McCarter Live at the Library, a new series cosponsored by Princeton Public Library and McCarter Theatre Center, will kick off Monday Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m., when playwright Steven Dietz and McCarter Artistic Director Emily Mann present a program on Mr. Dietz’s new play, "Last of the Boys."
Ms. Mann will direct the world premiere of "Last of the Boys" at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre from Sept. 7 to Oct. 17. The play tells the story of the reunion of two soldiers whose lives were changed forever by the events of a day in 1967, when both served as soldiers in Vietnam.
Mr. Dietz is the author of more than 20 plays and adaptations that have been staged off-Broadway and in more than 100 regional theatres. His works have been produced in England, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Argentina, Peru, Singapore, Slovenia and South Africa. He is the recipient of the PEN U.S.A. Award in Drama, the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award and the Lila Wallace/Reader’s Digest Award. He lives in Seattle.
Emily Mann has been artistic director of McCarter for more than a decade, directing about two dozen productions, including her highly lauded adaptation of Sarah L. Delany and Elizabeth Delany’s "Having Our Say," for which she was awarded the prestigious Hull-Warriner Award. She received a Peabody Award for her screenplay of the work, which aired on CBS television.
At the library, the playwright and the director will discuss and read from part of "Last of the Boys" before taking questions from the audience.
"This is a wonderful series of programs to be presenting in our new building," said Readers Services Coordinator Susan Roth, the librarian responsible for adult programming at Princeton Public Library. "We’re delighted to be partnering with McCarter Theatre Center in bringing playwrights and McCarter’s artistic staff into the library to meet with the community."
The new series will continue Tuesday, Sept. 23 with an appearance by the cast and crew of McCarter’s second production, Zora Neale Hurston’s "Polk County."
For more information on McCarter Live at the Library, call Susan Roth at (609) 924-9529, Ext. 257.
Princeton Public Library is at 65 Witherspoon St. in Princeton Borough. For more information on library programs and services, visit www.princetonlibrary.org.
