Noted author Claudia Rankine, whose award-winning book “Citizen: An American Lyric” is the focus of an upcoming lecture and stage production at the University of La Verne, won a $625,000 grant through the MacArthur Foundation, the organization announced Sept. 21.
The Genius Grant is awarded to enable recipients to exercise their own creative instincts for the benefit of human society. Fellows selected for 2016 include artists, playwrights, bioengineers and computer scientists.
“They are breaking new ground in areas of public concern, in the arts, and in the sciences, often in unexpected ways. Their creativity, dedication, and impact inspire us all,” wrote MacArthur Foundation President Julia Stasch on the organization’s website.
Rankine’s book is the inspiration for Stephen Sachs’ stage adaptation of the same title, which opens Oct. 20 at the university’s Dailey Theatre.
The production will be directed by award-winning international director and actress Shirley Jo Finney, who has directed at a number of regional theaters including the Pasadena Playhouse, LA Theater Works and the Sundance Theater Workshop. She is the winner of the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award, the LA Drama Critics Award and the NAACP best director award.
Rankine, whose book illuminates and explores racial tension in the United States, is scheduled to visit campus and discuss her book at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 in Morgan Auditorium. The book is the focus of the university’s One University, One Book program, in which all new students read the same book as part of a common learning experience.
The guest lecture and play are part of the university’s Lyceum performing and visual arts series. The inaugural season, created in celebration of the university’s 125th anniversary, features a rich and eclectic lineup of concerts, exhibitions and special guests.
What: The stage adaptation of “Citizen: An American Lyric” by Stephen Sachs and directed by Shirley Jo Finney.
When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20, 21, 22 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 23
Where: Dailey Theatre (near the corner of C and Second streets).
Cost: Free
Info: General, (909) 448-4386.
Subscribe to Lyceum, laverne.edu/lyceum or call (909) 448-4188.
