Topdog Diaries
Description
In this inside look at the creative process of a playwright, Suzan-Lori Parks spends two years struggling to produce her Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Topdog/Underdog. From her mentorship with the legendary James Baldwin to her marriage to blues musician Paul Oscher (who provided the music for this film), the program documents the creation of a dramatic piece, from initial inspiration to footage of the play in performance - which features Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) and Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America) in the leading roles. Parks discusses her characters, plot, and dialogue; the logistics of mounting the production; being a female writing male characters; and whether or not a play has to be about race just because the characters are African-American.
Runtime
55 min
Subjects
Genre
Date of Publication
[2013], c2002
Database
Films on Demand
Direct Link
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