October 2, 2001
Pulitzer Prize Winner Edward Albee To Deliver Lecture;
University Theatre Produces His Works
Old
Dominion University
Edward Albee, three-time
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and recipient of the 1996 National Medal of
the Arts, will speak Thursday, Oct. 4, as part of Old Dominion University's
President Lecture Series in conjunction with the university's 24th Annual
Literary Festival.
"The Playwright vs. The Theater" will be presented at
8 p.m. in the North and South Cafeterias of Webb University Center. The lecture
is free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-served.
In
addition to three Pulitzer Prizes for "Three Tall Women," "A Delicate Balance"
and "Seascape," Albee is recipient of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award
and the Tony Award.
In celebration of Albee's visit, the University
Theatre will open its 2001-02 season with a production of two one-act plays,
which were among the playwright's first theatrical successes.
"The
Sandbox," which is directed by Gerald Schwarz, is an absurdist comedy that
examines the American family life in 14 stage minutes, as mommy and daddy carry
grandma off to the playground for a wacky meeting with the Angel of Death.
Widely considered a masterpiece of American drama, "The Zoo Story," rivals
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" as Albee's most celebrated work. Inhabited
merely by two characters and a park bench, the 1960 play explores the full
complexity of human communication and foreshadows the violence and disconnection
haunting society today. It is directed by Christopher Hanna.
Performances
will be Sept. 28-30, Oct. 3, 5-6 at the Stables Theatre, on 46th Street off
Hampton Boulevard. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Wednesday
and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices are $10 general admission, $6 for students,
and $7.50 for faculty, staff and senior citizens.
In a recent interview
with Joe Cuomo of the Queens College Evening Readings, Albee explained his
philosophy on writing. "As a writer, you respond to everything around you. You
respond to every visual image, every bit of conversation, every piece of music.
You respond to it all. It all goes in the sieve of the brain." He asserted that
an ideal play must change both the definition of art and people's perceptions in
order to be considered valuable.
For more information about the lecture,
call 683-3114. For additional information on theatre performances or for
reservations, call the University Theatre box office at 683-5305.
Old Dominion University
Office
of University Relations
Room 100 Koch Hall Norfolk, Virginia
23529-0018
Telephone 757-683-3114 http://web.odu.edu/newsOld Dominion University is an equal opportunity, affirmative
action institution.
