Streeter made friends with a moose while on the Theatre Department’s trip to the Stratford Festival in Canada.
Courtesy | Joshua Streeter
In this Quick Hits, Assistant Professor of Theatre Joshua Streeter discusses Modern Greek, the 800-meter, and his acquired taste for coffee.
What’s a small habit that has quietly shaped your life for the better?
Once I wake up, the first thing I do is finish the glass of water I keep on my nightstand. Start the day hydrating!
If you could relive one ordinary day from your past, which would it be and why?
Probably just some nondescript day from high school. My mother passed away during my last year of college, and it would be special to have one more day with my full family.
What’s a book you think everyone should read at least once — not because it’s famous, but because it changed you?
“Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions” by Edwin Abbott. It quite literally calls one’s perspective into question.
What’s a belief you held strongly at 18 that you no longer hold today?
That coffee is gross. I tried drinking it in high school and always thought it was nasty, and it wasn’t until my freshman year of college before a track meet that I suddenly appreciated its taste.
What’s the most unexpectedly meaningful compliment someone has ever given you?
I had a student tell me I have a voice for radio. You’d think that wouldn’t be too unexpected, since I’m in theater and have acted my fair share of parts, but I grew up with a stutter that occasionally flares up still today. So, to have my voice complimented hit hard.
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done, intentionally or accidentally?
Nothing really comes to mind, I’m pretty low-key. Maybe trying to get by in Athens with my very limited, very broken Modern Greek?
What’s a misconception people often have about your field or profession?
Theater has a slew of stereotypes that are often all too true, but a lot of people assumed that my Ph.D. was only good for directing or acting. When I tell them more about theater history and literature, and why it’s important to study and teach those things, they seem to get it then. As I’ve told my Theatre History I class over and over, it all goes back to the Greeks!
What’s a moment from your college years that you still think about often?
I ran track in college while also being involved with the theater department as much as I could. My senior year I ran the fastest 800-meter indoor time in all of NCAA Division II while still wearing my stage makeup from a matinee. I didn’t have time to remove it before my race, and my coach teased me about wearing my “war paint” for the rest of the season.
Which fictional character do you relate to most, and why?
I tell people that I’m basically Mordecai from “Regular Show.” I’m prone to slacking off, but you can count on me when some cataclysmic event threatens the very existence of the universe.
What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you in a professional setting?
During my doctoral program, I translated and directed a version of Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” and gave a brief talk to The Ohio State classics department about my process. When you’re dealing with Greek comedy, sometimes you don’t register the absurdity of having these weighty academic discussions about the proper instantiation of “phallus” in the comedic, not apotropaic, mode. And then you realize what’s happening and have to laugh.
