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SPRING 2017 / 7
office hours
On a shelf in Theatre Professor Dr. Alan Litsey’s office
is a slim yellow catalog listing hundreds of old-time radio
shows. The pages are dotted with small black check marks—
each representing one of the shows that Litsey listened to as
a child or has collected as an adult. They also represent his
initiation, as a young boy growing up in a small agricultural
town in California, into the world of drama.
“Listening to the shows really was my first experience
with a version of theatre, of writing, of acting,” said Litsey,
who discovered radio plays, many of which date back to the
1930s, when they were undergoing a revival in the 1970s.
“It was a window into another world. It was sort of an early
introduction to what actors and writers and directors do.”
Today, Litsey has collected thousands of hours of tape—
more than he’ll ever be able to listen to. It’s just one of
many interests for the busy professor. As well as teaching
classes in acting, directing, and playwriting and overseeing
student productions, Litsey just wrapped up time as director
of rise3, the college’s experiential learning initiative. He
was the college’s Outstanding Educator of the Year and
praised for his ability to inspire students, his passion for and
knowledge of his subject, and his willingness to always be
available to students.
He also produces his own work. His latest play, “Nest of
Angels,” premiered at South City Theatre in Pelham, Ala.;
Reese Thompson ’14 and Christie Connolly ’14 starred in
the production.
Litsey says you can see a link between his play, which
centers on a playwright’s relentless efforts to get her work on
stage, and the old radio shows he loves so much.
“One of the things I enjoyed about writing ‘Nest of Angels’
is the wordplay. The characters are on verbal overload,” he
said. “Radio really created a love for language and quirky
humor; some of the writing for those shows is exquisite.”
Alan Litsey
Retiring faculty
Three faculty members with more than a century of combined service to BSC will retire
this May. Political scientists Dr. Bob Slagter, who joined the faculty in 1985, and Dr.
Natalie Davis, who joined the faculty in 1972 and is Howell T. Heflin Professor of
Political Science, have brought great renown to the college with their analyses of Asian
and American politics, respectively. Also departing is Dr. Susan K. Hagen, Mary Collett
Professor of English and BSC’s interim provost. Hagen has also served as associate
provost, associate dean of the college, Phi Beta Kappa senator, and director of the
Harrison Honors Program in her 41 years on the campus; the Honors Common in the
Berte Humanities Center will be named for her. To contribute to plans to honor all
three professors’ contributions to BSC, please contact the Office at Advancement at
[email protected]or call (205) 226-4909.
Dr. Susan K. Hagen in 1977.