WUTM News Director Kayla Brooks hosts For the Record on WUTM. The show airs every Friday at 10:30 and 2:00. Starting in October, Brooks expanded her show to television as well.
The first installment of the show featured Assistant Professor and Vanguard Theatre Director, Keven Shell.
Of being a professor here, Shell said, "It's kind of challenging because we have a small department."
He said, though, that many people make big efforts for the department.
Shell talked about his acting experience from film to stage. Shell has been in education films, indy films and on stage.
"The point for me was just getting experience."
On UT Martin's campus, Shell has worked tirelessly on getting shows to the stage. His favorite show, he recalls, was Six Degrees of Separation, which was the Fall 2017 show.
This semester, he directed the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which is significant because it combined the music and theatre departments into one production.
Putnam showed Thursday, Nov. 7 - Sunday, Nov. 10. This show was also the debut of the renovated Harriet Fulton Theatre.
The musical is an award-winning show based on six students competing in a regional spelling bee. The cast of characters is witty, in-depth and unique. The show highlights the humor that can surround a children's competition but also the darkness that can envelope parent-child relationships.
Shell said bringing in the music department was one of the distinct challenges of Putnam. "A lot of the territory is new, and we want to put on a great show."