December 4, 2008

Robert Wilson, the acclaimed theater and opera director, is indisputably one of the world's greatest artistic visionaries. Mr. Wilson will speak about his life's work in the lecture/performance entitled "1. HAVE YOU BEEN HERE BEFORE 2. NO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME" on December 4th at 7:30 PM in the Mandell Theater in a special Drexel event that's free to the Drexel and Philadelphia communities. Seats are limited so to reserve a ticket, please email Westphal@drexel.eduPhilip Glass and Wilson created the landmark opera Einstein on the Beach in 1976, and Wilson has collaborated with artists such as William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Tom Waits, Lou Reed and David Byrne.

Over the course of his career, Robert Wilson has demonstrated a towering passion for words and language, an innovative and signature reinvention of theatrical production design, stage directions featuring simple movements, and talents as a visual artist in a variety of media. The New York Times described Wilson as "a towering figure in the world of experimental theater and an explorer in the uses of time and space onstage. Transcending theatrical convention, he draws in other performance and graphic arts which coalesce into an integrated tapestry of images and sounds."

Robert Wilson has received numerous awards and honors including a Pulitzer Prize nomination in Drama, two Guggenheim Fellowship awards, the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Golden Lion for sculpture from the Venice Biennale and an Obie award. He was named the "Commandeur des arts et des letters' by the French Minister of Culture. His original drawings, furniture designs and installations have been exhibited in such museums as the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao.

This event has been made possible with the support of Drexel alumnus, Ambassador Earle Mack, benefactor of the Earle Mack School of Law.

DETAILS:

• Robert Wilson lecture/performance
• Thursday, December 4, 7:30 PM
• Mandell Theater (33rd & Chestnut Sts.)
• Free and open to the public; to reserve your tickets please e-mail westphal@drexel.edu
• For more information, call 215-895-1029