BOOK TALK: The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical with Warren Hoffman

Wednesday, December 9th at 7:00PM

Co-presented by Theater J and Olney Theatre Center

Broadway musicals are one of America’s most beloved art forms and play to millions of people each year. But what do these shows, which are often thought to be just frothy entertainment, really have to say about our country and who we are as a nation? In The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical, author Warren Hoffman investigates the thematic content of the Broadway musical and considers how musicals work on a structural level, allowing them to simultaneously present and hide their racial agendas in plain view of their audiences. While the musical is informed by the cultural contributions of African Americans and Jewish immigrants, Hoffman argues that ultimately the history of the American musical is the history of white identity in the United States.

Join Hoffman and Theater J Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr for this stimulating conversation, filled with new and surprising takes on shows from the American Musical Canon. Olney Theatre Center Associate Artistic Director Christopher Youstra will introduce the event.

About Hoffman: Warren currently serves as the Executive Director for the Association for Jewish Studies in New York where he leads the largest membership organization of Jewish Studies scholars, teachers, and students in the world.

He brings over 15 years of experience in the Jewish, arts, academic, and nonprofit sectors. He served as the literary manager and dramaturg for Philadelphia Theatre Company where he dramaturged world premieres by Bill Irwin, Chris Durang, and Terrence McNally. In New York, Warren was the Associate Artistic Director of Jewish Repertory Theatre where he produced and dramaturged a season of Jewish musicals in concert.

In addition to working in the theater community, Warren holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of California-Santa Cruz and has taught at multiple universities. His works include the acclaimed The Passing Game: Queering Jewish American Culture, published by Syracuse University Press, and the plays The Last and The Black Slot.

Special Offer: Order The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical directly from the publisher for 30% off  PLUS free shipping with the code 02AAAA17 at https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart2/Cart?PRESS=rutgers&ISBN=9781978807112