Artistic Statement
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Michael Gene Sullivan
Artistic Statement
From a letter from Paul Walsh, dramaturg of the Yale School of Drama:
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to introduce you to Michael Gene Sullivan, a man who should need no introduction. As a core company member of the San Francisco Mime Troupe since 1988 and principle playwright since 2000, Michael has been instrumental in the continued vibrancy of that world-renowned company. He has also performed internationally in plays that forward the cause of social and economic justice and political self-determination, contributing as actor, director, and writer to productions that have made him a shining example of an artist whose good will and dedicated concern for important issues has helped to shape the way audiences understand and respond to the world.
But it’s Michael Gene Sullivan the playwright that I want you to consider, and why I am writing to recommend that you read his plays. First of all let me say how surprised I continue to be that Michael’s adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 isn’t better known in this country. It’s smart, contemporary, and disturbingly relevant. It’s played in Australia, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America after premiering at the Actors’ Gang in Los Angeles in a production directed by Tim Robbins, and in 2013 it was produced at the Almeria Teatre in Barcelona in a Catalan translation by renowned novelist and playwright Lluis-Anton Baulenas.
Each of Michael’s plays — from Recipe to his most recent work fugitive/slave/act — is distinctive: direct, emotionally engaging, and also often very funny. And each speaks to the complexities of modern life with a lively sense of engagement that blends insight with artistry. These are plays that engage audiences by helping them think through their place in the world. I’ve found reading them rewarding and I have no doubt you will too.
fugitive/slave/act, above all, promises to be an important American play and one that deserves a place on every American stage. It’s historically acute and theatrically absorbing, and it examines issues that continue to plague the American psyche. As a playwright and as a tireless man of the theater, Michael Gene Sullivan deserves your attention.
Sincerely,
Paul Walsh
Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism Yale School of Drama
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to introduce you to Michael Gene Sullivan, a man who should need no introduction. As a core company member of the San Francisco Mime Troupe since 1988 and principle playwright since 2000, Michael has been instrumental in the continued vibrancy of that world-renowned company. He has also performed internationally in plays that forward the cause of social and economic justice and political self-determination, contributing as actor, director, and writer to productions that have made him a shining example of an artist whose good will and dedicated concern for important issues has helped to shape the way audiences understand and respond to the world.
But it’s Michael Gene Sullivan the playwright that I want you to consider, and why I am writing to recommend that you read his plays. First of all let me say how surprised I continue to be that Michael’s adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 isn’t better known in this country. It’s smart, contemporary, and disturbingly relevant. It’s played in Australia, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America after premiering at the Actors’ Gang in Los Angeles in a production directed by Tim Robbins, and in 2013 it was produced at the Almeria Teatre in Barcelona in a Catalan translation by renowned novelist and playwright Lluis-Anton Baulenas.
Each of Michael’s plays — from Recipe to his most recent work fugitive/slave/act — is distinctive: direct, emotionally engaging, and also often very funny. And each speaks to the complexities of modern life with a lively sense of engagement that blends insight with artistry. These are plays that engage audiences by helping them think through their place in the world. I’ve found reading them rewarding and I have no doubt you will too.
fugitive/slave/act, above all, promises to be an important American play and one that deserves a place on every American stage. It’s historically acute and theatrically absorbing, and it examines issues that continue to plague the American psyche. As a playwright and as a tireless man of the theater, Michael Gene Sullivan deserves your attention.
Sincerely,
Paul Walsh
Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism Yale School of Drama