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Helena Modjeska (Poland/US):
Commemorating a 19th century American Theatre Icon
Helena Modjeska
Join us on the 100th Anniversary of the death of the famous Polish-American actress Helena Modjeska (Modrzejewska). Distinguished scholars and Modjeska specialists Prof. Andrzej Zurowski of the Pomeranian Academy in Slupsk, Poland, and Prof. Beth Holmgren of Duke University will explore the life and work of the actress in a discussion moderated by Prof. Daniel Gerould of the CUNY Graduate Center. As a celebrity figure, a great beauty, a role model for young American women, and a political activist, Modjeska’s fame and impact extended well beyond her status as a Shakespearean actress and partner to Edwin Booth in Macbeth and Othello.
Beth Holmgren
Courtesy of the Author
Prof. Beth Holmgren is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies at Duke University. She holds the Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University. She is currently writing a book analyzing the binational public life and professional achievements of Helena Modrzejewska/Modjeska; titled On Tour with Madame Modjeska: Polish Actress, American Star, this monograph is fothcoming with Indiana University Press in early 2010.
Andrzej Żurowski
Courtesy of the Author
Prof. Andrzej Żurowski is Director of the Polish Studies Institute at Pomeranian University in Słupsk, Poland. He received his doctorate and his habilitation in Polish Studies from the University of Gdansk, and has worked for over three decades as a theatre critic, documentary film maker (for Polish Television), and dramaturg (for the Rhapsody Studio, the Baltic Opera and the Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk as well as the Music Theatre in Gdynia). Beginning in 1981 he served for twenty years as Vice-President of UNESCO International Association of Theatre Critics, and was named its honorary life Vice-President in 2001.
The evening is co-presented with the
Polish Cultural Institute in New York.
6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Martin E. Segal Theatre. Free!