Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Congress Keynote Conversation: Anna Deavere Smith with Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean

Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 7:30pm
Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut

Pay what you can

The Long Wharf Theatre’s Artistic Congress will feature an extraordinary Keynote Conversation with the acclaimed Anna Deavere Smith, the 2024–2025 Artist in Residence at Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts, and Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean, Wesleyan’s Rob Rosenthal Distinguished Professor of Civic Engagement and Executive Director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, and renowned host of CT Public’s “Disrupted.”

Anna Deavere Smith, celebrated for her transformative one-woman shows like Twilight: Los Angeles and Fires in the Mirror, is an artist, playwright, and activist who brings untold stories to the stage with unparalleled depth and humanity. You may also recognize her from roles in The West Wing and Nurse Jackie. Khalilah Brown-Dean, an expert in political science and host of “Disrupted” on CT Public, brings her keen insights on race, democracy, and social justice to the conversation. Together, they’ll delve into storytelling’s power to inspire change, challenge perspectives, and ignite action. Don’t miss this chance to witness two influential voices shaping the national discourse. Get ready to be inspired and empowered.

The 90-minute conversation will start at 7:30pm. The venue opens at 6pm. The comfortable foyers and bars will have food and drinks available. The venue will try to accommodate latecomers wherever possible. Recommended for ages 13 and up.

In partnership with Yale Schwarzman Center, the Long Wharf Theatre’s Artistic Congress is a weekend dedicated to exploring why theater is essential to a thriving democracy. The conference-style event will feature artists, scholars, and community members coming together to discuss the powerful connection between creativity and civic engagement. The weekend begins with an artistic opening and breaking of bread, followed by interactive sessions on how artistic practices build bridges in civic spaces, elevate community stories, and inspire positive change. Through dialogue and collaboration, they will examine how theater humanizes and serves as a tool for social progress, particularly in this pivotal time for our democracy. 

RELATED EVENTS

Anna Deavere Smith: This Ghost of Slavery
Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 3pm
Crowell Concert Hall
$20 general public; $15 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $8 Wesleyan students, youth under 18.

Renowned playwright, actor, and educator Anna Deavere Smith, the Center for the Arts artist in residence for 2024-2025, presents a staged reading of This Ghost of Slavery: A Play of Past and Present, which was published in The Atlantic in 2023. Co-produced with the Long Wharf Theatre. Co-sponsored by Wesleyan’s Center for the Humanities. Presented as part of the University initiative Democracy 2024 (www.wesleyan.edu/d2024).

Anna Deavere Smith in conversation with Joshua Lubin-Levy: “If the theater is not the place, where?”
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 6pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
Free admission.

Anna Deavere Smith, the 2024–2025 Artist in Residence at Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts (CFA), will be in conversation with Joshua Lubin-Levy '06, Director of the CFA. Their conversation “If the theater is not the place, where?” will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. Presented as part of the Wesleyan Center for the Humanities fall Monday Night Lecture Series “Dead Reckonings.”