Putting the Past Onstage: The Relationship of Theater and History

March 24, 2011

Hip Hop to History conference
New York City High School students performing a song they wrote at ASHP/CML

Wednesday, October 24, 6-8 PM, Martin Segal Theatre, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave. at 34th St.

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Join us for a seminar on the presentation of the past, including a conversation among artists who have created theatrical presentations out of their extensive research into historical figures and events. This discussion, with Wesley Brown, Brian Freeman and James V. Hatch, will consider theater as a medium for presenting history, and take up such questions as: What kind of issues do playwrights face when they use historical sources? What are the benefits and drawbacks of theater as a medium for communicating about the past? How do playwrights and historians communicate with each other? What can a play do that a history book cannot?