The Comedic Genius of Elaine May: A Discussion and Performance (in NYC)

Join us for an evening celebrating comedic force-of-nature Elaine May. A brilliant performer with the sensational duo Nichols and May, a pioneer of improvised comedy, and an iconoclastic Hollywood director, May has left an indelible mark on stage and screen. Elizabeth Alsop, professor of Film and Media Cultures at the CUNY Graduate Center, discusses her recent book on May’s cinema, offering insights into the four features May directed, from her auspicious debut, A New Leaf, to the infamous Ishtar. Philip Wiles, a doctoral student in Theatre and Performance at the Graduate Center, will discuss May’s role in the rise of improv, and the troupe Binder Full of Women will show how it’s done, live on stage. Edward Miller, professor of Film and Media Cultures and Theatre and Performance at the Graduate Center, moderates.

Presented with the Film and Media Cultures Certificate Program, Ph.D. Program in Theatre and Performance, the Center for the Study of Women and Society, and the Center for the Humanities.

Starts 6:30PM ET