New History of Theater Design Coming to a Bookstore Near You

Assistant Professor of English & Film Studies Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece is a film historian and author of the forthcoming book "Optical Vacuum: Spectatorship and Modernized American Theater Architecture" (Oxford University Press, 2018), the first full-length examination of how theater design impacted moviegoers perception of the films they watch and their behavior. Just in time for the grand reopening of Milwaukee's beloved Oriental Theatre, Szczepaniak-Gillece is available to discuss the movie palace's significance in film and architectural history, the evolution to industrial theater design in the 1940s and 1950s and how cinema can thrive in the age of prestige television. The hardest interview question she has ever been asked is: "What's your favorite movie?"