NPR: Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage has been very busy for the last few months – right now, she has both a new play and a new musical on Broadway, as well as a new opera at Lincoln Center Theater. I sat down with Nottage last month at the Hayes Theatre, where her new comedy, Clyde's, is being performed. She had some time to chat before going to a preview performance of MJ, the new Michael Jackson musical, for which she's written the libretto.
3 comments:
Lynn Nottage really is a fierce force of nature, and she is nonstop. I learned a lot about her last semester when I took Foundations of Drama I, and we also read her play that won her the pulitzer prize in 2017, Sweat. I am a fan of her work so learning about her new works was very intriguing for me. Even through this time of the pandemic, it is amazing and also makes sense that she has both a new play and a new musical on broadway. If anything were to be in performance now, it would be her works. It is quite inspiring to read her quotes saying that this is her dream and she is living it, despite not getting a lot of sleep. It gives me hope that everything I am working on now will be worth it in the end. I also really liked reading the quotes that other artists have said about Lynn Nottage. It has really brought me back to get into her works, and I look forward to what she does in the future!
Hikari Harrison
Lynn Nottage is truly at the pinnacle of theatre making. Even to have one show produced is a huge feat, but to have three shows, not to mention the fact that they are completely different kinds of theatre. That kind of range is so rarely seen in a theatre artist. Most theatre artists stick to just plays or musicals, and choose one type of “genre” but to do a play, musical and opera is almost unheard of. I have only read one of Lynn Nottage’s works, Ruined, but I was extremely influenced by that piece. It seems that Nottage has a specific niche of being able to write important stories held in a small space. Ruined takes place only within two rooms in a bar, and as mentioned in the article, Clyde takes place in just a kitchen. This is something very special, as then this lets the stories transcend just the space they are set. Now knowing more about some of Nottage’s other projects, I would really like to read more of her work.
My first introduction to Lynn Nottage was through the Foundations I through reading her play Sweat. I personally had no prior knowledge of her work before reading it but was absolutely hooked and amazed while interacting with the play itself. I think it is phenomenal she is putting on a play during the pandemic and this play is going to be on Broadway. It is also amazing that it was not only 1 show but 2 she had been involved in during this past few months. I think Nottage has an amazing ability to create real characters with lots of depth and nuance. I also think she is not afraid to touch real issues and nothing is too deep. Sweat had an amazing sense of realism that touched on an issue many people may not be super aware of but are present and touching. I want to read more of her work but I also want to see these shows be produced with the interpretation of others as well.
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