland with the assistance of Dr. Rosemary Henenberg, and built
by Nabholz Construction.
About
the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language
Since 1978, the Hendrix-Murphy
Foundation has enriched the study of literature and language for the Hendrix community.
It was established by the late Mr. Charles H. Murphy, Jr., former Chair of the
Board of Murphy Oil Corporation and former member of the Hendrix Board of
Trustees, in memory of his mother, Mrs. Bertie Wilson Murphy, who possessed a
lifelong love of literature and language. Current Hendrix-Murphy offerings
include the Murphy Scholars Program, the Distinguished Visiting Writer series,
immersive foreign language experiences, a playwriting contest and other
literary competitions, a student reading series for original works, study
abroad opportunities, literary discussion groups, internships, and local
outreach to strengthen literature and language in the community beyond Hendrix.
About
Rosemary Henenberg
Dr. Rosemary Henenberg, Willis
H. Holmes Distinguished Professor of Theatre Arts, Emerita, earned a bachelor
of arts degree and a master of arts degree from Baylor University, and a
doctorate in Comparative Arts from Ohio University. During her tenure at
Hendrix, Henenberg served as chair of the Theatre Arts department and
Humanities Area chair. In 1977, she was named the inaugural director of the
Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language. Henenberg
directed more than 100 productions at Hendrix, involving almost 5,000 students.
She retired in 2002.
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal arts
college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as
one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.