Tony Kushner Joins Chicago Humanities Festival's FALLFEST/17: BELIEF Lineup

By: Sep. 06, 2017
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

Today, the Chicago Humanities Festival revealed its full line-up for the Fallfest/17: Belief.

New additions to the line-up including Tony-award winning playwright Tony Kushner, Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi, Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson, French philosopher and social critic Bernard-Henri Lévy, filmmaker Joe Swanberg, Obama Presidential Center architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, and Publican chef Paul Kahan.

Fallfest/17: Belief will kick-off with a live taping of Krista Tippett's On Being featuring Ta-Nehisi Coates on October 16. The Fallfest begins in earnest on Saturday, October 28 and continues through Sunday, November 12, during which nearly 100 programs will ask the people of Chicago to reflect on and consider the convictions and passions that shape our world. The festival will close on November 12th with a talk by Father Michael Pfleger of Saint Sabina's Parish about the relationship between religion and activism.

With a line-up featuring religious scholar and writer Reza Aslan, former Vice President Al Gore, former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, astronaut Scott Kelly, and Jill Soloway, creator of the Emmy-award winning series Transparent, the festival is set to feature a wide variety of voices of today's most compelling voices as CHF approaches its 30th anniversary and celebrates its first festival with Alison Cuddy as Marilynn Thoma Artistic Director.

"We may live in a secular age but by no means have we escaped the turbulence of clashing beliefs. The recent violent defense of Confederate statues is just one extreme example of how far people will go to maintain their view of history and identity," Cuddy says. "Consider also how in flux the line between church and state remains in the United States."

"Belief is not all sturm and drang, however," Cuddy continues. "This fall our quest is to explore how beliefs can serve to divide or connect us. People seek to express spirituality in new ways, by designing cities that inspire contemplation or offering advice to budding activists through astrological readings. Our presenters - including some of our most profound religious thinkers and leaders of our day - bring visions of the present and lessons from the past, both dystopian and utopian. What better time to stop and consider with them what kind of future we want to believe in?"

New this year is an entire day of programming at the historic South Shore Cultural Centerin the South Shore neighborhood. Additional neighborhood programming days include an Evening in Bronzeville, and weekend days in Evanston on the campus of Northwestern University and in Hyde Park at the University of Chicago. CHF has partnered with The New York Times to host a panel on religion and the media featuring Chicago bureau chief Monica Davey, religion correspondent Laurie Goodstein, and columnist Frank Bruni as well as Interfaith Youth Core founder Eboo Patel.

Fallfest/17: Belief will feature a number of prominent novelists and writers, including Chicago Tribune Literary Award winner Marilynne Robinson (Gilead), Tribune Heartland Prize winners Colson Whitehead (The Underground Railroad) and Matthew Desmond (Evicted), Edwidge Danticat (Claire of the Sea Light), Claire Messud (The Woman Upstairs), Claire Vaye Watkins (Gold, Fame, Citrus), Erika L. Sanchez (I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter), Eve L. Ewing (Electric Arches), Jonathan Eig (Ali: A Life), and Pulitzer Prize-winner Garry Wills (Lincoln at Gettysburg).

Also, as part of recognizing the centennial celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, CHF will host contributors to The Golden Shovel Anthology - a new collection of poems inspired by Brooks' work.

"At this moment in America's history we must consider what it is we truly believe. This fall the Chicago Humanities Festival will explore what it is we mean when we say belief-whether it's commitment to a religion, faith in our civic leaders, or the broader trust we all must share as a society," said Executive Director Phillip Bahar.

Prior to the Fallfest/17: Belief, CHF will present the North American debut of Pulitzer-Prize winning composer David Lang's crowd out, at Millennium Park on Sunday, October 1. crowd out will be the product of a nearly year-long collaboration and partnership with Illinois Humanities. To learn more about upcoming dress rehearsals this September for this citywide musical collaboration featuring 1000 voices, visit crowdoutchicago.org.

