On a November afternoon in Merrill Hall, six women walk into a Kent State University classroom. They're not guest lecturers with advanced degrees. They're currently incarcerated at the Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC) in downtown Cleveland. And for the next couple hours, they'll share their stories—unfiltered, unflinching and deeply human—with students who are beginning to imagine careers in law, corrections, social work and justice reform.It's the kind of learning experience you can't get from a textbook. And for Professor Susan Kunkle, Ph.D., who spent 35 years working inside the justic...

  In the 1590s, inspired by the success of the hottest playwright of their era, two brothers set out to write their own hit play. Along the way, they receive a vision of the future saying that the next generation of stage performances will feature not only acting, but also singing and dancing. So the brothers put their minds to creating the world's first musical.    "Something Rotten," presented by Kent State's School of Theatre and Dance, opened on Feb. 20 and will run through Mar. 1, with performances in Kent State's E. Turner Stump Theatre.  Another Shakes...