Drama professor added to faculty permanently

In the face of growing problems with faculty retention, one University department has managed to attract new blood.

Leon Katz was named the David G. Frey distinguished professor this semester, after serving as a visiting professor in the fall.

A teacher and playwright, Katz is a prominent figure in American theater and an expert on drama as both literature and stage practice.

“He’s one of the great dramaturges in the world and an expert at scene structure,” said professor David Hammond, artistic director of the PlayMakers Repertory Company.

“He probably knows every play ever written and knows them intimately.”

One of Katz’s most acclaimed plays, “The Three Cuckolds,” is a farce based on a 16th-century Italian comedy. The work has been performed in more than 400 productions.

In his first semester as a distinguished professor, Katz is teaching theater history and literature and “Studies in Dramatic Theory and Criticism.”

He also is a contributor for the PlayMakers production of George Bernard Shaw’s “Caesar and Cleopatra,” which is being directed by Hammond and will premier April 6.

Katz’s career as a professor was celebrated last year when he won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Teaching from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

He earned his doctorate degree in English and comparative literature from Columbia University and previously taught at Carnegie Mellon University, the Yale University School of Drama and the University of California-Los Angeles.

Among his many books are the recently published four volumes of “Classical Monologues: From Aeschylus to Bernard Shaw.”

His current projects include a play analysis textbook and an anthology of critical essays.

The professorship was created by a $500,000 endowment from David G. Frey, who also has funded positions in the art and music departments. The professorship includes a $167,000 match from the N.C. Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund. It is part of the Carolina First campaign, UNC’s $1.8 billion private fund-raising effort.

Hammond was on the committee in charge of the search to fill the new professorship.

“There were hundreds of applicants, and we culled them down to a list and did a series of interviews,” he said.

In a highly competitive market, endowments such as Frey’s are important for maintaining the quality of UNC’s faculty, Del Helton, director of communications and donor relations, wrote in an e-mail.

“Private funds, such as the David G. Frey Distinguished Professorship in Dramatic Art, allow the College of Arts and Sciences to counter lucrative offers of salary support, research grants and travel support to pursue research and more.”

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.