Proof (Hour One)

July 30, 2010

MP3 Audio: Proof (Hour One)

Are creative thinking and mental illness opposite sides of the same coin? This explosive combination has shown itself in such leading creative lights as composer Robert Schumann, mathematician John Nash, and artist Vincent van Gogh. Their families, of course, suffer too: children of a “mad genius” inevitably wonder, “How much mad and how much genius have I inherited?” That question is central to our story this week, Proof by David Auburn.

Originally produced on Broadway in 2000, Proof is among a select group of works that have won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.

Starring Anne Heche, Robert Foxworth, Jeremy Sisto, and Kaitlin Hopkins. Directed by Jenny Sullivan.

Part One of Two.

This hour includes an interview with Dr. Carrie Bearden, a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California-Los Angeles.

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Proof (Hour Two)

July 30, 2010

MP3 Audio: Proof (Hour Two)

Are creative thinking and mental illness opposite sides of the same coin? This explosive combination has shown itself in such leading creative lights as composer Robert Schumann, mathematician John Nash, and artist Vincent van Gogh. Their families, of course, suffer too: children of a “mad genius” inevitably wonder, “How much mad and how much genius have I inherited?” That question is central to our story this week, Proof by David Auburn.

Originally produced on Broadway in 2000, Proof is among a select group of works that have won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.

Starring Anne Heche, Robert Foxworth, Jeremy Sisto, and Kaitlin Hopkins. Directed by Jenny Sullivan.

Part Two of Two.

This hour includes a conversation with Dr. Steven Strogatz, a professor at the Cornell University School of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics.

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Proof Web Bonus: Dr. Carrie Bearden

July 30, 2010

MP3 Audio: Proof Web Bonus: Dr. Carrie Bearden

Dr. Carrie Bearden is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California-Los Angeles. Dr. Bearden is working to identify brain-based traits that may provide clues as to the underlying causes of psychosis and bipolar disorder. She joined us to talk about the role of heredity in mental illness and the links between genius and madness.

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Proof Web Bonus: Steven Strogatz

July 30, 2010

MP3 Audio: Proof Web Bonus: Steven Strogatz

Steven Strogatz is a professor at the Cornell University School of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics. Dr. Strogatz is the author of three books, including Sync and The Calculus of Friendship, and has authored a column on mathematics for the New York Times. Dr. Strogatz joined us to talk about popular stereotypes of mathematicians, math as a "young man's game," and the question of gender bias in the field.

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Going to St. Ives (Part One)

July 23, 2010

MP3 Audio: Going to St. Ives (Part One)

In our story this week, we'll hear about a doctor-patient relationship that has harrowing repercussions far beyond the operating room. Dr. Cora Gage is an English eye surgeon who has been chosen to operate on the mother of a ruthless African dictator. But each woman has a favor to ask the other, and the consequences are a matter of life and death.

Part One of Two.

Going to St. Ives by Lee Blessing. Starring Caroline Goodall as Dr. Cora Gage and L. Scott Caldwell as May N'Kame. Directed by Shirley Jo Finney.

This hour includes an interview with playwright Lee Blessing. Visit our friends at the American Theatre Wing to hear the full interview and to browse their archive of hundreds of other theatrical interviews.

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Going to St. Ives (Part Two)

July 23, 2010

MP3 Audio: Going to St. Ives (Part Two)

In our story this week, we'll hear about a doctor-patient relationship that has harrowing repercussions far beyond the operating room. Dr. Cora Gage is an English eye surgeon who has been chosen to operate on the mother of a ruthless African dictator. But each woman has a favor to ask the other, and the consequences are a matter of life and death.

Part Two of Two.

Going to St. Ives by Lee Blessing. Starring Caroline Goodall as Dr. Cora Gage and L. Scott Caldwell as May N'Kame. Directed by Shirley Jo Finney.

This hour includes a featurette on "Mothers and Sons in Theatre," including dramaturgs Julie Felise Dubiner, Anne Hamilton, and Gavin Witt.

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Going to St. Ives Web Bonus: Mothers & Sons in Theatre

July 23, 2010

MP3 Audio: Going to St. Ives Web Bonus: Mothers & Sons in Theatre

Lee Blessing's Going to St. Ives features two mothers who have very different relationships to their absent sons. The mother/son dynamic has been explored in all its infinite variety on the stage, from Shakespeare to Sophocles to Chekhov. But who are some of the most notable mother/son relationships in theatrical history? We rounded up our crack team of experts to offer their thoughts.

Featuring (in alphabetical order):
Julie Felise Dubiner, Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of the Americas
Anne Hamilton, Hamilton Dramaturgy
Gavin Witt, CENTERSTAGE Baltimore

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Molière Part One: The School for Husbands

July 16, 2010

MP3 Audio: The School for Husbands

Lead funding for this production is provided by the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.

The great French playwright Moli�re wrote often about jealousy and its disastrous effect on our relationships. Of his so-called jealousy plays, few were as widely-performed in Moli�re's lifetime as The School for Husbands. Brian Bedford stars as Sganarelle, the pompous, controlling guardian of his young ward, Isabelle. Sganarelle has raised Isabelle to be his perfect and obedient wife. But when Isabelle falls for the dashing young Valere, she must find a way to turn Sganarelle into an unwitting foil for her true love.

Part One of Two.

The School for Husbands by Moli�re. Translated by Richard Wilbur. Starring Brian Bedford as Sganarelle, with Emily Bergl, Dakin Matthews, Juliet Mills, Christopher Neame, Lloyd Owen, Alan Shearman, Rhashan Stone, and Olivia Williams. Directed by Rosalind Ayres.

Original music by Laura Karpman for Art Farm West.

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Molière Part Two: The Imaginary Cuckold

July 16, 2010

MP3 Audio: The Imaginary Cuckold

Lead funding for this production is provided by the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.

Jealous husbands, clever wives, and double-dealings: they've been a staple of comedies from the Greeks to the present day. And of all the comic playwrights in history, few have been as influential and controversial as Moli�re. Two of his greatest works, Tartuffe and The School for Wives, were the subjects of considerable scandal in their time.

Prior to those plays, Moli�re cut his teeth on a series of shorter comedies about the frailties of the human condition, including The School for Husbands and our story this week: The Imaginary Cuckold. Brian Bedford stars in this quick-witted farce about marital insecurity and infidelity in the French countryside.

Includes interviews with star Brian Bedford and translator Richard Wilbur.

To watch the entire Richard Wilbur interview, and to view an exclusive in-performance reading by L.A. Theatre Works, please visit the WNYC Greene Space Web site.

Part Two of Two.

The Imaginary Cuckold by Moli�re. Translated by Richard Wilbur. Starring Brian Bedford as Sganarelle, with Dakin Matthews, Christopher Neame, Moira Quirk, Darren Richardson, Carolyn Seymour, Alan Shearman, and Joane Whalley. Directed by Rosalind Ayres.

Original music by Laura Karpman for Art Farm West.

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Molière Web Bonus: Brian Bedford Interview

July 16, 2010

MP3 Audio: Brian Bedford Interview

Lead funding for this production is provided by the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.

Brian Bedford is considered the greatest English-speaking interpreter of the French playwright Moli�re. Bedford has earned critical praise on Broadway for his work in Moli�re's best-known comedies: The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, The School for Husbands, and The Imaginary Cuckold. Bedford won a Tony award in 1971 for his role in Moli�re's The School for Wives. He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1997, in recognition of his distinguished work spanning half a century in the theater. He spoke with L.A. Theatre Works in February 2010.

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