Friday, May 13, 1966
The Daily Nebraskan
Page 9
Theatre Director Is
Beginning the day with ad
ministrative duties, classes in
the afternoon and ending late
at night with play rehearsals
is the typical schedule for this
semester's Outstanding Neb-
braskan Professor, Dr. Wil
liam R. Morgan, director of
the University Theatre.
"My life is ancnored at the
University, the library or at
home . . .there is no room for
anything e I s e," explained
Morgan.
The University Theatre,
which Morgan termed a "co
curricular" area of the De
partment of S pe e c h and
Dramatic Art, takes most of
his morning hours with equip
ping, working with production,
casting and other aspects.
Lauding his co - workers,
Morgan commented, "Even
with a business manager who
is extremely efficient, it still
takes a daily effort."
The University Theatre di
rector teaches two' sessions of
acting daily, an advanced act
ting course and next year will
teach a directing course. He
also conducts graduate semi
nars. Morgan supervises the mas
ters degree candidates. Cur
rently he has ten masters
candidates working at various
stages of getting their degrees.
Morgan's theatrical career
began in 1928 during the de
pression when he served as a
child actor with a company in
Indianapolis.
"However, the company
THE COSTUME SHOP . .
helped to establish. Here
Orientation
Cont. frompg. 1, col. S
Expectations of and for Col
lege Freshmen", moderated
by Chancellor Hardin.
Also on the program for
parents is: a presentation by
University staff members on
policies and practices; a tour
of the campus; meeting with
faculty representatives of the
college in which their son or
daughter plans to enroll. .
Sessions with representa
tives from a variety of cam
pus organizations and activi
ties, including religious organ
izations, ROTC departments,
fraternities, sororities, camp
us government and student
activities; discussions of cam
pus life with student mem
bers; and an evening program
of recreation with students
and other parents.
look for the golden arches
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went broke while playing at
the Palace Theatre in Hous
ton, Texas; I guess that is
why I'm a Texan," he joked.
He received his bachelor's
degree in fine arts from the
University of Texas in 1942.
Morgan was among the first
class in the newly created De
partment of Drama at the
University of Texas. Among
his classmates in drama were
Allen Ludden and Gov. Tom
Connelly and his wife, who
were riding with President
Kennedy at the time of his
assassination.
Serving in the Burma-India
Theatre during World War II,
he built up a number of shows
and productions for the troops.
It was during this time that
he wrote three musicals.
After the war ,he traveled
with a professional touring
company sponsored by Para
mount Theatre presenting
three shows in repertory.
"After a year of one-night
stands. I decided I wanted into
educational theatre," Morgan
said. From there he went to
the University of Iowa where
he received his masters de
gree in 1948 and his doctorate
in 1951.
Morgan has taught at the
University of C a 1 i f o r n i a,
Brooklyn College, Carthage
College and the University of
Minnesota at Deluth before
coming to the University of
Nebraska in the summer of
1959.
Serving as assistant profes-
. is an important part of the
he inspects one of the wigs
production.
A''
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sor in speech and dramatic
art, Morgan became director
of the University Theatre in
August, 1961.
Among the shows he has
produced at the University
are "Diary of Anne Frank,"
"Ring Around the Moon,"
"Measure for Measure," "I
Remember Mama," "Love's
Old Sweet Song," "Much Ado
About Nothing," "Hamlet,"
"The Wake of the Porpoise,"
"Peer Gynt," "Antony and
Cleopatra," and this year,
"Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolf."
Active in all aspects of the
Theatre, Morgan has institu
ted a program of oral read
ings on the University campus
and has designed a number of
stage settings. He is a mem
ber of a special committee set
up by the Chancellor on the
Development of Arts, Humani
ties and the Social Sciences.
As the letter nominating
him states, "Dr. Morgan has
been the guiding force behind
the creation, new this year
and an overwhelming suc
cess, of the University Thea
tre in repertory program and
has further found time each
year to serve as play director
and designer for the All-State
High School Fine Arts Pro
gram.' "Feeling that the Lincoln
campus community h a s so
many things drawing its at
tention, we started the reper
tory system in an effort to
give them a greater choice of
Theatre that Dr. Morgan
that was used in a past
432-3645
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AH-U - I
LAST TW PEHSFISMAMCE!
UNIVERSITY TIIEABTE PRESENTS
Ti TTT
Named 'Outstanding Nebraskan9
timej to see the plays," Mor
gan a i d. "In addition, it
makes for a better learning
experience for the directors
and actors."
