January 20, 2022

UW-Madison’s Baron Kelly was featured on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Air University in an episode titled “Back Stage to Center Stage: The Groundbreaking Ira Aldrige”.

Kelly is a professor in the Department of Theater and Drama in the School of Education and also holds a concurrent position with the Odyssey Project in the Division of Continuing Studies.

In this episode, Kelly links his own journey to that of Ira Aldrige (1807-1867), the first internationally renowned African-American actor. Kelly is working on a solo show on Aldrige.

“I’ve always been the kind of person who loves the language,” says Kelly. “And when I came across the exploits of Ira Aldrige, I was absolutely blown away. that you could be smart and speak the King’s English and be a revered figure in the theater, in places that had never seen a black person before, really.

Learn more about Ira Aldrige and why he is an inspiration to Kelly by listening to the full episode on wpr.org.