Guthrie Commissions Kushner
Guthrie Commissions KushnerAll in all, it's been a pretty good month for Minneapolis' Guthrie.
First, it played host to Sir Ian McKellen and sold-out crowds for the Royal Shakespeare Company's touring productions of King Lear and The Seagull in repertory -- one of just three North American venues.
Then it received major buzz from Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune for all it does to be a cultural destination beyond just theatre. (Hat tip to The Playgoer.)
Now, lest anyone think that Artistic Director Joe Dowling is some stodgy fool stuck in the past, he announced today that the theatre has commissioned Tony Kushner's new play, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide To Capitalism And Socialism With A Key To The Scriptures, which will premiere within the Guthrie's gloriously red McGuire Proscenium Theatre in the spring of 2009.
“Tony is one of the great playwrights in the contemporary theater,” Dowling said. “His powerful dramatic voice has identified our times in a unique and dramatic way, so it is a thrill and honor for the Guthrie to premiere his latest piece.”
While still tentatively titled -- and it is a bit lengthy, isn't it?! -- the addition of Kushner to its repertoire demonstrates a very bold and forward-thinking Guthrie. It should further cement its place, and Minneapolis' (a city that boasts more theatre seats per capita than any other American city save New York), as a destination city for great theatre.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Commission, First Word On New Show, Guthrie, Ian McKellen, Joe Dowling, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Play, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide To Capitalism And Socialism, Tony Kushner
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, October 25, 2007
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