*ITHACA COLLEGE CONFERENCE TO HONOR TELEVISION WRITER ROD SERLING
March 28-29, 2008*

 
    The Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College will 
sponsor a two-day conference honoring one of television's best-known 
writers.  THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ROD SERLING will be held on campus 
March 28-29,/ /and will feature presentation of academic papers as well 
as panel discussions, screenings and results of a nationwide Rod Serling 
scriptwriting competition.

Following the success of a similar event in 2006, this year's conference 
is expected to draw writers, researchers and Serling enthusiasts from 
around the country.  The creator of the ground-breaking series "Twilight 
Zone" lectured on creative writing at Ithaca College, and several of 
this year's conference sessions will examine Serling's role as a teacher 
-- featuring some of his colleagues and students from the early 1970's.  
Topics for other sessions include: the writer's earliest work as a 
struggling writer in Cincinnati, Ohio; Serling's critically-acclaimed 
screenplay for "Seven Days in May" as a prophetic exploration of the 
roles of the U.S. military and the legislative branches of government in 
times of political stress; his frustrating attempts to dramatize the 
murder of Emmett Till -- an experience that would sharpen his views on 
sponsor censorship and network interference; the "twilight zone" as a 
philosophical concept; "The Rod Serling Archive" at Ithaca College -- 
one of the largest collections of the author's creative work; and, a 
multimedia presentation which combines "Twilight Zone" dialog, familiar 
soundtrack music, and images from the series to explore the show's 
influence on American pop culture. 

In addition, a popular event from the 2006 conference will, like the 
series itself, have a "rerun."  During a live "Twilight Zone Marathon" 
episodes from the original series, which aired on the CBS television 
network from 1959 to 1963, will be shown --- including introductions and 
analysis of each script's themes.

The two-day conference will conclude with a staged reading of Serling's 
script "Noon on Doomsday."  In cooperation with Ithaca's Department of 
Theater Arts, this never-before-produced work will be brought to life in 
a fitting tribute to THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ROD SERLING.

Conference registration details are available on the event website at: 
http://www.ithaca.edu/rhp/serling


-- 
Melissa M. Gattine
Special Programs and Public Relations Coordinator
Roy H. Park School of Communications
Ithaca College, 378 Park Hall
Ithaca, NY, 14850
(607) 274-1023
(607) 274-1108 fax



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