"Einstein & Anderson": Adapting History for the Stage

Playwright Deborah Brevoort, director Sheldon Epps and members of the cast discuss their collaboration on the upcoming "My Lord, What a Night," about the night Albert Einstein met Marian Anderson. 

About the play: Princeton, 1937. When world-famous contralto Marian Anderson is turned away from a hotel because of her race, she finds an unexpected host in Albert Einstein. What begins as a simple act of hospitality grows into a unique friendship between two brilliant minds—one that will resonate through history. Based on true events, "My Lord, What a Night" offers an intimate look at the meeting of these two icons and the events that ignited Anderson’s legendary performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 

About the Speakers: 

Deborah Brevoort is a playwright and librettist from Alaska who now lives in the New York area.  She is an alumna of New Dramatists, one of the original company members of Alaska’s Perseverance Theatre, a member of the playwright’s collective at Florida Studio Theatre and a co-founder of Theatre Without Borders, dedicated to international theater exchange. 

Deborah is best known for her plays "The Women of Lockerbie," which is produced internationally, "Blue Moon Over Memphis," a Noh Drama about Elvis Presley and "My Lord, What a Night," about the friendship between Marian Anderson and Albert Einstein.

Sheldon Epps is a renowned American theater and television director, best known as the artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse for 20 years. A Carnegie Mellon graduate, he directed acclaimed Broadway musicals, including the Tony-nominated "Play On!" and "Blues in the Night." Epps has also directed TV hits such as "Frasier" and "Friends," and is widely recognized for his commitment to expanding opportunities for artists of color and bringing diverse stories to the stage.

See the play at George Street Playhouse from April 28 – May 17  

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