Dorothy Runk Mennen
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Runk Mennen was a pioneer in the creation of a voice curriculum for the university training of theatre
actors and professional performers. She was also a prolific author regarding the training of the voice and Professor Emerita of Theatre at Purdue University
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in 1938, and received the Honorary Cardinal Key from the National Activities Society for Women for her participation in extracurricular activies. She then taught high school English in Twinsburg, Ohio
for 5 years.
She was the first female president of the American Association of University Professors
at Purdue, helped form the Women's Caucus to study and implement gender equity, and was the first female president of the Purdue Senate. As Professor Emerita she was involved in the classroom climate interactive theatre workshop program. Mennen served Purdue for over 60 years. She also did consulting and taught privately.6
The Purdue Theatre Faculty recognizes Dorothy Mennen for being a role model for countless numbers of female students proving to them that you could be both a successful professional and a "lady" at the same time.
chapter of the National Association for the Teaching of Singing(NATS) and was a member of The Voice Foundation.6
A letter to the faculty reads, "Perhaps because my family lived here...I knew this was where I would be. I always saw the faculty and staff as a gestalt
. it was our personal responsibility to make each one not only look good, but be good as artist
s and teacher
s. It was important to make the Theatre
live up to its potential with the university and the students. To me, this meant being a part of the university as a whole and to serve it."
Award from Governor Frank O'Bannon
.
Until 2006, the award was the highest honor which the Governor of Indiana bestows, a personal tribute usually given to those who rendered distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
, Cicely Berry
, Arthur Lessac
, Kristin Linklater
, and Patsy Rodenburg
.
offered words of thanks for the support, encouragement and wisdom that Mennen provided over the years. Moore recounted that "Dorothy did not like microphones. She felt that actors should be able to fill the house with their voices alone."
where she lived until her death.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
actors and professional performers. She was also a prolific author regarding the training of the voice and Professor Emerita of Theatre at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
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Education and Early Teaching
After spending her early life in Ohio, Mennen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech from Kent State UniversityKent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
in 1938, and received the Honorary Cardinal Key from the National Activities Society for Women for her participation in extracurricular activies. She then taught high school English in Twinsburg, Ohio
Twinsburg, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,006 people, 6,641 households, and 4,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,366.7 people per square mile . There were 6,871 housing units at an average density of 552.2 per square mile...
for 5 years.
Teaching at Purdue University
After receiving a MA in Theatre from Purdue University in 19646, Mennen taught at Purdue in the Theatre program as the voice teacher for both candidates in the Professional Acting program (graduate) and undergraduate theatre majors from 1964-2001.7 She developed the original voice curriculum for their MFA training for actors "from the ground up," where she was also the vocal director for their musicals,6 serving for over 70 productions. In the 1960s she put together several programs, including the voice and speech program for the American Theater Program.7She was the first female president of the American Association of University Professors
American Association of University Professors
The American Association of University Professors is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership is about 47,000, with over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations...
at Purdue, helped form the Women's Caucus to study and implement gender equity, and was the first female president of the Purdue Senate. As Professor Emerita she was involved in the classroom climate interactive theatre workshop program. Mennen served Purdue for over 60 years. She also did consulting and taught privately.6
The Purdue Theatre Faculty recognizes Dorothy Mennen for being a role model for countless numbers of female students proving to them that you could be both a successful professional and a "lady" at the same time.
Author
Mennen was the author of The Speaking-Singing Voice, A Vocal Synthesisis.6 She is also listed as a contributor to The Complete Voice and Speech Workout, published in 2003,2 part of the editorial board for Marian E. Hampton's The Vocal Vision: Views on Voice4 and Associate editor of Singing for Standard Speech and other Contemporary Issues in Voice.6 The website Singers.com describes Mennen as both an 'master teacher' in her field, and later an 'important teacher.'Voice and Speech Trainers Association
Mennen became the Founding president of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) in 1986, which became an international organization because of her efforts.3 Mennen continued as a vital member of the VASTA board for twenty years after her retirement. She also served on the board of the IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
chapter of the National Association for the Teaching of Singing(NATS) and was a member of The Voice Foundation.6
National Recognition
In 1985, she was given a national award for Leadership and Performance by the University/Resident Theatre Association(U/RTA).Mennen Scholarship
After her retirement in 2001, Purdue Theatre professor Richard Stockton Rand said, "Dorothy has navigated through many generations of Purdue University Theater; assisting as needed, selflessly, in a myriad of capacities without any expectation of recognition at any point in her long and distinguished career."7 The Dorothy Runk Mennen Scholarship Fund was created at the end of the 2001-2002 Purdue University Theatre season, in order to commemorate and honor the efforts of one of the department's "biggest fans."7A letter to the faculty reads, "Perhaps because my family lived here...I knew this was where I would be. I always saw the faculty and staff as a gestalt
Gestalt
Die Gestalt is a German word for form or shape. It is used in English to refer to a concept of 'wholeness'. Gestalt may also refer to:* Gestalt psychology , a theory of mind and brain, describing the Gestalt effect....
