Fornés Fest; A Festival of María Irene Fornés

Through her stage works and through her direct mentorship of young writers, María Irene Fornés. had an extraordinary influence on American playwriting in the last fifty years, but her work is largely unknown to the general public. We aim to change that! The Playwriting & Screenwriting program has partnered with the Conservatory of Theatre Arts to present productions, readings, screenings, and workshops in which students, Purchase faculty, and guest artists will share how their encounters with this body of work have changed them.

Kicking off the festival is a keynote address by dramaturg, producer, and scholar Morgan Jenness, this Saturday at 6pm in the CMFT Performance Studio, which will be followed by a reception, and then the opening performance of Fornés’s masterpiece The Conduct of Life directed by guest artist Shadi Ghaheri, and featuring members of BFA Acting Company 47 and the work of students in the Theatre Design/Technology BFA program.

A full listing of FornésFest activities can be found at the festival website

https://www.purchase.edu/academics/theatre-arts/fornesfest/​

Note that many events, including this Saturday’s keynote address and performance, require reservations. You can make your reservations by clicking on the event listing at the website