Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika at Visual and Performing Arts Center at WCSU

Following the success of our Fall 2023 production of Angels in America, Part One, part two of Tony Kushner's epic tale of homosexuality, politics, and religion in 1980's New York explores relationships, friendships and loss as the AIDS epidemic worsens. Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama Angels in America is one of the great American plays of this past century.

Community Conversation After 11/3 Matinee

Join us immediately following the matinee performance on Sunday, November 3 for a community conversation with the director, cast, crew, and special guests Peter Elliot and Michael Meeropol. The Community Conversation will be moderated by student dramaturgs Liv Lanteri and Rachel Rosenberg. Admission to the community conversation is included with your ticket purchase to this performance.

About Peter Elliot

The “Lifestyle Czar” for Bloomberg.com, Peter Elliot is an American writer, editor, and media personality best known for his biography of restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque and for the development of DINE, the restaurant search engine and lifestyle portal for the global financial news and media company Bloomberg LP. He is a James Beard award-winner for his radio show DINE GO. A self-described “Broadway baby” from a theatrical family, Elliot works closely with many Broadway writers, such as George C. Wolfe, John Lahr, and Henry Krieger.

About Michael Meeropol

Michael Meeropol graduated from Swarthmore in 1964 with a Major in Economics and Minors in History and Philosophy. After earning a second BA and MA at Cambridge University, he received his PH D in Economic History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Since 2005, he has been a regular commentator on economic issues on WAMC-FM (the NPR affiliate) in Albany, NY. In addition to numerous reviews and short articles on economic issues, he has written Surrender, How the Clinton Administration Completed the Reagan Revolution (University of Michigan Press, 1998, updated pbk 2000) and co-authored (with Howard J. Sherman) Principles of Macroeconomics, Activist vs. Austerity Policies, recently published by M.E. Sharpe.

In addition to his writings on economics, he has co-authored with his brother Robert, We Are Your Sons, the Legacy of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (Houghton-Mifflin, 1970 and U. of Illinois Press, 1986). He has edited The Rosenberg Letters, A Complete Prison Correspondence of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (Garland, 1994).

About the Visual and Performing Arts Center

The Visual and Performing Arts Center at Western Connecticut State University is the premiere educational arts facility in the region. This $98,000,000, 130,000 square foot arts center boasts a multitude of dynamic spaces to delight audiences and invigorate artists. Facilities include the 350-seat Veronica Hagman Concert Hall which features three-tiered, 360 degree seating, the 350-seat MainStage Theatre, the versatile Studio Theatre, and the stunning and vibrant Art Gallery. All spaces are equipped with the finest technology in the arts industry, enhancing the work that appears on stage and on exhibition. This state-of-the-art center provides immeasurable creative and collaborative opportunities for students, faculty and patrons. Since opening in 2014, the Visual and Performing Arts Center has solidified its reputation of offering Broadway-caliber theatre and renowned jazz and classical concerts with affordable ticket prices, and innovative gallery exhibitions at no cost to the community.