Tuesday, April 6, 7:30 p.m., Mandel Hall, University of Chicago, 1131 E. 57th St. $20/$5 all students with valid ID from 773-702-8080
Born in New York City in 1956, and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Kushner is best known for his two-part epic, Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. His other plays include A Bright Room Called Day; Slavs!; Hydriotaphia; Homebody/Kabul; and Caroline, or Change, the musical for which he wrote book and lyrics, with music by composer Jeanine Tesori. Kushner has translated and adapted Pierre Corneille's The Illusion, which will be performed at the Court Theatre from March 11, 2010—April 11, 2010. Kushner's awards include a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards, an Oscar nomination, and an Arts Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. For more information: www.barclayagency.com/kushner.html .
Charles Newell has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 30 productions, including Caroline, or Change. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. He is the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award. Most recently, his production of The Man of La Mancha at Court was the recipient of 6 Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Best Production-Musical and Best Director-Musical. For more information: www.artspeaks.uchicago.edu
Now in its sixth season, The University of Chicago's Artspeaks series welcomed composer Osvaldo Golijov on November 17, and is excited to present playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner on April 6 and conceptual artists Ilya & Emilia Kabakov on May 19.
The Artspeaks series engages internationally renowned artists from varying disciplines in creative conversations with the campus and community—giving voice to vision. Combining public presentations and workshops for students and faculty, Artspeaks residencies offer a rare encounter with eminent talent in an intimate setting. Previous seasons have included visits by photographers, painters, musicians, authors and filmmakers, including Uri Caine, Atom Egoyan, Leon Fleisher, Bill T. Jones, Peter Sellars, Anna Devere Smith, Kara Walker, and John Zorn. Visit artspeaks.uchicago.edu for more information.
