By Cheryl Calhoun
UHCLIDIAN STAFF

                  Martha Kemper

Houston native Martha Kemper brings the spirit of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Eudora Welty to life at UH-Clear Lake, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. in the Bayou Theater.

Through a dramatization of three of Welty's favored stories: "Clytie," "Why I Live at the P.O.," and "Where is the Voice Coming From?," an audience will experience the works of two artists.

Welty, who grew up in Mississippi, is known as one of the all-time great American storytellers. Welty's works portray fine details of Southern lives and circumstance, through changing times.

Kemper hopes that her audience will be "tickled by the humor and leave the performance loving the stories as much as she does."

"Clytie" and "Why I Live at the P.O." depict a solitary, eccentric young woman in a small town setting, lacking companions who might buffer her oddness.

On a more serious note, "Where is the Voice coming From?" captures an event from the Civil Rights movement. Kemper says the audience will get to look at the South and take away an appreciation for the progress made during this time.

Kemper is an associate professor of theatre and integrative arts at Penn State Abington in Abington, PA. She is a professional actor and director who made her professional acting debut at age 9 at the Alley Theater in Houston in one of Welty's productions, "The Ponder Heart."

This production is sponsored by the cultural arts department. Andrew Reitberger, coordinator of student life for activities and cultural arts says, "'Why I Live at the P.O.' and other stories by Eudora Welty seem to have a little bit of everything-drama, humor, Southern culture, history, etc. Martha has done a great job of putting together a very comprehensive look at one of the South's greatest storytellers."

Reitberger hopes that the audience is not only entertained but educated.

A free special preview of "Why I Live at the P.O." and other stories by Welty will be held Sept. 26 at 11:45 a.m. in the Bayou Theater.

For more information call Reitberger at (281) 283-2560.

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