Acclaimed playwright Guirgis to speak at APSU March 22

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – In 2011, playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis created a Broadway sensation when his new play, staring Chris Rock, debuted at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. It was the title, with its use of profanity, that caught most people’s attention. Here, we’ll simply refer to it as “The Mother with the Hat.”

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – In 2011, playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis created a Broadway sensation when his new play, staring Chris Rock, debuted at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. It was the title, with its use of profanity, that caught most people’s attention. Here, we’ll simply refer to it as “The Mother with the Hat.”

A Wall Street Journal review of the play said, “What makes ‘Hat’ more than just a foul-mouthed, fast-moving farce is that Mr. Guirgis’s real subject turns out to be moral relativism…Don’t let the stupid title put you off. If you do, you’ll miss one of the best new plays to come to Broadway in ages.”

At 2 p.m. on Friday, March 22, Guirgis will visit the Austin Peay State University Trahern Theater to talk with students and community members. This rare opportunity to meet with one of the theater world’s rising stars is free and open to the public. The talk is sponsored by the APSU Area of Theatre and Dance and the Roxy Regional Theater.

Guirgis is in town because the Roxy is presenting his Tony-nominated play, “The Mother with the Hat,” in its "theotherspace" venue March 20-23. Guirgis is also a screenwriter, director and actor. He’s appeared in movies such as Brad Pitt’s “Meet Joe Black” and the popular, long-running television series “Law & Order.” He is the author of nine plays.

For more information on his visit, contact the APSU Area of Theatre and Dance at 221-6767.