With the repertory system,
he said, actors can put on the
play, get the reaction, rework
the play and then put it on
again, improving it. He said
the increased number of per
formances allows the actors
to play to a variety of audi
ences. In the letter of nomination,
a student cites Dr. Morgan
as "constantly striving to
bring professionalism to Uni
versity Theatre, to widen the
dramatic scope of the Univer
sity, and to instill in his stu
dents, advisees and co
workers his own fervent love
for education and the drama."
Morgan noted that the pur
pose of the University Thea
tre, to him, "is not simply to
follow the route of community
theater with successful Broad
way rehashes."
"We have an educational
obligation to bring the best of
the world's drama, classical
and modern, from all coun
tries, so students during the
four years they are in college,
can see the major currents in
drama."
He noted that while the Uni
versity Theatre is designed to
be an educational and training
experience, it is also designed
to be entertaining and excit
ing. Morgan said the University
Theatre has brought in more
people this year than any
time since its creation in 1905.
Asked if he would ever like
to get back into professional
theatre, Morgan replied, "In
a sense, I have never felt out
of it. I will have lived with
more plays in one year than
many professionals will have
lived with in their lifetime.
In fact, I haven't even noticed
I've been out of the profes
sional theatre."
Emphasizing h i s demand
for excellence from students,
Morgan said, "We don't water
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down our standards at all. Al-!
though we may fail often, we
are constantly striving for the
highest level of professional
ism." "This is the best youth
elixir I know of," he added.
Although he has 58 students
who are majoring in the
theatre area, he has four very
loyal theatre students at
home.
Morgan's wife, Ruth,
teaches freshman English at
the University and many
times grading papers becomes
a family affair, he com
mented. "I was in the Army, sta
tioned at Fort Mead, Mary
land for basic training and
Ruth decided if I was in the
Army, she would be, too and
so she joined the WACs,"
Morgan said.
"We became the first Army
couple ever married in the
Navel Academy Chapel," he
quipped. Explaining the cir
cumstances, he said he had
just finished a show for the
Navel Academy and showing
their appreciation, they al
lowed him to be married in
the Naval Chapel.
"But two weeks later I was
on a boat," he added.
The Morgan household also
contains three other loyal
fans two sons Trevor, 16,
and Gilbert, 11 and a daugh
terCynthia, "who will be
five next week."
Talking about his family,
Morgan said, "My eldest son
has switched from model air
planes to girls and cars; I
share a fiendish delight with
Gilbert for space monsters
and science information, and
Cynthia and I agree she is the
long lost princess, Anastasia."
Relating that he has little
free time, he did admit that
his chief relaxing period is
"getting a tent and going to
remote, wilderness areas to
camp out."
"And the four-year-old is a
good camper, too," he added.
In the summer stock thea
tre, he founded a theatre in
SAL.
,,, 1
An
A FAMILY MAN ... Dr. Morgan poses with his wife and three children. Mrs. Mor
gan is also a University instructor.
the Okoboji-Spirit Lake area
of northern Iowa, which is
presently affiliated with Ste
phens College. As his students
attest, he has provided sum-
University
To Receive
Cont. from pg. 1, col. 7
the program, the fellowships
will be awarded to recent col
lege graduates (those who
received bachelors degrees in
the past three years), and to
college graduates w ho have
never taught or have not
taught in recent years. Re
turning Peace Corps volun
teers will be eligible.
Persons interested in apply
ing for the fellowships should
contact Dr. Wesley Meierhen
ry, Room 100, Teachers College.
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mer stock experience for stu
dents at the Lakes Region
Playhouse in Laconia, New
Hampshire where he served
as director, actor and state
manager from 1952 to 1957.
Dr. Morgan has been a
member of Actor's Equity
Association since 1946; of the
Nebraska State Speech Asso
ciation since 1961; of the
North Central Theatre Asso
ciation since 1958 and of both
the Speech Association of
American and the American
Educational Theatre Associa
tion since 1951.
He is also member of the
Centennial Play Committee.
Morgan received an honor
ary membership in Sigma Tau
Delta and received the Alpha
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7
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Psi Omega Award in recogni
tion of meritorious direction
of college dramatics in 1957.
He also received the Ne-.
braska Masquer's Honorary.
Service Award in 1961. Mor-.
gan has served as faculty
sponsor of this organization.
Summing up Dr. Morgan is ,
the letter of nomination:
"Dr. Morgan's ceaseless ac
tivity to improve theatre and
education at the University; '
'his constant willingness to
give of himself and his great
talents to students, actors, -and
co-workers; and his envi
able record of achievement in
his chosen fields of education
and drama truly represent the
spirit of the "Outstanding Ne
braskan" Award.
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