A three-day digital storytelling workshop for faculty will be held at UMBC on January 19, 20 and 21, 2011. Staff from the UMBC’s New Media Studio will conduct the workshop, during which participants will learn about the digital storytelling process while creating their own personal story.

Bringing together writing, photography and audio, the digital storytelling process facilitates the telling of personal and reflective stories in the form of digital movies. Through the process of producing their own digital stories over a three-day period, workshop participants gain insight into potential application of this approach in their own teaching. Here are samples from last years’s workshop.

There are a limited number of seats available for faculty from other area institutions. The fee for non-UMBC faculty will be $500. If you are interested in reserving a seat please contact Bill Shewbridge at shewbrid@umbc.edu . Preference will be given to those who have not taken one of our workshops before, however alumni are welcome to join us if space is available.

Even as a student at UMBC, Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, looked to the intricacies of human emotion to drive her writing.
Now established as one of theatre’s most promising playwrights, Corthron recently returned to UMBC from the stages of New York, Chicago and D.C. to share her love of theater with current students as they performed her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, during UMBC’s Homecoming & Family Celebration weekend.
Early Recognition
Over the last few years, Corthron has racked up an impressive list of honors for her work. Her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, received the 2007 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights. In addition, her play Like a Cow or an Elephant was awarded the 2007 Theodore Ward Prize for African-American Playwrights and was produced at the DePaul Theatre School in Chicago.
Corthron was also the winner of the 2006 New Professional Theatre Writer’s Award, is a three-time recipient of Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Foundation Award and was a semi-finalist for the 2007 Sundance Theatre Lab and Princess Grace Award. Corthron’s plays have been developed with the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Center Stage (Baltimore), African Continuum Theatre (D.C.) and at the Julliard School.
A Strong Start at UMBC
Corthron says UMBC’s theatre department helped to prepare her for the challenges of a career in theatre, encouraging her to understand the business of theatre as well as the research and work that goes into a production. Classes in script analysis gave her an appreciation for dramatic literature and helped to inspire her passion for writing.
She also believes that taking classes in theatre will benefit non-majors.
“Even takng a class in dramatic literature can help you to learn about the human experience,” says Corthron. “You read about people who have to make decisions and work through problems. Or, if you choose to get involved in a production, when you are in character you have to figure out how you will work with that person is going through. In theatre, you learn to understand other perspectives, empathy and compassion.”
Sharing the Love of Theatre
Lynn Watson, chair of the theatre department, says that current students benefited from working with Corthron’s play.
“As I watched the actors in rehearsal and worked with them on the text of Wild Black-Eyed Susans, I was particularly struck by the sophistication of Kara’s writing,” she said. “She has a keen ear for the emotional underpinning of a casual comment. Her characters are believable and identifiable — working class people living in a region where jobs are drying up — yet she imbues their speech with poetic imagery and lyricism. Her ability to intermingle lyricism and rough urgency in the speech of contemporary characters is exceptional.
“For our students, the opportunity to play these roles has made for marvelous acting lessons,” adds Watson.
“As actors dig into it, the play constantly yields up more and deeper layers. It’s exciting to see Kara’s talents passed on through her play to the development of another generation of UMBC theatre students.”
– Melissa Gilden ’10
Originally posted October 2007

Even as a student at UMBC, Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, looked to the intricacies of human emotion to drive her writing.

Now established as one of theatre’s most promising playwrights, Corthron recently returned to UMBC from the stages of New York, Chicago and D.C. to share her love of theater with current students as they performed her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, during UMBC’s Homecoming & Family Celebration weekend.

Early Recognition

Over the last few years, Corthron has racked up an impressive list of honors for her work. Her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, received the 2007 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights. In addition, her play Like a Cow or an Elephant was awarded the 2007 Theodore Ward Prize for African-American Playwrights and was produced at the DePaul Theatre School in Chicago.

Corthron was also the winner of the 2006 New Professional Theatre Writer’s Award, is a three-time recipient of Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Foundation Award and was a semi-finalist for the 2007 Sundance Theatre Lab and Princess Grace Award. Corthron’s plays have been developed with the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Center Stage (Baltimore), African Continuum Theatre (D.C.) and at the Julliard School.

