The Life and Legacy of Rod Serling, a two-day conference sponsored by the Park School of Communications, will be held March 28 and 29.
Registrations are now being accepted for the event, which will feature presentations of academic papers, panel discussions, screenings, and the results of a nationwide Rod Serling scriptwriting competition.
Following the success of a similar event in 2006, this year's conference is expected to draw writers, researchers, and Serling enthusiasts from around the country. The creator of the groundbreaking series, The Twilight Zone, Serling lectured on creative writing at Ithaca College, and several of this year's conference sessions will examine Serling's role as a teacher -- featuring some of his colleagues and students from the early 1970s.
Topics for other sessions include: the writer's earliest work as a struggling writer in Cincinnati, Ohio; Serling's critically acclaimed screenplay for Seven Days in May as a prophetic exploration of the roles of the U.S. military and the legislative branches of government in times of political stress; his frustrating attempts to dramatize the murder of Emmett Till -- an experience that would sharpen his views on sponsor censorship and network interference; the "twilight zone" as a philosophical concept; the Rod Serling Archive at Ithaca College -- one of the largest collections of the author's creative work; and, a multimedia presentation which combines Twilight Zone dialog, familiar soundtrack music, and images from the series to explore the show's influence on American pop culture.
In addition, a popular event from the 2006 conference will, like the series itself, have a "rerun." During a live "Twilight Zone Marathon," episodes from the original series, which aired on the CBS television network from 1959 to 1963, will be shown –- including introductions and analysis of each script's themes.
The two-day conference will conclude with a staged reading of Serling's script, Noon on Doomsday. In cooperation with the Department of Theatre Arts, this never-before-produced work will be brought to life in a fitting tribute to Serling.
Early-bird registration fees are $65 through February 29; after that date, the fee rises to $75.
For more information or to register, please visit the event website at www.ithaca.edu/rhp/serling.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20080207135237625