As Sondheim's final musical production, "Here We Are," inspired by two Buñuel films, premieres in New York, a series of screening and discussion events are planned at NYU’s King Juan Carlos Center and the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.
Stephen Sondheim's final musical production, "Here We Are," inspired by two Buñuel films, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel, will have its world premiere in New York City at The Shed this month (previews start on Sept. 28, with the official opening night Oct. 22) and will run for 15 weeks only. On this occasion NYU’s King Juan Carlos Center (KJCC), the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and the Luis Buñuel Film Institute have partnered in a series of events called “Buñuel NYC Takeover” to celebrate the life and pioneering vision of these two iconic artists.
The first round of events will take place in September with a series of screenings and a public event:
· Screenings at KJCC (Auditorium, 53 Washington Square South, New York, N.Y.):
Friday, Sept, 15, at 7 p.m.: The Exterminating Angel (1962, 1h 35m) by Luis Buñuel
Saturday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, 1h 42m) by Luis Buñuel.
These two films will be introduced by Mario Rufer, Fall 2023 KJCC Visiting Professor and holder of the Andrés Bello Chair in Latin American Cultures, and Juan Manuel Avila, KJCC Public Humanities Doctoral Fellow. (Free and Open to the Public.)
· Public event at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, New York, N.Y.): The Films of Luis Buñuel: Robert McKee in conversation with Joe Vinciguerra:
Monday, Sept. 18, 2-4 p.m.: Robert McKee and Joe Vinciguerra will discuss the enduring relevance of the films of Luis Buñuel. They will focus on the two films from the new Sondheim musical Here We Are: "The Exterminating Angel" and "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise."
Robert McKee, a Fulbright scholar, is the most sought-after screenwriting lecturer around the globe. He has dedicated the last 30 years to educating and mentoring screenwriters, novelists, playwrights, poets, documentary makers, producers, and directors internationally. Those who have learned from McKee have called him “the Aristotle of our time” because of his insight into the substance, structure, style, and principles of the grand art of story.
Peter Jackson (writer/director of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit) has lauded him as “The Guru of Gurus.” For the writers of Pixar (creators of Toy Story 1, 2, & 3, Finding Nemo), McKee’s STORY Seminar is a rite of passage. Emmy Award-Winner Brian Cox also portrayed McKee in the Oscar-nominated film Adaptation.
McKee’s former students include over 60 Academy Award Winners, 200 Academy Award Nominees, 200 Emmy Award Winners, 1000 Emmy Award Nominees, 100 WGA (Writers Guild of America) Award Winners, 250 WGA Award Nominees, and 50 DGA (Directors Guild of America) Award Winners, 100 DGA Award Nominees.
A Buñuel fan, Joe Vinciguerra is the Chair of the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He co-wrote the film Mall (2014 Paragon Pictures), an adaptation of Eric Bogosian's novel of the same name, directed by Joe Hahn. He co-wrote the film Don't Go In The Woods (2011 Tribeca Films) directed by Vincent D'Onofrio. He has written and developed feature films for Relativity Media, New Line Cinema, Conde Naste Entertainment, Splendid Pictures, Palm Pictures, Industry Entertainment and Tony Kaye Films. Vinciguerra is currently developing a half hour comedy pilot with executive producer Charlie Gogolak, and a feature film with director Lance Acord and producer Sam Bisbee for Park Pictures. He is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America. (Free and Open to the Public.) Get free tickets in advance.
This series of events was organized with the support of the NYU Center for American and Caribbean Studies.
Source : NYU.edu