Tickets to Fallfest/17: Belief goes on sale to CHF members on Tuesday, September 19 at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public one week later on Tuesday, September 26, also at 10 a.m. The Chicago Humanities Festival box office has a new phone number 312-605-8444. Tickets range from $5-$60.

For a full description of all CHF programs, venues, and times, visit tickets.chicagohumanities.org. A listing of all CHF events, beginning with crowd out and running through November 12, is included below.


All events in Chicago, IL (unless otherwise noted)

Sunday, October 1

crowd out

Millennium Park Chase Promenade at Cloud Gate

201 E Randolph St

3-4 PM

Monday, October 9

Samantha Powers in conversation with Robin Wright

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago Sanctuary

126 E Chestnut St

5:30-6:30PM

Monday, October 16

Live taping of Krista Tippett's On Being featuring Ta-Nehisi Coates

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

5850 S Woodlawn Ave

7-8:15 PM

Saturday, October 28

(Morris and Dolores Kohl Kaplan Day at Northwestern University)

Marilynne Robinson in conversation with Heidi Stevens

Chicago Tribune Literary Award

Alice Millar Chapel

1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL

11AM-12PM

Caitlin Doughty

Alice Millar Chapel

1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL

1-2PM

Garry Wills

600 Emerson St, Evanston, IL

Cahn Auditorium

1-2PM

Tanya Luhrmann

McCormick Auditorium

1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL

1-2PM

Emil Ferris in conversation with Damon Locks

Cahn Auditorium

600 Emerson St, Evanston, IL

3-4 PM

ElizaBeth Shakman Hurd

McCormick Auditorium

1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL

3-4PM

Michael Ferber

Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art (Pick-Laudati Auditorium)

40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL

3-4PM

Matt Taibbi

Cahn Auditorium

600 Emerson St, Evanston, IL

5-6PM

Debra Tolchinsky in conversation with Milos Stehlik

Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art (Pick-Laudati Auditorium)

40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL

5-6PM

Sunday, October 29

Al Gore in conversation with Alison Cuddy

Harris Theater

205 E Randolph St

12-1PM

Walter Isaacson

Art Institute of Chicago (Rubloff Auditorium)

230 S Columbus Drive

2-3PM

Erika L. Sanchez

Chicago Cultural Center (Claudia Cassidy Theater)

78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602

2-3PM

Brooke Gladstone in conversation with Alison Cuddy

Chicago Athletic Association (Stagg Court)

12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

2-3PM

Richard Prum

Chicago Cultural Center (Claudia Cassidy Theater)

78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602

4-5PM

Frank Bures

Chicago Athletic Association (Stagg Court)

12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

4-5PM

Monica Davey, Frank Bruni, Laurie Goodstein, and Eboo Patel

First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple

77 W Washington St, Chicago, IL

4-5PM

Jason Reynolds

Art Institute of Chicago (Rubloff Auditorium)

230 S Columbus Dr

4:30-5:30PM

Christine Goerke in conversation with Colin Ure and Roger Pines

First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple

77 W Washington St, Chicago, IL

6-7PM

Monday, October 30

Michael W. Twitty

1st Ward Events at Chop Shop

2033 N North Ave

6-7PM

David Lang

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (Thorne Auditorium)

375 E Chicago Ave

6-7PM

Paul Kahan and Cosmo Goss

1st Ward Events at Chop Shop

2033 N North Ave

8-9PM

Claire Messud

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (Thorne Auditorium)

375 E Chicago Ave

8-9PM

Wednesday, November 1

Ron Chernow and Jeremy McCarter

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (Thorne Auditorium)

375 E Chicago Ave

6-7PM

Friday, November 3 (An Evening in Bronzeville)

