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tony kushner was born
Tony L. Kushner was born in New York on July 16, 1956, to William Kushner and Sylvia Kushner. -
Place where Tony lived
Lake Charles, Louisiana (childhood)
New York City (for college and career)
Manhattan, New York (currently residing). -
Education
Attended Hunter College High School (New York City) and graduated in 1974. As an undergraduate Tony attended Columbia University he got a BA in English and American Literature, in 1978. Moscow Art Theatre (1984)
Julliard School (Playwriting program, 1984–1986). -
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AIDS
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the AIDS epidemic began to ravage the LGBTQ community, and it wasn't a good time because the LGBTQ was hated and seen differently. -
Tony came out as gay
In 1981, Tony called his mother on an East Village pay phone and told her that he was gay. This experience from Kushner's own life is also a scene in Angels in America, his most famous play. -
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Reagan Administration
The Reagan administration (1981-1989) shaped Tony Kushner's critiques of LGBTQ+ rights and American exceptionalism. His play Angels in America addresses the AIDS crisis and social inequality, reflecting his opposition to Reagan's policies. -
Angels in America
Angels in America is a two-part play set during the 1980s AIDS crisis, focusing on characters like Prior Walter, a gay man with AIDS, and his lover Louis. The play critiques Reagan-era policies and explores themes of identity, love, betrayal, and social justice, using magical realism to address LGBTQ+ issues and political corruption. -
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Tony Kushner won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play "Angels in America" which explored complex themes like the AIDS epidemic, politics, and personal identity during the 1980s. -
Awards for Angels in America
Tony Award for Best Play (1993)
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play (1993)
Evening Standard Award (1993) -
The Last Yankee
Tony Kushner helped present a three-volume boxed set of Arthur Miller's collected plays, which includes The Last Yankee. The Last Yankee is a play about two husbands who meet in the waiting room of a psychiatric hospital where their wives are patients -
The Illusion
A father's attempt to find his estranged son raises the curtain on a world of theatrical magic, outrageous humor, and true, complicated love. -
A Bright Room Called Day
“A Bright Room Called Day” is the haunting story of a group of artists struggling to preserve themselves in 1930s Berlin -
Homebody/Kabul
Homebody/Kabul (2001) follows a London housewife whose fascination with Afghanistan leads to her disappearance. The play explores her family's search for her and their entanglement in Afghanistan’s war-torn culture. It’s praised for its emotional depth -
9/11
Tony Kushner was deeply affected by 9/11, criticizing the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His play Homebody/Kabul gained new meaning after the attacks, and he became more vocal in opposing government actions and defending civil liberties. -
Caroline, or Change
aroline, or Change is a musical set in 1963 Louisiana, about Caroline, an African American maid working for a Jewish family. It explores themes of race, class, and social change as Caroline grapples with her life’s limitations and desires for change during the Civil Rights Movement. -
Tony Award for Best Musical
Caroline, or Change did not win the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical -
The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide (2007) is a family drama about Gus, a retired longshoreman struggling with his Marxist ideals and contemplating suicide, exploring themes of family, politics, and disillusionment. -
Nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play
"The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures" did not win the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play in 2007 -
Economic crash
The 2007-2008 crash deepened Tony Kushner's criticism of capitalism and inequality, influencing his views on greed and government failure. His work, like The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide, reflected his disillusionment with the financial system. -
Marriage
Tony married Mark Harris in 2008, and they have a Daughter Oona Kushner Harris born in 2016. -
Chicago Tribune Literary Prize for lifetime achievement
Angels in America, will receive the 2009 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize for lifetime achievement -
fun fact about Angels in America
In 1996, members of the Charlotte, North Carolina, community protested against Charlotte Repertory Theatre’s production of Angels in America due to a scene that included homosexual nudity. -
Links
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tony-Kushner
https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2022/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-angels-america#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20was%20all%20a%20dream,and%20the%20rest%20is%20history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_rzQsiXNIE
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/16/angels-in-america-brilliant-maddening-and-necessary
https://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/tony-kushner -
Awards
Pulitzer Prize for Drama, an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, an Olivier Award, two Oscar nominations, an Arts Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Spirit of Justice Award from the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, a Chicago Tribune Literary Prize for lifetime achievement, the 2012 National Medal of Arts, the 2015 Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater Award