Education at NYTW: Public Programs

NYTW always has sought to provide a forum for nuanced discussion of the issues raised in its productions through post-performance talkbacks and special events. Last season, NYTW expanded its Public Programs in order to meet the following key goals:

• To fulfill NYTW’s mission to produce work that stimulates reflection and dialogue and advances new approaches to   theatre-making
• To contribute more expansively to New York City’s intellectual and cultural life by utilizing NYTW productions as   catalysts for cross-cultural exchange
• To provide opportunities for NYTW to develop strategic partnerships with other New York institutions including   universities, museums, foundations, and local businesses through jointly-produced panels, dialogues, and   presentations

Panel Discussions and Dialogues

NYTW is organizing a series of discussions to enhance our 2007/08 season productions. These events will feature artists and scholars in conversations exploring the plays’ aesthetic, historical, and/or political contexts.

Liberty City
Written by Jessica Blank and April Yvette Thompson
Performed by April Yvette Thompson
Directed by Jessica Blank
February 15-March 16, 2008

The Historical Backdrop to Liberty City

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 7pm
Location: NYTW Rehearsal Studio

A panel discussion exploring the social and political conditions that fueled the 1980 Miami riots and the larger picture of black activism in the latter half of the twentieth century will feature Jessica Blank, April Yvette Thompson, and Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin, Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies and Director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University.

The Misanthrope
Written by Molière
in a version by Tony Harrison
Directed by Ivo van Hove
September 13-November 11, 2007

Traditions and Innovations in the Staging of Molière

Date/Time: Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at 7pm
Location: NYTW Rehearsal Studio

A panel discussion exploring traditions and innovations in the staging of Molière featured production dramaturg Bart Van den Eynde and two members of the NYU French faculty: Dr. Judith Miller, Department Chair and specialist in French and Francophone theatre, and Dr. Benoît Bolduc, specialist in 17th century French history and performance. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Ted Ziter of NYU/Tisch School of the Arts.

The Black Eyed
Written by Betty Shamieh
Directed by Sam Gold
July 17-August 19, 2007

Thursday, August 2, 2007
Post-performance conversation with The Black Eyed playwright Betty Shamieh and Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (Yellow Face and M. Butterfly), discussing their experiences as pioneering playwrights of color.

Thursday, August 9, 2007
Post-performance conversation with Betty Shamieh, Dalia Basiouny, an Egyptian theatre artist, academic, and translator, and Hala Nassar, Assistant Professor of Modern Arabic Culture and Literature and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Yale University. The discussion will focus on the Arab and feminist themes of The Black Eyed.

AfterWords

NYTW continues its popular AfterWords post-performance discussions, free events following selected performances where audience members participate in an open conversation with members of the cast and creative team. Designed to provoke further thought and dialogue about the production and artistic process, AfterWords in 2007/08 will include:

Beckett Shorts

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
With Jennifer Tipton, Lighting; Mirit Tal, Video; Andreea Mincic, Assistant Set Designer; Efren Delgadillo, NYTW Technical Director

Tuesday, December 18, 2007
With JoAnne Akalaitis, Director and Prof. Tom Bishop, a Beckett scholar from the NYU Department of French

Wednesday, January 2, 2008
With the cast

The Misanthrope

Tuesday, September 18, 2007
With Ivo van Hove, Director; Jan Versweyveld, Scenic Designer; and, Bart Van den Eynde, Dramaturg

Wednesday, October 3, 2007
With members of the cast

Tuesday, October 9, 2007
With members of the cast

Wednesday, October 17, 2007
With members of the production team and cast

The Black Eyed

Tuesday, August 7, 2007
With Betty Shamieh, Playwright; Sam Gold, Director; and, Paul Steinberg, Scenic Designer

Tuesday, August 14, 2007
With Betty Shamieh, Sam Gold, and the cast

Horizon

Tuesday, June 12, 2007
With the cast

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
With the cast

Online Audio Resources

This season, New York Theatre Workshop will begin offering recorded excerpts from Public Programs and other discussion events on our website. Audiences who attended the live events and supporters who missed them will have the opportunity to listen to these stimulating conversations at their leisure.

The following programs (if not linked) will be available shortly:

Director Ivo van Hove and Designer Jan Versweyveld converse with Director Ann Bogart (Score at NYTW) about their collaboration and preparation for The Misanthrope.

The Misanthrope's dramaturg Bart Van den Eynde and NYU French faculty members Dr. Judith Miller and Dr. Benoît Bolduc discuss traditions and innovations in the staging of Molière.

Playwrights Betty Shamieh (this season’s The Black Eyed) and David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) talk about their experiences as pioneering playwrights of color.

Playwright Betty Shamieh, Egyptian theatre artist and scholar Dalia Basiouny, and Yale University Assistant Professor Hala Nassar discuss the Arab and feminist themes of Shamieh's The Black Eyed.

Rinde Eckert, David Barlow, and Howard Swain discuss their collaboration on this season's Horizon with NYTW's Michaela Goldhaber.

Upcoming Public Programs will be featured on our home page, so please check this site
frequently for more information.

Please click here for information about past Public Programs.

KAOS creator Martha Clarke and dramaturg Giovanni Papotto participating in an Artist Dialogue

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