During the course of the academic year, the School of Education is sharing Q&As completed by our newest faculty members in an effort to introduce them to our campus and School of Education communities. Here, we introduced Baron Kelly, who joined the School as a faculty member prior to the start of the fall semester.
Title: Professor, Department of Theatre and Drama; holds a joint appointment with the Division of Continuing Studies’ Odyssey Project (which offers UW–Madison humanities classes for adult students facing economic barriers to college).
Hometown: New York and California.
Educational/professional back- ground: Diploma in acting from London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; MFA in acting from California State University, Long Beach; PhD in theatre from UW–Madison.
Previous position: Head of graduate acting and director of graduate studies, University of Louisville
How did you get into your field of research? As a young child, I loved watching old movies on television and reading books on actors from Holly- wood’s Golden Era to understand their journeys in the business.
What attracted you to UW–Madison? Being a top (research) institution, there are tremendous resources and a top- notch intellectual environment that is so stimulating to be a part of.
What was your first visit to campus like? My first visit was when I arrived on campus for my doctoral studies in 1999. I had traveled a lot in the U.S. as an actor, so I was interested how this academic journey was going to unfold for me.
What’s one thing you hope students who take a class with you will come away with? The students will learn from a four-time Fulbright scholar who will impart knowledge and history from his artistic and scholarly world travels.
Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? I have dedicated my life to helping people better themselves through theatre and helping people to understand empathy and compassion.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter during video chats (and eventually parties)? I have been to Russia many times to research the relationship between the poet Taras Shevchenko and 19th century African American actor Ira Aldridge. Also, the relation- ship between Aldridge and the Jewish communities who saw his performances of Shakespeare’s Shylock. Also, I have researched the Scandinavian theatre career of African American actor Earle Hyman.
