During the summer of 2004, Dr. Woodrow Hood, Chairman of the Theatre Arts Department at Catawba College, and his wife, Dr. Cynthia Gendrich, Associate Professor of Theatre at Wake Forest University, took part in an Asian faculty seminar funded by the Mellon Foundation. They traveled extensively in the far East and will present their impressions of the ancient city of Shanghai (Old City to New), of the tension between Beijing and Hong Kong (planned economy versus Western capitalism), and of the Japanese city of Kyoto (the Gion district, Geishas, Kabuki) at the first Catawba College Community Forum of the new season.
;Dr. Hood joined the Catawba faculty in 2002. He teaches acting, directing, playwriting, theatre history, and dramatic literature. His recent publications cover a variety of topics including Japanese theatre, performance art, and copyright law.
;Dr. Cynthia Gendrich teaches acting, directing, and dramatic literature courses at Wake Forest University. Her interests include the history of acting and directing, theory and practice, contemporary theatre, and the world-wide practice of experimental theatre.
;The J. Fred and Mary A. Corriher Catawba College Community Forum is pleased to present Dr. Woodrow Hood and Dr. Cynthia Gendrich at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 21, 2004 in Tom Smith Auditorium in Ralph W. Ketner Hall on the campus of Catawba College. As always, admission is free and open to the public.
