Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen Institute
Theater in Extremis: Waiting for Godot in New Orleans and Antigone in the World
Note: This is a past event, additional resources may be available below.
Wendell Pierce is best known for his roles as Bunk and Antoine Batiste on HBO’s “The Wire” and “Treme.” He is also an advocate for art’s ability to revitalize struggling communities, a belief he put to the test in 2007 when he joined forces with New York’s Creative Time to stage a production of Waiting for Godot in areas of New Orleans that had been hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. Pierce recounts that incredible story and his life in the arts in his new memoir “The Wind in the Reeds.”
Acclaimed director and producer Gregory Mosher (Six Degrees of Separation, Hurly Burly, Sarafina!) will join the conversation to share stories of his recent, similarly unorthodox production Antigone in the World. Mosher tooks Sophocles’s classic tragedy off the stage and directly into overlooked communities in Kenya and South Africa, producing free performances in places like a Kibera girl’s school or a Johannesburg prison. Joining them will be the remarkable young star of the play, Phumzile Sitole.
Time: 6:30
Wendell Pierce is best known for his roles as Bunk and Antoine Batiste on HBO’s “The Wire” and “Treme.” He is also an advocate for art’s ability to revitalize struggling communities, a belief he put to the test in 2007 when he joined forces with New York’s Creative Time to stage a production of Waiting for Godot in areas of New Orleans that had been hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. Pierce recounts that incredible story and his life in the arts in his new memoir “The Wind in the Reeds.”
In an era of endless content and institutional mistrust, the political media landscape of 2024 represents fraught terrain for news consumers. Social platforms are hijacked by trolls while propaganda has become weaponized by political parties and foreign adversaries alike. How do we ensure a healthier media ecosystem that promotes more productive discourse?
In this public lecture, Lee McIntyre will address the question “What is the appropriate response when confronted with evidence in favor of a theory one does not want to believe?”