A Strong Start at UMBC

Corthron says UMBC’s theatre department helped to prepare her for the challenges of a career in theatre, encouraging her to understand the business of theatre as well as the research and work that goes into a production. Classes in script analysis gave her an appreciation for dramatic literature and helped to inspire her passion for writing.

She also believes that taking classes in theatre will benefit non-majors.

“Even takng a class in dramatic literature can help you to learn about the human experience,” says Corthron. “You read about people who have to make decisions and work through problems. Or, if you choose to get involved in a production, when you are in character you have to figure out how you will work with that person is going through. In theatre, you learn to understand other perspectives, empathy and compassion.”

Sharing the Love of Theatre

Lynn Watson, chair of the theatre department, says that current students benefited from working with Corthron’s play.

“As I watched the actors in rehearsal and worked with them on the text of Wild Black-Eyed Susans, I was particularly struck by the sophistication of Kara’s writing,” she said. “She has a keen ear for the emotional underpinning of a casual comment. Her characters are believable and identifiable — working class people living in a region where jobs are drying up — yet she imbues their speech with poetic imagery and lyricism. Her ability to intermingle lyricism and rough urgency in the speech of contemporary characters is exceptional.

“For our students, the opportunity to play these roles has made for marvelous acting lessons,” adds Watson.

“As actors dig into it, the play constantly yields up more and deeper layers. It’s exciting to see Kara’s talents passed on through her play to the development of another generation of UMBC theatre students.”

– Melissa Gilden ’10
Originally posted October 2007

Shari Elliker is one to talk. About true crime. About traffic. About movies and people and beer and whatever new and interesting tidbits pop up on her radar.
And people are listening.
As host of “The Shari Elliker Show” on WBAL morning radio and one of three on “Broadminded,” an XM Radio program described as “Sex & the City Meets the 3 Stooges,” the actress and radio personality has learned to truly enjoy the ups and downs of live broadcasting.
“When you’re live, you’re working without a net,” she said. “You’ve got to hope for the best and hope that whatever mistake you make can be fixed, or that it went by so fast no one noticed.”
Early Beginnings
Elliker started out as a film major at UMBC, but later moved into a specialization in broadcast communications via an interdisciplinary studies major. She served as general manager of the UMBC radio station, and during her freshman year secured an internship at the radio station 98 Rock, which inspired and fostered her interest in radio broadcast.
After college, she worked as a receptionist for several different media companies, hoping to work her way to the top. This route didn’t really pan out, however.
“It never works like that,” said Elliker. “Ever.”
Searching for another outlet for her speaking voice and ebullient personality, she began doing freelance acting and performing voiceovers. She spent seven years as a company member of various political satire troupes, including “Gross National Product,” and secured acting credits in “Homicide,” “America’s Most Wanted” and “Unsolved Mysteries.”
Obstacles on the Radio
In her quest to get into radio broadcasting, Elliker took some bold steps. Listening to the radio one day, it occurred to her how effectively traffic reporters get their name out to people. On a whim, she called the radio station and plainly asked, “How can I be a traffic reporter?” As it happened, the man who answered the phone was the regional manager of the radio station. Through this connection, Shari found her first job in the business as a beach traffic reporter on the Bay Bridge, which she wound up hating.
Elliker later found her way onto the morning show of 99.1 HFS, but it, too, wasn’t all that she expected. She didn’t meet her colleagues until the day before the first airing, and she knew immediately that the chemistry wasn’t there. As she struggled, Elliker started to doubt herself, thinking “this is the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve worked so hard for this, and this is terrible.”
“You have a responsibility to make the show interesting,” she said. “When that wasn’t happening, I felt like I should go back to doing traffic.”
Girl Power
Fortunately, Elliker didn’t stay in a lull for long. When her friend Christine Eads pitched a show called “Broadminded” to XM Radio, a satellite radio station available in the U.S. and Canada, she joined the three-woman show for daily – and sometimes racy – chat about relationships, pop culture, and two of her “true passions” – murder and beer.
“Women have really been under-represented in the radio, it’s really remarkable,” said Elliker. “It’s changing now. You rarely hear three women, hosting a morning show, talking about what they want, just like the men do. I’m very proud of the work that we’ve done.”
“It’s Like Having Your Own Room”
With a couple of years of “Broadminded” under her belt, and some time hosting a Sunday afternoon show on WBAL radio in Baltimore, in September Elliker closed a deal on her own daily talk show on WBAL, replacing long time morning host, Chip Franklin.
“The Shari Elliker Show” features a variety of lifestyle topics and guests, including UMBC alumnus Neil Beller ’83, information systems management, as well as discussion of national and local headlines – the type of flexibility Elliker enjoys. The timeslot allows Shari to do her morning show on WBAL, and then walk into a different studio to do “Broadminded.” She said she is thankful for the support she’s been given by the station.
“I can talk about things that I find interesting and have a passion for,” she said. “If you work with a group of people, there’s this constant compromise… which is fine, but it is kind of nice to have your own show. It’s like having your own room.”
– by Melissa Gilden ’10
Originally published October 2007

