JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis Set for THEATER TALK Next Week

Stephen Adly Guirgis, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of the current Signature Theatre revival of Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, is the next guest on THEATER TALK, hosted by Susan Haskins and guest co-host Jason Zinoman of The New York Times.

Guirgis discusses his hesitancy to revive the play, originally produced by the LAByrinth Theater Company in July 2000 - but how this new production turned out to be an inspiring one for him (and the major critics as well).

Guirgis shares his thoughts about the spiritual dimension of the play, which takes place on Rikers Island and involves two caged convicts facing charges of murder. Additionally, he talks about the role of the play's original director, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, in shaping the drama ("He unerringly aimed for the highest STAKES and the most challenging ideals") and his thoughts about his mentor and friend's tragic premature death in 2014.

Guirgis also weighs in on the dispute that developed after Edward Albee's estate blocked the casting of an African American actor in the role of "Nick" in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and the controversy his own sentiments prompted on social media.

Following is the broadcast/cable schedule for this episode in the New York area:

CUNY TV

Monday, November 13 (2017) at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 18 at 8:30 PM
Sunday, November 19 at 7:00 AM
Monday, November 20 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM

PBS/Thirteen

Friday, November 17 at 1:30 AM (Saturday morning)
Sunday, November 19 at 11:30 AM

WLIW/21

Monday, November 20 at 5:30 PM

NYC LIFE/25

Thursday, November 23 at 11:00 PM
Monday, November 27 at 3:30 AM

THEATER TALK - winner of the 2017 Emmy Award for Best Interview/Discussion Show in the NYC area - is jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan, and is distributed to 100+ participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and The Friends of Theater Talk.

*CUNY TV, the City University of New York television station, is broadcast in the NYC metropolitan area on digital Ch. 25.3 and cablecast in the city's five boroughs on Ch. 75 (Spectrum & Optimum/Brooklyn), Ch. 77 (RCN), and Ch. 30 (Verizon FiOS). THEATER TALK episodes are available online anytime at www.cuny.tv and www.theatertalk.org and via iTunes.

Pictured: Jason Zinoman, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Susan Haskins on Theater Talk set at CUNY TV (photo ©Laura Fuchs); Edi Gathegi and Ricardo Chavira in Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train at Signature Theatre (photo ©Joan Marcus)