Jean Scharfenberg (August 19, 1922 - August 2 1998) was a professor of theatre at

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

. Her students included

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Gui ...

Rondi Reed Rondi Anne Reed (born October 26, 1952) is an American actress of stage and screen. A longtime member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, she has appeared in more than 50 productions at that theater. Also active on Broadway, she won the 2 ...

Laurie Metcalf Laura Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her complex and versatile roles across the stage and screen, she has received various accolades throughout a career spanning more than four d ...

, Tom Irwin, and

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

Early life and education

Scharfenberg was born in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

, and earned her undergraduate degree at University of Central Missouri University. She then earned her masters degree and doctoral degree in theater from the University of Wisconsin. While at the University of Wisconsin, she earned a federal grant to work with

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

Career

Scharfenberg joined the ISU faculty in 1966. She was known among students for her class, "Acting: Exploring Characterization Through Animal Exercises" in which students developed the persona of an animal and then enacted a violent death scene at the end of the semester. She directed

's mainstage plays during the school year and Shakespeare Festival in the summer. Under the direction of Scharfenberg and her colleagues Ralph Lane, John Kirk, and

Cal Pritner Cal Pritner (1935 - December 1, 2014), was an educator, writer, administrator, and actor. He chaired two university theatre departments (University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1994–2000) and Illinois State University (1970–1981), and he was the f ...

ISU Theatre became a distinct department, instead of a sub-division of the speech department. In the 1990-1991 school year, Scharfenberg won two awards, the Outstanding Teacher in the College of Fine Arts and the Outstanding University Teacher. She believed that acting could be used to spark creativity in the community, which would create better leaders, lovers, and followers. Scharfenberg also held numerous acting roles in the Westhoff and Allen theater stages. She retired in 1993.

Bibliography

* ''Lee Strasberg'', 1963

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scharfenberg, Jean 1922 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American educators Illinois State University faculty