Biography of a 20th Century Actress - Book Project

About the Project:

Jessica Tandy was the recipient of five Tony Awards, an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and an Emmy. She began her career in London, England, performing with the most famous Shakespearean actors and directors of the early part of the 20th Century. When she crossed The Atlantic during World War II, she found a home on Broadway, premiering as Blanche in Tennessee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire. She also helped to create the first regional theatre in the country, performing in the first season of the Guthrie. She additionally worked in film, radio, and television as those media developed. During her lifetime she later became the oldest person to receive an Academy Award for acting. Her career serves as a touchstone for 20th century acting in the English speaking world. This book length project will recount her life and the contextual history surrounding her life.

Students will hunt down literary and performance references, locate photographs and scripts, assist with securing copyright permissions, compile bibliographic entries, as well as read and view (and play) performance media. A strong interest in gender studies and history, as well as the arts, is encouraged.

The First-Year Research Associate Program at Eckerd College honors academically outstanding students with awards of up to $1,000. The program also provides the opportunity, during the first year, for the award winners to work closely with a sponsor (faculty or administrative personnel) on a project of mutual interest. Associates might assist with research for faculty publication or new courses, conduct scientific experiments, work with creative artists, or develop projects related to any phase of the academic, cultural, and social life of the college. Scholars are selected on the basis of achievement in high school and on the creativity and depth of responses to items on this application.​

Online submission due no later than February 1, 2022.