Philip Roth Unbound Festival Announced

 

A towering voice in American letters for more than half a century, novelist Philip Roth delighted, entertained and provoked readers with his complex portraits of characters chafing against the constraints of expectation and convention. Over the course of this three-day festival in Roth’s hometown of Newark, NJ, on what would have been his 90th birthday, we’ll investigate the significance and impact of the celebrated writer’s unique literary legacy and use his work as a springboard to examine the questions it raises about art and life in 21st-century America. Featuring over 40 of today’s most accomplished actors, artists and writers, the weekend will include readings, performances, conversations, comedy and controversy. Highlights include a fully-cast, dramatic reading of Roth’s national bestseller The Plot Against America; a preview of John Turturro and Ariel Levy’s stage adaptation of Roth’s National Book Award-winning novel Sabbath’s Theater; and a number of spirited public debates and discussions on some of most pressing issues facing the arts today. Tickets start as low as $10! For full event details, visit rothunbound.org.  on sale now!  Fri, Mar 17 @ 7PM Dramatic readings of Philip Roth’s “‘I Always Wanted You to Admire My Fasting’; or, Looking at Kafka” and “The Ruthless Intimacy of Fiction,” by Philip Roth.   buy tickets Fri, Mar 17 @ 9PM This literary showcase features Newark storytellers, including the teenage authors of the “Your Newark Story” writing contest. Featuring playwrights Chisa Hutchinson, Richard Wesley and others to be announced.   buy tickets Sat, Mar 18 @ 10AM Sun, Mar 19 @ 10AM Visit real and fictional settings from Philip Roth’s books and his own life on this bus tour, which includes a literary reading at each stop.   buy tickets Sat, Mar 18 @ 10AM A provocative panel discussion on the cathartic power of discomfort. Participants include novelists Ayad Akhtar, Susan Choi, Ottessa Moshfegh and Gary Shteyngart.   buy tickets Sat, Mar 18 @ 1PM A dramatic reading by actor Morgan Spector (HBO’s The Gilded Age) of one of Roth’s earliest and boldest stories, published to acclaim and outrage in 1959.   buy tickets Sat, Mar 18 @ 3:30PM Using Roth’s The Human Stain as a springboard, panelists will debate the ethics of representation and identity in fiction. Participants include authors Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Lauren Michele Jackson and others to be announced.   buy tickets Sat, Mar 18 @ 7PM An intimate panel featuring fellow writers and longtime friends of Philip Roth reflecting on their relationships with the legendary writer.   buy tickets Sat, Mar 18 @ 8PM Jewish delicacies are included at this night of stand-up comedy, kibitzing and readings of Philip Roth’s work at Hobby’s Delicatessen. Participants include comedian Eddie Brill and others to be announced.   buy tickets Sun, Mar 19 @ 10AM This panel discussion will explore the fragility of history and freedom, inspired by Philip Roth's novels. Panelists include author Joshua Cohen, Professor Sean Wilentz and others to be announced.   buy tickets Sun, Mar 19 @ 1PM A staged reading of The Plot Against America, Philip Roth’s timeless and timely masterwork. Featuring S. Epatha Merkerson, Marjan Neshat, Deirdre O’Connell, Mary-Louise Parker, John Douglas Thompson and others to be announced.   buy tickets Sun, Mar 19 @ 6:30PM A sneak preview of John Turturro and Ariel Levy’s stage adaptation of Sabbath’s Theater featuring Turturro and actor Jason Kravits. Plus a post-performance conversation with Turturro and Levy, and pre-performance cocktails, cake and live music to celebrate what would have been Roth’s 90th birthday.   buy tickets  free events  Fri, Mar 17 @ 9AM – 5PM ​​​​​​Sat, Mar 18 @ 9AM – 5PM Sun, Mar 19 @ 10AM – 1PM Take an intimate look into Philip Roth's mind as both reader and writer on this exclusive audio tour of the Philip Roth Personal Library at Newark Public Library. Narrated by actor Morgan Spector.   learn more Fri, Mar 17 @ 4PM Explore the writers and thinkers who influenced Philip Roth in this free panel discussion at Newark Public Library. Panelists include Claudia Roth Pierpont, Sean Wilentz, and Steven Zipperstein.   learn more Philip Roth Unbound is produced by New Jersey Performing Arts Center and co-produced by Newark Public Library Trustee Rosemary Steinbaum and publishing and media executive Cary Goldstein. James Shapiro, the Larry Miller Professor of English at Columbia and Shakespeare Scholar in Residence at the Public Theater, serves as Literary Advisor to the festival, with additional curation from Bernard Schwartz, Director of the Unterberg Poetry Center at the 92nd Street Y, New York. The festival is supported by Sharon and Jon Corzine, The M & T Weiner Foundation and Judith Lieberman.