Theater’s Ben Corbett Wins Emmy for ‘Arkansas Accent Project’ Documentary

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Photo Submitted U of A assistant professor of theatre Ben Corbett.

During fall's National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Mid-America Emmys award ceremony, U of A assistant professor of theatre Ben Corbett waited on the edge of his seat to see if his documentary, The Arkansas Accent Project, would win an Emmy.

As the winners for Category 319, Human Interest, were announced, Corbett said he froze, and his jaw dropped while his collaborator Ringo Jones screamed and cheered behind him.

Finally, realization struck, and Corbett stood to make his way towards the stage — they were bringing home an Emmy.

"I honestly did not expect The Arkansas Accent Project to win," he said. "Considering the number of nominees and the fact that I thought the movie was too local and too specialized, I had my doubts. I am so very honored, but I was not expecting to win at all."

Since the fall of 2019, Corbett has been both teaching at the U of A in the Department of Theatre and working on the short documentary that focuses on accents in Arkansas and how regional accents, even within the same state, change and evolve.

The Arkansas Accent Project, made with Ringo Jones, a former U of a Communications faculty member, developed from an accent study including over 100 native Arkansans and Arkansas residents and led to Corbett exploring the multiple variations of the Arkansas accent, including some non-traditional Arkansas accents.

"This has been an extraordinary project," said Michael Riha, chair of the Department of Theatre. "And Ben Corbett has made all of us - this university, his fellow faculty members, his city and state - so proud. He and Ringo deserve these accolades and more for such a monumental achievement."

For those who do not know what winning an Emmy is like, Corbett described the process, "I walked down the path to the stage with applause; Ringo and I held the Emmy and took a picture, then went backstage."

"There are forms that you sign to make sure you do not ever sell the Emmy, and then we were immediately interviewed about what this means to us," he added. "You go down the yellow brick road, and then you are shuffled off to a lot of places. Your picture is taken many times for the North American Film and Arts Academy, and then you go and wait backstage for the rest of the winners to be announced."

Corbett said now that the movie has an Emmy, it needs a viewing home. He and Jones have submitted it to Arkansas PBS, Reel South (Reel South is a PBS affiliate for Southern documentaries) and POV.org.

During the Mid-America Emmys, the winners were unable to give acceptance speeches due to the number of categories and time constraints, but Corbett shared what he would have said if he could have.

"I would have thanked my family and partner, the faculty at University of Arkansas, Ringo and volunteers," he said.

"I would have advised people to stay curious, keep asking questions instead of looking for answers. Curiosity has gotten me out of bed more than success. Also, failure teaches you everything. Yes, you do profit from success, but you learn everything from failure."

He also added, "Be nice, especially in the arts; it is a hard thing to do sometimes, but be nice. Don't think you're above people; be grateful for whomever accepts your work. Be thankful when people are curious about your work and grateful when people want to know what you do."

As for next steps, Corbett said he hopes The Arkansas Accent Project could be the beginning of a series.

"I see a future study about code switching, or how people use their voices when they are worshipping," he said. "What happens to vowels and consonants when you are in religious fervor? It is something to explore."

Corbett's additional upcoming projects also include preproduction for a film about Eureka Springs visual artist and activist Zeek Taylor, and that he is in the beginning stages of securing funding for the project.

"The movie will asking certain questions about queerness in the South, such as: How do we help queer people feel safe and comfortable in the South? Why is Eureka Springs a safe space for many queer people in Arkansas?" Corbett said.

This story also appeared in the Fulbright REVIEW publication.

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Theater’s Ben Corbett Wins Emmy for ‘Arkansas Accent Project’ Documentary

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