. it was our personal responsibility to make each one not only look good, but be good as artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s. It was important to make the Theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
live up to its potential with the university and the students. To me, this meant being a part of the university as a whole and to serve it."
Distinguished Purdue Alumna
In 2003, she was honored as a distinguished alumna of Purdue University for her professional achievements, dedication to community, and involvement with Purdue.1Sagamore of the Wabash
Also in 2003, she received the Sagamore of the WabashSagamore of the Wabash
The Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award created by the state of Indiana during the term of Governor Ralph F. Gates . A tri-state meeting was to be held in Louisville with officials from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Aides to Gates learned that the governor of Kentucky was preparing...
Award from Governor Frank O'Bannon
Frank O'Bannon
Frank Lewis O'Bannon was an American politician who was the 47th Governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003.-Background:...
.
Until 2006, the award was the highest honor which the Governor of Indiana bestows, a personal tribute usually given to those who rendered distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
Mennen Research/Development Grants
In 2009, VASTA created the Dorothy Mennen Research/Development Grant, which awards of up to $1000 to fund VASTA members for research or professional development. The VASTA Voice newsletter of September 2009 stated that this award was "named for Mennen, 'the mother of us all.' Dorothy's spirit of encouragement, vision of inclusivity, professionalism, determination and generosity are at the heart of VASTA's mission."Lifetime Distinguished Member of VASTA
Mennen is featured as a Lifetime Distinguished Member of VASTA, honoring "individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of Voice & Speech. In recognition of their achievements, they are given an honorary membership." Mennen joins a group of pioneers in voice training, including Frankie ArmstrongFrankie Armstrong
Frankie Armstrong is a singer and voice teacher.She has worked as a singer in the folk scene and the women's movement and as a trainer in social and youth work...
, Cicely Berry
Cicely Berry
Cicely Frances Berry CBE is the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and is world-renowned in her work as a voice and text coach, having spent many years as an instructor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She has conducted workshops all over the globe, including Korea,...
, Arthur Lessac
Arthur Lessac
Arthur Lessac was the creator of Lessac Kinesensic Training for the voice and body. Lessac’s voice text teaches the “feeling process” for discovering vocal sensation in the body for developing tonal clarity, articulation, and for better connecting to text and the rhythms of speech.-Development of...
, Kristin Linklater
Kristin Linklater
Kristin Linklater is a Scottish vocal coach, dialect coach, acting teacher, actor, theatre director, and author. She is currently Head of Acting in the Theatre Arts Division of Columbia University.-Biography:...
, and Patsy Rodenburg
Patsy Rodenburg
Patsy Rodenburg, OBE is a British voice coach and theatre director. She is the Director of Voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre....
.
Purdue Legacy Award
On October 1, 2010, Mennen was inducted as a Purdue Legacy recipient for her contributions to Purdue Theatre. Mennen could not attend due to illness. Purdue grad and Theater and Television Director Tom MooreTom Moore (director)
Tom Moore is an American theatre, television, and film director.Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Moore graduated with a BA from Purdue University where he received the alumni distinction as an Old Master. Moore began his career in the late 1960s, directing Loot at Brandeis University and Oh, What a...
offered words of thanks for the support, encouragement and wisdom that Mennen provided over the years. Moore recounted that "Dorothy did not like microphones. She felt that actors should be able to fill the house with their voices alone."
Mennen Lobby
In the Pao Center for the Performing Arts on the Purdue campus, the lobby of the Nancy Hansen Theatre was named the Dorothy Runk Mennen lobby.Personal
She married Harold Mennen in 1943. After he returned from military service, they moved to West Lafayette, IN. After her retirement from Purdue, Mennen moved with her husband to Owosso, MichiganOwosso, Michigan
Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent...
where she lived until her death.