Tony Kushner, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Angels in America," spoke about the virtues of socialism to an audience in the Proscen-ium Theatre of Cornell's Center for Theatre Arts Tuesday, Feb. 9.
The lecture was part of the uni-versity's celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of German playwright and director Bertolt Brecht, "The Brecht Fest," sponsored by Cornell's Association of Grads in Theater. In the spirit of Brecht's weaving of politics and theater, Kushner discussed not dramaturgy or set design, but society and socialism, using stories, statistics and slogans.
The audience, composed of students and faculty from Cornell and Ithaca College as well as members of the Ithaca community, seemed to enjoy Kushner's energetic approach. Senior history major Rebecca Tobin, who said she had just read "Angels in America" in Introduction to Acting, described Kushner as "an amazing, brilliant, funny, passionate speaker," and others agreed.
In summer 1997, Ithaca's Hangar Theater produced the first part of the seven-hour "Angels in America," "Millennium Approaches," and that fall CTA produced the second part, "Perestroika," before large audiences. David Feldshuh, professor of theater arts and director of "Perestroika" at CTA, introduced Kushner. While Feldshuh listed some of the playwright's notable honors, such as two Tony awards, two Drama Desk Awards and the New York Critics Circle Award, Kushner feigned embarrassment, hiding his face in his hands.
With exaggerated hand gestures and theatrical facial expressions, Kushner discussed the evils of capitalism and individualism and tossed off references from major playwrights and artists, past and present. He cited statistics showing a growing disparity between rich and poor in the United States, saying we live in an age of Ritalin and Prozac addiction, pollution, carcinogens and vast discrepancies in wealth. "Money, like salmon, is going upstream," Kushner said. And as an alternative, he offered socialism, which he said embodies beneficial cooperation rather than competition. He also urged the students in the audience to activism, quoting playwright George Bernard Shaw's saying that if someone under 30 is not revolutionary, he must get busy.
In a question-and-answer period after his talk, Kushner defended the viability of socialism, saying that forms of it have been successful in Scandinavia, France and Austria as well as in the United States and offered the programs of the New Deal and the Great Society as effective examples. "Capitalism sucks, we all know it," he quipped.
Referring to fame, he said, "I love that if I get angry about something I can write something and get it published in a newspaper."
"Kushner was extremely intelligent and made references to many major texts," said junior Tracy Shields, an actress and film major, after the talk. "He uses comedy to express himself to those who may not understand his academic references, which is also why he's a great playwright."
Ron Wilson, associate professor of theater and film, also was impressed with Kushner's performance. "Kushner's combination of whimsy with intellectualism made for an interesting evening," he said.
Joyce Morgenroth, associate professor of dance, said she liked the way Kushner weaved together many different themes but kept touching ground. "He kept bringing the audience back to earth."
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |