FAU’s Theatre Lab Welcomes Playwright Nilo Cruz
Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University, continues its commitment to the development of new work in American theater with the 2017-18 Playwright’s Forum and Masterclass Series. During October and November, Theatre Lab will once again welcome some of the nation’s most notable playwrights to share readings of their newest plays followed by a discussion about the work, their process and the importance of new-play development. In addition, on the Sunday following the Playwright’s Forum, playwrights will offer a 90-minute workshop designed to guide participants through the various stages of playwriting. Participants in the Masterclass Series will be encouraged to use the series to develop their own short plays which will be eligible for submission to Theatre Lab’s New Play Festival in January 2018. All events take place at Theatre Lab in Parliament Hall, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Tickets and more information can be found at or by calling 561-297-6124.
First up is a festival-style celebration of the work of Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz. Cruz received the Pulitzer in 2003 for his play “Anna in the Tropics,” a drama set in 1930s Ybor City (Tampa), which tells the story of a family of cigar makers dealing with the Depression. Events include:
- Friday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.: Reading of Cruz’s play “Sotto Voce.” ($20)
Bemadette Kahn, an 80-year-old German born writer, spends her days trying to forget the past until Saquiel Rafaeli, a young Jewish-Cuban researcher, forces her to confront those haunted memories. He’s eager to learn about Bemadette’s long-lost lover, Ariel Strauss, who died in 1939 aboard the St. Louis, never to be seen again. ($20)
- 5:30 p.m. Free lecture by FAU Professor Patricia Kollander on the the fate of the Jewish people on the St. Louis who were turned away from Cuba and The United States during World War II.
- Saturday, Oct. 7, 2 p.m.: Reading of Cruz’s monologues “East and West of the War.” ($20)
Farhad, or the Secret of Being. Farhad is a 15-year-old girl on the outskirts of Kabul who disguises herself as a boy to blend in a world where being a man is almost as being divine.
The Journey of the Shadow. The tale of Marcelo Miguel, a young boy who enters the world of the imagination to communicate against all odds with his missing father, a soldier fighting in Afghanistan.
Melisma. In the ruins of a village in Afghanistan, Lolo, a wounded and deserted American soldier lingers on, and learns of the virtues offered by the small things in life.
- Saturday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.: Reading of Cruz’s play “Alice N.” ($20)
This play captures moments of the artist’s remarkable and tragic life: her tempestuous marriage to the great Cuban painter Carlos Enriquez, her travels to Havana, a nervous breakdown, and more.
- 4:30 p.m. Free lecture with FAU Professor Karen Leader on Alice Neel.
- Sunday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m.: Masterclass with Nilo Cruz ($30)
All Nilo Cruz events are available for a package price of $75 by calling 561-297-6124. All events are free for FAU ֱ. For more information about Theatre Lab, visit .
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Tags: community | arts and letters