Anna Deavere Smith is a playwright, actor, and educator while Julia Wolfe is a composer and educator. Both came out tonight to speak at our CultureTalk about the challenges of our time.
By Moises Sedano
CultureTalk, here at UIUC, is a Q&A event which fosters awareness and understanding of the relationships between the arts and society.
Anna Deavere Smith is the founding director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at New York University. She uses theatre as a way to explore issues and diversity in America. Smith uses past interviews with different women and turns those interviews into scripts for her shows. This is such an interesting way to perform a show!
Julia Wolfe is the winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in music and most recently, the winner of the Musical America's 2019 Composer of the Year. Her music tends to be more folk, classical, and rock genres than anything else. Wolfe has received a ton of acclaim for her work which goes to show just how talented she is.
Both had a ton to share at CultureTalk. They spoke about the adversity they go through and fighting through their fears as they produce these shows and music. They answered pre-written questions from Lisa Gaye Dixon (the moderator) and questions asked by members of the audience. We got some interesting insight into these two talented people and what goes into their work!
For more information, visit https://krannertcenter.com/events/culturetalk-anna-deavere-smith-and-julia-wolfe-artists-voice-times-crisis