An expansive documentary tracing the career trajectories of two notable contemporary playwrights - Rajiv Joseph and Tarell Alvin McCraney - as well as shining a light on the producers, directors, actors and creators who contribute to the process of putting a play onstage will be presented tonight on the most recent edition of PBS series INDEPENDENT LENS.
PLAYWRIGHT: FROM PAGE TO STAGE is officially described as such: "With extraordinary access at every step, Playwright: From Page to Stage brings to life the intense collaborations and emotionally charged process that takes place when teams of writers, directors, actors, and producers pool their talents. Intercutting between the two plays, the film goes backstage to reveal the drama and conflict leading up to their opening nights. Will these productions succeed and move to larger venues? Or will these promising productions close, leaving unrealized dreams behind? From bare-boned rehearsal halls to regional theaters to Broadway, Playwright: From Page to Stage captures the arduous challenges -- and ultimate triumph -- of these controversial new works and the playwrights who created them. Those featured in the film include David Dower, Director of Artistic Programs at Emerson College's ArtsEmerson performance department; Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of New York City's Public Theater; Robyn Goodman, producer of the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q and In the Heights, among others; playwright Katori Hall (The Mountaintop); Moises Kaufman, award-winning director and playwright whose most recent play, 33 Variations, was nominated for five Tony Awards; Steppenwolf Theatre Company member and Broadway director Tina Landau; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage (Ruined); award-winning theater director and playwright Robert O'Hara; and actor and comedian Robin Williams."
PLAYWRIGHT: FROM PAGE TO STAGE airs tonight on PBS at 8 PM.
More information on the Independent Lens program PLAYWRIGHT: FROM PAGE TO STAGE is available at the official site here.
View a preview of PLAYWRIGHT: FROM PAGE TO STAGE on Independent Lens below.
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