Live multimedia performances that are a part of the Walter Cronkite Memorial at 含羞草社区 will travel to New York and Washington, D.C. for performances this month. The special engagements are in honor of the centennial of the legendary newsman鈥檚 birth in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Nov. 4, 1916.
鈥淎nd That鈥檚 the Way It Is,鈥� a 90-minute trilogy, will be performed for invited guests, including members of Cronkite鈥檚 family, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23 at Lincoln Center鈥檚 Stanley Kaplan Penthouse in New York. 鈥淐ronkite,鈥� a 25-minute show, will be performed at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 at the Newseum in Washington.
鈥淲e have taken the show on the road twice already this year, and I鈥檓 gratified that the performances have been very well received,鈥� said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western鈥檚 president. 鈥淭he hard work and extraordinary talent of our cast and crew will reach a larger audience with these performances in New York, where Walter Cronkite lived for much of his life, and Washington, where he covered many historic events. I鈥檓 also pleased that we鈥檒l be able to take a group of students from our journalism program and student government to Washington to see the performance, the remarkable Newseum and the other sights of our nation鈥檚 capital.鈥�
Missouri Western dedicated the Walter Cronkite Memorial in 2013, on what would have been the longtime CBS anchor鈥檚 97th birthday. The memorial is a 6,000-square-foot museum featuring video kiosks, memorabilia, interpretive displays and a replica of the newsroom from which Cronkite broadcast the CBS Evening News.
As a part of the memorial, three live performances have been developed. The shows combine video, still photographs, music and live actors. They are each between 20 and 25 minutes long and can be performed separately or as a trilogy titled 鈥淎nd That鈥檚 the Way It Is.鈥�
- 鈥淗arry & Walter: Missouri鈥檚 Native Sons鈥� explores the parallel lives of President Harry S. Truman and Walter Cronkite. Starring Ken Remmert as Truman and Jim Korinke as Cronkite.
- 鈥淜ing & Cronkite鈥� features the words of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the reflections of Cronkite on the civil rights movement. Starring Walter Coppage as King and Korinke as Cronkite.
- 鈥淐ronkite鈥� is based on an interview of Cronkite on CNN鈥檚 鈥淟arry King Live鈥� one year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Cronkite reflects on that event and other events he covered during his career. Starring Korinke as Cronkite.
The shows were conceived and written by Dr. Vartabedian. 鈥淐ronkite鈥� is directed by Dr. Bob Willenbrink, founding dean of Missouri Western鈥檚 School of Fine Arts. 鈥淗arry & Walter鈥� and 鈥淜ing & Cronkite鈥� are directed by Dr. Vartabedian. Tara Stoll is the multi-media producer and director. Jake Kelly is the technical director. Ryan Menley is music supervisor.
Earlier this year, 鈥淗arry & Walter鈥� was performed at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, as part of the Harry Truman birthday celebration on May 8. 鈥淎nd That鈥檚 the Way It Is鈥� was performed at Union Station in Kansas City on July 11.
The trilogy will be performed for a private audience on Cronkite鈥檚 100th birthday, Friday, Nov. 4, in the Kemper Recital Hall, adjacent to the memorial inside Spratt Hall at Missouri Western. Videos of the trilogy will be shown during a public open house the following day, Saturday, Nov. 5.
含羞草社区 is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .