SPACE Redefining our surroundings. Questioning definitions of shelter Moshe Moshe Safdie.
The Architecture of a Hit Comedy: Safdie’s ‘Private …...Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. But...
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C olumbia U niversity RECORD December 19, 2003 3 PHOTO BY CAROL ROSEGG “Private Jokes, Public Places” Cast: Anthony Rapp, Geoffrey Wade, M.J. Kang and Sebastian Roché. The Architecture of a Hit Comedy: Safdie’s ‘Private Jokes, Public Places’ O ren Safdie intended to follow in the footsteps of his father, noted Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. But during his last semester at Graduate School for Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP ’90), he took an elective course in playwriting and ended up building a different sort of structure—a critically acclaimed one-act play about architecture and academia now playing Off- Broadway. Private Jokes, Public Places, which debuted in Los Angeles and then played Off-Off Broadway at La MaMa last spring, is now run- ning, appropriately enough, at the Theater at the Center for Architec- ture in Greenwich Village. The comedy tells the story of Margaret, a Korean-American architecture student, played by Safdie’s wife, M.J. Kang, who is defending her thesis project—a public swimming pool—before two prominent white architects and a professor/mentor. Margaret faces two judges with vastly dif- ferent approaches to architecture who criticize her mercilessly while battling each other. Anthony Rapp, best known for his Obie Award-winning role in the origi- nal cast of Rent, plays her teacher in the play, directed by Maria Mileaf. The New York Times praised Safdie’s “verbal acrobat- ics” in his “bright comedy derid- ing empty-headed pretensions among celebrities of structure.” “The fact that it is a female stu- dent presenting to three males def- initely brings up issues of sexual politics as well as race,” said Safdie. “But I was more interested in creating tension and a real chal- lenge to Margaret—the character. Here she is in their world, yet she is able to rise above the fray and stand up for herself. More than gender, this play is about standing up for one’s own beliefs.” Safdie teamed up with Steven Chaikelson, the current theater arts chair at the School of the Arts (CC ’89, Law ’92, SOA ’93) and Brannon Wiles, who produced the play in its current incarnation. Among Chaikelson and Wiles’ other projects were A Moon for the Misbegotten and Fool Moon on Broadway. “Oren came to Columbia and didn’t hide out at the School of Architecture,” said Chaikelson. “He took advantage of the best that Columbia has to offer: the opportunity to work with the best and the brightest faculty and stu- dents both in his chosen concen- tration and in other areas of inter- est, as well as having access to the tremendous resources of New York City. “I don’t have a background in architecture, and yet when I first read Private Jokes on the subway I found myself laughing out loud,” Chaikelson continued. “It’s about so much more than architec- ture. In particular, I think it is rel- evant to anyone involved with academia.” After getting his degree in architecture, Safdie went on to study playwriting at Columbia’s School of the Arts (SOA, ’92) with such writers as Bob Montgomery, Romulus Linney, Austin Flint and Eduardo Macha- do. He also started a small theater company, the West End Gate The- ater Bar. “It was the best thing I did dur- ing that time. Every three weeks we put on a show of student work, and had some pretty great people get their first shot there,” Safdie said. “Amanda Peet got her first acting job there. Ethan Hawke, Cara Buono, Nick Sandow and many others worked there.” Safdie has also written several other plays, including Jews & Jesus and Laughing Dogs, and a film script, You Can Thank Me Later. Private Jokes, Public Places currently is playing at the The- ater at the Center for Architec- ture, 536 LaGuardia Place, in Greenwich Village. For details or tickets visit www.private- jokes.com or call 212-239-6200. BY KRISTIN STERLING BY KRISTIN STERLING A Musical Odyssey: Student’s Work Premieres in France On Dec. 19, when most Colum- bia students will be completing final exams and heading home for the holiday break, Marcelo Toledo, GSAS ’04, will be at the Pompi- dou Center in Paris, where one of Europe’s foremost new-music groups will perform his disserta- tion piece—a composition for chamber orchestra, at its world premiere. In 2000, while Toledo was working on his dissertation he applied to a competition organized by the Institute of Research and Coordination in Acoustics— Music (IRCAM) and the Ensem- ble Intercontemporain in Paris, both founded by French composer Pierre Boulez. Toledo’s work was selected from more than 500 entries. “The competition is highly com- petitive and is a great opportunity to have a new composition per- formed in France by one of the most important contemporary music ensembles,” Toledo said. The Ensemble Intercontempo- rain’s virtuoso players work together with IRCAM, a unique cultural and educational institution devoted to the expansion of tech- nology and music through a close collaboration between researchers and composers. A graduate music composition student from Argentina, Toledo titled the piece Para el encuentro en los abismos after a line from a poem by the Argentine poet Juan L. Ortiz. “I consider Ortiz the poet of the ethereal, of the almost imperceptible—a poet who ex- plored like no one else the transito- ry, yet eternal aspect of things,” he said. Describing his musical style, Toledo said that it is “an explo- ration/journey into a world of com- plex sounds and noises produced on selected traditional instruments —a river of several layers of sounds, each one with its own speed, process, texture and density generating a more complex matter in permanent transformation. “What is unusual about this composition,” he continued, “is the almost complete absence of definite pitch as we know it in tra- ditional music. In fact a number of my recent compositions have been engendered by the assumption that in order to create a coherent, expressive and well-structured piece of music, it is not essential to work with pitch-oriented sounds.” It took Toledo six months to cre- ate the work, which is crafted for 24 musicians. He dedicated the composition to his wife, Laura, and the world premiere to the memory of Edward Said, described by Tole- do as a “vital, indispensable mind and spirit in a time of cruelty, chaos and nonsense.” AP’s Kathleen Carroll Elected to Pulitzer Board Kathleen Carroll, the executive editor and a senior vice president of the Associated Press (AP), has been elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board. Carroll has served as executive editor for AP since 2002 and as senior vice president since Sep- tember 2003. Before joining the news organization 25 years ago, she studied journalism at the Uni- versity of Texas at Arlington and worked as a reporter for The Dal- las Morning News. The Dallas bureau of AP first hired Carroll in 1978. She quickly rose through the ranks, being pro- moted to news editor of the Newark, N.J., bureau in 1981; in 1982, she became city editor and then assistant chief of the Los Angeles bureau. For the next several years, Carroll worked first as a business editor for The International Her- ald Tribune in Paris and then as an editor for the San Jose Mer- cury News. She returned to AP for a time in 1990 as a Washington, D.C., bureau news editor until Knight Ridder hired her as Washington bureau news editor in 1996. She became Knight Ridder’s Wash- ington bureau chief in 1999, supervising both Washington and overseas coverage for the news- paper group. During that time, Knight Ridder reporters won a 2001 George Polk Award for international reporting. Carroll has been a member of the American Society of Newspa- per Editors since 1996 and has served on its Readership and Craft Development Committees. She also is a member of the Associated Press Managing Editors’ Board of Directors and the APME board’s executive committee. She joins the Pulitzer Board in the 88th year of the awards. The 2004 Pulitzer Prizes will be announced on April 5 and pre- sented on May 24 at Columbia University. Columbia awards the prizes after their determina- tion by the Pulitzer board. Members of the board serve a maximum of nine years. For more information, visit the Pulitzer Prize Web site at www.pulitzer.org. BY CAROLINE LADHANI Kathleen Carroll ‘This play is about standing up for one’s beliefs.’ —Oren Safdie PHOTO COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
Transcript of The Architecture of a Hit Comedy: Safdie’s ‘Private …...Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. But...
C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y RECORD December 19, 2003 3
PHOTO BY CAROL ROSEGG
“Private Jokes, Public Places” Cast: Anthony Rapp, Geoffrey Wade, M.J. Kang and Sebastian Roché.
The Architecture of a Hit Comedy: Safdie’s ‘Private Jokes, Public Places’
Oren Safdie intended tofollow in the footstepsof his father, noted
Canadian architect Moshe Safdie.But during his last semester atGraduate School for Architecture,Planning and Preservation(GSAPP ’90), he took an electivecourse in playwriting and endedup building a different sort ofstructure—a critically acclaimedone-act play about architectureand academia now playing Off-Broadway.
Private Jokes, Public Places,which debuted in Los Angeles andthen played Off-Off Broadway atLa MaMa last spring, is now run-ning, appropriately enough, at theTheater at the Center for Architec-ture in Greenwich Village.
The comedy tells the story ofMargaret, a Korean-Americanarchitecture student, played bySafdie’s wife, M.J. Kang, who isdefending her thesis project—apublic swimming pool—beforetwo prominent white architectsand a professor/mentor. Margaretfaces two judges with vastly dif-ferent approaches to architecturewho criticize her mercilesslywhile battling each other. AnthonyRapp, best known for his ObieAward-winning role in the origi-nal cast of Rent, plays her teacherin the play, directed by MariaMileaf. The New York Timespraised Safdie’s “verbal acrobat-ics” in his “bright comedy derid-ing empty-headed pretensionsamong celebrities of structure.”
“The fact that it is a female stu-dent presenting to three males def-initely brings up issues of sexual
politics as well as race,” saidSafdie. “But I was more interestedin creating tension and a real chal-lenge to Margaret—the character.Here she is in their world, yet sheis able to rise above the fray andstand up for herself. More thangender, this play is about standingup for one’s own beliefs.”
Safdie teamed up with StevenChaikelson, the current theaterarts chair at the School of the Arts(CC ’89, Law ’92, SOA ’93) andBrannon Wiles, who produced theplay in its current incarnation.Among Chaikelson and Wiles’other projects were A Moon forthe Misbegotten and Fool Moonon Broadway.
“Oren came to Columbia anddidn’t hide out at the School ofArchitecture,” said Chaikelson.“He took advantage of the bestthat Columbia has to offer: theopportunity to work with the bestand the brightest faculty and stu-dents both in his chosen concen-tration and in other areas of inter-est, as well as having access to thetremendous resources of NewYork City.
“I don’t have a background in
architecture, and yet when I firstread Private Jokes on the subwayI found myself laughing outloud,” Chaikelson continued. “It’sabout so much more than architec-ture. In particular, I think it is rel-evant to anyone involved withacademia.”
After getting his degree inarchitecture, Safdie went on tostudy playwriting at Columbia’sSchool of the Arts (SOA, ’92)with such writers as Bob
Montgomery, Romulus Linney,Austin Flint and Eduardo Macha-do. He also started a small theatercompany, the West End Gate The-ater Bar.
“It was the best thing I did dur-ing that time. Every three weekswe put on a show of student work,and had some pretty great peopleget their first shot there,” Safdiesaid. “Amanda Peet got her firstacting job there. Ethan Hawke,Cara Buono, Nick Sandow and
many others worked there.”Safdie has also written several
other plays, including Jews &Jesus and Laughing Dogs, and afilm script, You Can Thank MeLater.
Private Jokes, Public Placescurrently is playing at the The-ater at the Center for Architec-ture, 536 LaGuardia Place, inGreenwich Village. For detailsor tickets visit www.private-jokes.com or call 212-239-6200.
BY KRISTIN STERLING
BY KRISTIN STERLING
A Musical Odyssey: Student’sWork Premieres in France
On Dec. 19, when most Colum-bia students will be completingfinal exams and heading home forthe holiday break, Marcelo Toledo,GSAS ’04, will be at the Pompi-dou Center in Paris, where one ofEurope’s foremost new-musicgroups will perform his disserta-tion piece—a composition forchamber orchestra, at its worldpremiere.
In 2000, while Toledo wasworking on his dissertation heapplied to a competition organizedby the Institute of Research andCoordination in Acoustics—Music (IRCAM) and the Ensem-ble Intercontemporain in Paris,both founded by French composerPierre Boulez. Toledo’s work wasselected from more than 500entries.
“The competition is highly com-petitive and is a great opportunityto have a new composition per-formed in France by one of themost important contemporarymusic ensembles,” Toledo said.
The Ensemble Intercontempo-rain’s virtuoso players worktogether with IRCAM, a uniquecultural and educational institutiondevoted to the expansion of tech-nology and music through a closecollaboration between researchersand composers.
A graduate music composition
student from Argentina, Toledotitled the piece Para el encuentroen los abismos after a line from apoem by the Argentine poet JuanL. Ortiz. “I consider Ortiz the poetof the ethereal, of the almostimperceptible—a poet who ex-plored like no one else the transito-ry, yet eternal aspect of things,” hesaid.
Describing his musical style,Toledo said that it is “an explo-ration/journey into a world of com-plex sounds and noises producedon selected traditional instruments—a river of several layers ofsounds, each one with its ownspeed, process, texture and densitygenerating a more complex matterin permanent transformation.
“What is unusual about thiscomposition,” he continued, “isthe almost complete absence ofdefinite pitch as we know it in tra-ditional music. In fact a number ofmy recent compositions have beenengendered by the assumption thatin order to create a coherent,expressive and well-structuredpiece of music, it is not essential towork with pitch-oriented sounds.”
It took Toledo six months to cre-ate the work, which is crafted for24 musicians. He dedicated thecomposition to his wife, Laura, andthe world premiere to the memoryof Edward Said, described by Tole-do as a “vital, indispensable mindand spirit in a time of cruelty, chaosand nonsense.”
AP’s Kathleen Carroll Elected to Pulitzer Board
Kathleen Carroll, the executiveeditor and a senior vice presidentof the Associated Press (AP), hasbeen elected to the Pulitzer PrizeBoard.
Carroll has served as executiveeditor for AP since 2002 and assenior vice president since Sep-tember 2003. Before joining thenews organization 25 years ago,she studied journalism at the Uni-versity of Texas at Arlington andworked as a reporter for The Dal-las Morning News.
The Dallas bureau of AP firsthired Carroll in 1978. She quicklyrose through the ranks, being pro-moted to news editor of theNewark, N.J., bureau in 1981; in1982, she became city editor andthen assistant chief of the LosAngeles bureau.
For the next several years,Carroll worked first as a businesseditor for The International Her-ald Tribune in Paris and then asan editor for the San Jose Mer-cury News.
She returned to AP for a timein 1990 as a Washington, D.C.,bureau news editor until KnightRidder hired her as Washingtonbureau news editor in 1996. Shebecame Knight Ridder’s Wash-ington bureau chief in 1999,supervising both Washington andoverseas coverage for the news-
paper group. During that time,Knight Ridder reporters won a2001 George Polk Award forinternational reporting.
Carroll has been a member ofthe American Society of Newspa-per Editors since 1996 and hasserved on its Readership and CraftDevelopment Committees. Shealso is a member of the AssociatedPress Managing Editors’ Board ofDirectors and the APME board’sexecutive committee.
She joins the Pulitzer Boardin the 88th year of the awards.The 2004 Pulitzer Prizes will beannounced on April 5 and pre-sented on May 24 at ColumbiaUniversity. Columbia awardsthe prizes after their determina-tion by the Pulitzer board.Members of the board serve amaximum of nine years.
For more information, visitthe Pulitzer Prize Web site atwww.pulitzer.org.
BY CAROLINE LADHANI
Kathleen Carroll
‘This play isabout standing up for one’s beliefs.’
—Oren Safdie
PHOTO COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
