Kudisch, Erbe, Riedel, Williams and More Join Oleanna Talkbacks

By Adam Hetrick
29 Sep 2009

Talk show host Montel Williams, Tony nominee Marc Kudisch and former NY Knicks senior vice president Anucha Browne Sanders are among the latest panelists who will appear at the "Take a Side" talkbacks at Broadway previews of Oleanna.



The 20-30-minute post-performance discussions follow each preview performance of the David Mamet play that has sparked heated debate since its 1992 premiere. The "Take a Side" talkbacks will run through Oct. 10.

Oleanna, which debuted Off-Broadway just as the infamous Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas sexual harassment hearings got underway, will welcome a series of special guests with ties to the plays themes. Anucha Browne Sanders, who made headlines in 2007 when she won an $11.5 million sexual harassment suit against Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas, is among the latest talkback participants announced.

Newly-added panelists include Tony nominees Kudisch and Kathryn Erbe, as well as talk show host Montel Williams, theatre columnist Michael Riedel, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs Kate D. Levin and attorney Ned H. Bassen.

Previously announced participants include former New York City Mayor David Dinkins; as well as NYC Deputy Mayor of Education and Community Development Dennis Walcott; Fox News Channel legal analyst Lis Wiehl; discrimination and harassment attorney Anne C. Vladeck; Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts Mary Schmidt Campbell; "Lies My Mother Never Told Me" author Kaylie Jones; employment law firm partner Wayne N. Outten; harassment and dispute resolution attorney Kathleen M. McKenna; NYU professor Mitchell Moss; and NYU/Tisch associate arts professor Laurence Maslon.

Judith Kaye, JD (president of Judith Kaye Training & Consulting) and Cynthia Tornquist (president of Tornquist Productions LLC and former CNN correspondent) will moderate the discussions.

Oleanna, which stars Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman, begins previews on Broadway Sept. 29 and will officially open Oct. 11 at the John Golden Theatre under the direction of Doug Hughes.

Mamet's play centers around an intimidating college professor and a young student who comes seeking help in his class. The two struggle for power and control of the situation, which culminates in a moment that has left audiences talking long after the curtain comes down for almost two decades.

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