{"id":1157,"date":"2018-06-25T17:33:50","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T17:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/yearbook\/?page_id=1157"},"modified":"2020-04-07T08:46:08","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T13:46:08","slug":"walter-cronkite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/yearbook\/2018\/06\/25\/walter-cronkite\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite Multimedia Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Bethany Vonseggern <\/span><\/p>\n

Walter Cronkite<\/a> a visionary. A kid from St. Joe. A journalist with high integrity known for delivering the news with honesty and grace. Considered a momentous figure in history Cronkite has made an impact on the lives of many Americans one of which is Western\u2019s president, Dr. Robert Vartabedian<\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was in my opinion one of the most significant figures of the 20<\/span>th<\/span> century, his life is worth celebrating, particularly today,\u201d said Vartabedian. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ll ever see his equal in journalism again. He\u2019s one person the more I study the more I admire him in terms of being a journeyman journalist who really understood his craft from a young age.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To celebrate Cronkite, Vartabedian wrote an artistic one-person, 22-minute multimedia performance that depicted an interview Larry King did with Cronkite on the \u201cLarry King Live\u201d show a year after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Vartabedian adapted the transcript from the interview to a stage performance that involved an actor playing Walter Cronkite along with visual aids on film screens and audio of the original interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a multimedia show such as this to come to fruition Vartabedian had to further research Cronkite, write several transcripts before arriving at the version we have seen on stage as well as recruiting a stellar production team to connect all aspects of the show. With the help of Western\u2019s dean of fine arts Dr. Bob Willenbrink and Western \u00a0Institute\u2019s dean and executive director Gordon Mapley a technical and musical team were created.<\/span><\/p>\n

In search of Cronkite, the production team held auditions locally in St. Joseph in addition to larger cities such as St. Louis and Kansas City before deciding on Kansas City based actor, Jim Korinke. Korinke, a 47-year professional actor, said after reading the script he felt connected to Cronkite and was lucky to be part of this show. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they called to offer me the role I just leapt to at the opportunity to do it,\u201d Korinke said. \u201cThe rest has been the best ride of my professional career. I\u2019ve have never been associated with anything that I consider this important.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

WIllenbrink, director of \u201cCronkite\u201d described the experience of director as an artistic challenge. He relished working with the multimedia aspect of the show and watching the videos and music come alive on stage setting the mood. He directed Korinke to make minimal movement on stage, which mainly consisted of walking across the stage. The melancholy temperament was obvious through the emotional expression on Cronkite\u2019s face along with the musical score and multimedia visuals. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The success of \u201cCronkite\u201d quickly took off leading the Western team to take the show to the Lincoln Center in New York City, the Newseum in Washington D.C. and Kansas City. In attendance at these shows were talent agents and Cronkite\u2019s family members and friends. Willenbrink describes the experience of taking the show to other venues as exciting and rewarding.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were excited to share this with people of New York. Doing it near the Lincoln Center<\/a> gave it credibility and value to our name being in New York with the Cronkite\u2019s and others. That kind of exposure is invaluable,\u201d Willenbrink said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t