With just two chairs and a book, Gloria Baxter, the Department of Theatre’s Thurber Playwright-in-Residence, has recreated the Southern scene for two popular books by Eudora Welty. Baxter came to Ohio State to stage “Mississippi Stories,” an original adaptation of two of Welty’s most popular pieces. The production is a tribute to Welty, a short-story writer and novelist, who has been described as one of America’s finest living prose writers and a “grande dame” of American literature.Baxter is not only the director but also the playwright. She has written the program as two one-act plays. The first one is from Welty’s autobiographical work, “One Writer’s Beginnings” and the second is an adaptation of her short story, “Why I live at the P.O.” “Mississippi Stories” was created in 1994 at the invitation of the American Embassy in Paris. All or portions of the work have since been staged in Memphis, at several universities in France, and at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.Baxter focuses on the forces in Welty’s life that caused her to become a writer. The play shows Welty from ages 2 through 9 and how her parents helped create her love for writing through books and language. Baxter was challenged by the play because she had to create a dialogue for five characters, where the author only provided a monologue of one character. The first play, based on “One Writers Beginnings,” Baxter creates a shared voice through two Welty’s; one looking back on her childhood and one going through childhood.Baxter describes the second play “Why I Live at the P.O.” as a comic gift. This book was one of Welty’s first writings and is an exaggerated story about family life. Baxter became quite attached to Welty through her love of language, reading, writing and her Southern characteristics.”She is a legend, a noble soul, with the generosity of spirit, wit and humor,” Baxter said.Baxter, who lived in Memphis for most of her life, could identify with Welty’s Southern experiences. Still, she is focusing the students on the cadence of the language and the rhythmic melodies, more then on the Southern dialect.Through her love of literature, Baxter discovered the art of staging novels or “narrative theatre,” while she was a graduate student at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Baxter created 24 original script adaptations through narrative theatre and has won several awards for her work.”I take a short-story or novel and keep the language the same, maintaining the original prose,” Baxter said. “But then I create the roles of the characters, who will speak their intentions, actions and reactions.” Baxter feels that this type of art gives the director the freedom to stage all kinds of realities such as dreams, memories, visions and everyday incidents.”Narrative theatre is a very fluid form that allows you to move quickly from one form to another,” Baxter said.Baxter came to OSU last November to cast the show. Each piece features five student actors from the theatre department. The OSU students she is working with say it has been a very positive experience.”Gloria is a joy to work with, she is very open and giving as a director,” said Naomi Hatsfelt, an actress in the play. “I would love to work in the narrative theatre form again, and if I could do it with Gloria, that would be even better.” Baxter is on leave from the University of Memphis where she has taught theatre since 1965. While in Columbus, Baxter is living in James Thurber’s historic house. Along with directing “Mississippi Stories”, Baxter will teach a playwriting class on stage adaptations in the form of narrative theatre through the OSU Theatre Department. “Mississippi Stories” opened last night at the Roy Bowen Theatre in Drake Union. The show will run through Feb. 26. For more information, contact the box office at 292-2295.