Burstyn, Dern, Fierstein, Etc. Set for 92nd St. Y Events

This May and June, the 92nd Street Y welcomes some of America's most highly regarded actors to its stage, giving audiences a chance to get to know the people behind the talented faces.

Thursday, May 10, at 8:15 PM –Ellen Burstyn speaks with Marianne Williamson about the actress's film, stage and television career. In 1975, Burstyn won both a Tony Award (for Same Time, Next Year) and an Oscar (for Alice Doesn't' Live Here Anymore). She has been nominated for five other Academy Awards and is the author of a new memoir, Lessons in Becoming Myself (Riverhead, October 2006). Marianne Williamson is the host of a satellite-radio show and an author and lecturer whose books include the bestselling A Return to Love and Everyday Grace.

Thursday, May 31, at 8:15 PM – Bruce Dern, whom Jack Nicholson dubbed "the best actor of his generation," comes to the 92nd Street Y to chat with WNYC's Leonard Lopate about his long career, his family (ex-wife Diane Ladd and daughter Laura Dern), and his new book, Things I've Said, But Probably Shouldn't Have: An Unrepentant Memoir (Wiley, 2007). Dern earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in 1978's Coming Home and a National Society of Film Critic's Award for Drive, He Said. Dern is also well known for his work in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, The King of Marvin Gardens, Silent Running, The Cowboys, The Great Gatsby, Black Sunday and That Championship Season. More recently, he played Bill Paxton's father in the HBO series "Big Love." 

Monday, June 4, at 8:15 PM – "The actor's life is often more about sweat, waiting and disappointment than about success and triumph. Four gifted and distinctive actors who can testify to that visit the 92nd Street Y to share stories about how they made it through the lean years and the new challenges they encountered when they became better known. The evening, hosted by WNYC's Leonard Lopate, is part of the 125th anniversary celebration of The Actors Fund, which serves entertainment professionals," state press notes. The performers on hand are four-time Tony-winner Harvey Fierstein – playwright (Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage Aux Folles), actor (Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof), and film star (Bullets Over Broadway, Mrs. Doubtfire); actor, playwright, screenwriter, director and, not least, drag legend Charles Busch (Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, The Lady in Question, Psycho Beach Party, The Allergist's Wife) whose latest play, Our Leading Lady, is currently at the Manhattan Theater Club starring Kate Mulgrew; Jersey Boys Tony-winner Christian Hoff, who also appeared in The Who's Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar; and Michael Beresse, who stars in A Chorus Line following performances in The Light in the Piazza, Chicago and Kiss Me Kate.

Wednesday, June 6, at 8:00 PM – Richard Dreyfuss is perhaps best known for his screen work in Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Mr. Holland's Opus, and The Goodbye Girl, for which he won an Oscar.  His new movie, Suburban Girl, opens in May. Away from the screen, Dreyfuss has long been an activist for peace, civil liberties, and the need for citizen involvement in government and politics. He has lectured widely about civics and politics and is on the Board of Directors of the ACLU's Los Angeles branch. At the 92nd Street Y, he talks with journalist Michael Kramer about  the responsibilities of  citizens in a democratic society, whether civic roles need to be formally taught, and what happens when civic activism declines. Kramer is a former political correspondent for Time magazine and a former political editor of New York Magazine.

For more information or press reservations, please contact Sarah Morton at 212.415.5435 or smorton@92Y.org.  For more information, please visit www.92Y.org.

Photo of Harvey Fierstein by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.