“Fracking” and “opera” are two terms that are not commonly associated.
William Condee hopes to engage an audience in both Wednesday.
Condee, a professor of humanities and theater, will host a café conversation hour at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Front Room at Baker University Center, where he will describe how the fracking boom is similar to the past history of the coal-mining industry.
“I hope the audience leaves the café realizing that the economics and ethics of fracking are very complex, and there aren’t simple answers,” Condee said in a news release. “I hope we can learn from the coal mining boom in the 19th century to refer to the fracking that is happening now.”
Condee is the author of Coal and Culture: The Opera House in Appalachia. The lecture will cover a central premise of the book, namely the relationships that coal-mining companies had in restoring opera houses in exchange for purchasing land. Condee’s talk will draw a connection between opera houses and the fracking industry, instead of the coal industry, according to the release.
“(The conversation’s purpose is) providing a venue where people can discuss issues like fracking in an open venue where people show respect is important,” said Roxanne Male-Brune, director of grant development in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Creative Activity.
Condee also seeks to answer questions on ethics and maintaining objectivity as a researcher, because fracking is a controversial topic in Athens.
Heather Cantino, a member of the Athens County Fracking Action Network, said she was aware of the event but will not be able to attend.
“I hope that the Athens community attends,” Cantino said.
The first 50 attendees will receive coupons for free coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The café conversation hour is funded by alumni funds, Male-Brune said.
“What we want during these café (conversations) led by an expert is where the public can engage with that expert and each other,” she said.
@HannahMYang