Shari Elliker is one to talk. About true crime. About traffic. About movies and people and beer and whatever new and interesting tidbits pop up on her radar.

And people are listening.

As host of “The Shari Elliker Show” on WBAL morning radio and one of three on “Broadminded,” an XM Radio program described as “Sex & the City Meets the 3 Stooges,” the actress and radio personality has learned to truly enjoy the ups and downs of live broadcasting.

“When you’re live, you’re working without a net,” she said. “You’ve got to hope for the best and hope that whatever mistake you make can be fixed, or that it went by so fast no one noticed.”

Early Beginnings

Elliker started out as a film major at UMBC, but later moved into a specialization in broadcast communications via an interdisciplinary studies major. She served as general manager of the UMBC radio station, and during her freshman year secured an internship at the radio station 98 Rock, which inspired and fostered her interest in radio broadcast.

After college, she worked as a receptionist for several different media companies, hoping to work her way to the top. This route didn’t really pan out, however.

“It never works like that,” said Elliker. “Ever.”

Searching for another outlet for her speaking voice and ebullient personality, she began doing freelance acting and performing voiceovers. She spent seven years as a company member of various political satire troupes, including “Gross National Product,” and secured acting credits in “Homicide,” “America’s Most Wanted” and “Unsolved Mysteries.”

Obstacles on the Radio

In her quest to get into radio broadcasting, Elliker took some bold steps. Listening to the radio one day, it occurred to her how effectively traffic reporters get their name out to people. On a whim, she called the radio station and plainly asked, “How can I be a traffic reporter?” As it happened, the man who answered the phone was the regional manager of the radio station. Through this connection, Shari found her first job in the business as a beach traffic reporter on the Bay Bridge, which she wound up hating.

Elliker later found her way onto the morning show of 99.1 HFS, but it, too, wasn’t all that she expected. She didn’t meet her colleagues until the day before the first airing, and she knew immediately that the chemistry wasn’t there. As she struggled, Elliker started to doubt herself, thinking “this is the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve worked so hard for this, and this is terrible.”

“You have a responsibility to make the show interesting,” she said. “When that wasn’t happening, I felt like I should go back to doing traffic.”

Girl Power

Fortunately, Elliker didn’t stay in a lull for long. When her friend Christine Eads pitched a show called “Broadminded” to XM Radio, a satellite radio station available in the U.S. and Canada, she joined the three-woman show for daily – and sometimes racy – chat about relationships, pop culture, and two of her “true passions” – murder and beer.

“Women have really been under-represented in the radio, it’s really remarkable,” said Elliker. “It’s changing now. You rarely hear three women, hosting a morning show, talking about what they want, just like the men do. I’m very proud of the work that we’ve done.”

“It’s Like Having Your Own Room”

With a couple of years of “Broadminded” under her belt, and some time hosting a Sunday afternoon show on WBAL radio in Baltimore, in September Elliker closed a deal on her own daily talk show on WBAL, replacing long time morning host, Chip Franklin.

“The Shari Elliker Show” features a variety of lifestyle topics and guests, including UMBC alumnus Neil Beller ’83, information systems management, as well as discussion of national and local headlines – the type of flexibility Elliker enjoys. The timeslot allows Shari to do her morning show on WBAL, and then walk into a different studio to do “Broadminded.” She said she is thankful for the support she’s been given by the station.

“I can talk about things that I find interesting and have a passion for,” she said. “If you work with a group of people, there’s this constant compromise… which is fine, but it is kind of nice to have your own show. It’s like having your own room.”

– by Melissa Gilden ’10
Originally published October 2007