CMU School of Drama


Thursday, November 21, 2013

President Kennedy claims theater spotlight with new works involving John Guare, Richard Nelson, Olympia Dukakis and B.D. Wong

NY Daily News: The life and death of John F. Kennedy was one of the defining dramas of the 20th century — but it wasn’t meant for the stage.
Over the half century since JFK’s assassination, this American icon has appeared in countless books, movies and TV specials.
But theater? Not so much.

2 comments:

jgutierrez said...

First, I find it fascinating that people are looking to honor President Kennedy through writing plays about him. Though I have to say I think the multi-media piece will probably serve as the best method for a fusion of honor and entertainment since there will be more variety in the ways to showcase the late President. It is peculiar that there were so many politically based shows that flopped or never made it to Broadway. The great thing about theatre is that we can talk about anything through theatre as a medium and yet politics seems to be one of those topics people just don't to hear about when they go to the theatre. I have a feeling it's because they are going to be entertained and feel being presented with any kind of politics isn't enough of a break from the world we usually live in.

Unknown said...

This is truly a very interesting topic to read about. President Kennedy has always been a very important person to the people of the United States, in life and death. It only makes sense that writing plays about him would be an additional way to honor such an influential and prestigious man. Much like Jacquelyn said, one of the greatest things about theatre is that it can be a means of discussing, sharing, and exploring many things. I too find it curious that President Kennedy has not been featured and talked about in more plays.