Poetry is Power

I produced the Poetry is Power theatrical performance to help weave the then-interim president's personal history into the University of Missouri System's rich culture. Part of building a brand is making an institution personal to those who form its community and linking individual stories to a university's goals of life-long learning and service. Interim President Michael Middleton's great grandfather, Samuel Alfred Beadle, became a practicing attorney in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era. It wasn't easy. His poem, “My Country,” speaks of his enduring love for his flawed country, and it foreshadows the path his great-grandson, Michael Middleton, would take in pursuit of justice and in service to higher education.

The Poetry is Power theatrical performance brought the poem to life over 100 years later and honored Interim President Middleton’s story. To stage the performance, I secured funding from a grant established by the board of curators.

Social Media Video Teasers

In the weeks leading up to the theatrical performance, my team released the following video teasers on Facebook and Twitter to build excitement among faculty, staff, and students.

Theatrical Performance

Cast Interview

I produced this candid interview with key members of the theatrical cast to further emphasize how Interim President Middleton's story, and his great-grandfather's poem, affected the university community.

Learn more about Samuel Alfred Beadle at https://www.umsystem.edu/president-blog/021116_blog. More about Poetry is Power at https://www.umsystem.edu/president-blog/041216_blog. (See note at the bottom of this page.)

Note: I was an employee of the University of Missouri System when the work samples on this page were created. The university owns the work.