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• 1 media/Wave5 - Blue-SURF-New.jpg 2020-09-18T18:16:59+00:00 John Benitz 4 COPA plain 2020-10-13T17:18:26+00:00
  
  
  Interested in talking to Professor Benitz? 
  Email and we can set a zoom meeting for the following week.
  
  Email: benitz@chapman.edu
  
  College: College of Performing Arts
  Department: Theatre
  
  Overview of scholarly research/creative activity:  My creative scholarly work is as a director, writer, producer and sometimes actor of stage and screen.
  
  Specific projects working on:  In 2008, I approached Carroll with an idea to create a play based on the letters in his collection. Since then the play has received NEA and California Humanities grants, been performed around the country in major venues with major film stars, received significant national press, is soon to be licensed for publication by a leading theatrical licensing firm, and we are in discussion with Audible.
  I am currently writing and directing a documentary that will tell the dramatic story of how the larger war letter collections project came about and how these letters have transformed the lives of those who have experienced their power while telling the story of the creation and journey of If All the Sky Were Paper, which features these moving letters as performed by Oscar-winning and notable actors such as Laura Dern, Common, Ed Asner, Gary Cole, Ken Howard and Annette Bening. 
  Having shared these letters with audiences around the country, I know their transformative, healing and educational qualities and this new medium will allow us to share their power with a much wider audience but importantly create interest in the need to preserve these letters as it brings attention to Chapman and the Center for American War Letters.
  
  Number of students looking to work with: 1-2
  
  Time commitment for students:  Meet once per week (or two) sometimes with me and other times with the larger team. Perhaps a few hours per week to start but expect more times as we plan shoot dates.
  
  When students are needed: Spring 2021
  
  Requirements for students who work with you:  Be interested in research, fact finding, problem-solving, filmmaking, writing, storytelling, theatrical production.
  
  What would students be expected to do​​​​​​: Research,  collecting appropriate stock footage, organizing footage, helping organize film shooting and possible theatrical production that we film.
  
  Additional Information: The plan, depending on funding, is to film throughout the spring and summer and begin post- production in fall 2021. I will be unavailable on October 15th, 4-6pm but am available the following week. Please email me at benitz@chapman.edu and we can set up a zoom meeting.