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Pulitzer-winning Playwright Tony Kushner to Speak at Duke

"Angels in America" author will deliver Crown Lecture in Ethics March 18

Playwright Tony Kushner will speak at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, in the Fleishman Commons. The talk is free and open to the public.

Kushner, the author of “Angels in America,” will deliver the 2015 Crown Lecture in Ethics, “A Conversation About Art and Politics,” in discussion with professor Philip Bennett, director of Duke’s DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy.

Kushner's plays give voice to the powerless and marginalized, such as a drag queen dying of AIDS, an uneducated Southern maid and contemporary Afghans. He has written two screenplays for Steven Spielberg, “Munich” and “Lincoln.” The latter was nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2013, he received the National Medal of Arts. Kushner has also won a Pulitzer Prize, two Tony Awards, an Emmy and numerous other awards for his work. 

“Tony Kushner has woven politics into his art and brought the clarifying language of poetry to politics,” Bennett said. "As a provocateur, social critic and moral conscience he’s been an evangelist not just for progressive causes, but for the cause of American democracy. A powerful call for active citizenship runs through his work."

Bennett is the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke. Previously, he was managing editor of "FRONTLINE," the PBS public affairs documentary program, and managing editor of The Washington Post.

The Crown Lecture in Ethics, named for benefactor Lester Crown, brings speakers to Duke to explore ethical issues across all disciplines. Previous Crown lecturers include Rwandan humanitarian Paul Rusesabagina, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and conservationist Jared Diamond, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Jody Williams and award-winning science writer Rebecca Skloot.

Event parking is available in the Sanford School of Public Policy parking Lot. Tickets are not required, however, seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.