Brenda Cardenas, Reginald Gibbons, Janice Harrington, and Peter Kahn

436 E 47th St, Chicago, IL

Gallery Guichard

6-7PM

Atorina Zomaya and Cliff Rome

Peach's Restaurant

4652 S Martin Luther King Dr, Chicago, IL

6-7PM

Reverend angel Kyodo williams

Blanc Gallery

4445 S Martin Luther King Dr, Chicago, IL

6-7PM

Danez Smith in conversation with Eve L. Ewing

Gallery Guichard

436 E 47th St, Chicago, IL

8:30-9:30PM

Saturday, November 4

Tod Williams and Billie Tsien

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (Thorne Auditorium)

375 E Chicago Ave

11AM-12PM

Luis Alberto Urrea

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago (Buchanan Chapel at the Gratz Center)

126 E Chestnut St

11AM-12PM

Jonathan Eig

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (Thorne Auditorium)

375 E Chicago Ave

1-2PM

Edwidge Danticat in conversation with Tracie Hall

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago (Buchanan Chapel at the Gratz Center)

126 E Chestnut St

1-2PM

Christian Wiman

Poetry Foundation

61 W Superior St

1-2PM

Clayton Brown and Monica Ross

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Edlis Neeson Theater)

220 E Chicago Ave

1-2:15 PM

Dava Sobel

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (Thorne Auditorium)

375 E Chicago Ave

3-4PM

Julio Bermudez

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago (Buchanan Chapel at the Gratz Center)

126 E Chestnut St

3-4PM

Tim Pauketat

Poetry Foundation

61 W Superior St

3-4PM

Claire Vaye Watkins in conversation with Krista Franklin

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Edlis Neeson Theater)

220 E Chicago Ave

3:30-4:30PM

Bernard-Henri Levy

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (Thorne Auditorium)

375 E Chicago Ave

5-6PM

Marc Barmuthi Joseph and Roger Bonair-Agard

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Edlis Neeson Theater)

220 E Chicago Ave

6-7PM

Sunday, November 5 (Hyde Park Day)

Robert P. Jones

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Performance Hall

915 E 60th St

12-1PM

Hirsch Perlman

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Performance Penthouse 901

915 E 60th St

12-1PM

Sophia Rosenfeld

International House (Assembly Hall)

1414 E 59th St

12-1PM

Chase Strangio

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Performance Hall

915 E 60th St

2-3PM

Chani Nicholas in conversation with adrienne maree brown

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Performance Penthouse 901

915 E 60th St

2-3PM

R. Marie Griffith

International House (Assembly Hall)

1414 E 59th St

2-3PM

Alan Alda and Edward O. Wilson

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

5850 S Woodlawn Ave

2-3PM

Sara Seager

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Performance Hall

915 E 60th St

4-5PM

Siva Vaidhyanathan

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Performance Penthouse 901

915 E 60th St

4-5PM

Amanda Anderson

International House (Assembly Hall)

1414 E 59th St

4-5PM

Danielle Allen in conversation with Natalie Y. Moore

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

5850 S Woodlawn Ave

4-5PM

Monday, November 6

Flory Concert: My Spirit, My Song

Francis W. Parker School (Diane and David B Heller Auditorium)

2233 N Clark St

7:30 - 9PM

Wednesday, November 8

Robert Shiller

Francis W. Parker School (Diane and David B Heller Auditorium)

2233 N Clark St

6 - 7 PM

Scott Kelly in conversation with Peter Sagal

Francis W. Parker School (Diane and David B Heller Auditorium)

2233 N Clark St

8 - 9 PM

Thursday, November 9 (South Shore Evening)

Kevin Young

South Shore Cultural Center (Paul Robeson Theatre)

7059 S South Shore Drive

6 - 7 PM

Britt Rusert

South Shore Cultural Center (Dining Room)

7059 S South Shore Drive

6 - 7 PM

Faye Driscoll's Play

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Edlis Neeson Theater)

7:30 - 8:45 PM

Khalil Gibran Muhammad

South Shore Cultural Center (Paul Robeson Theatre)

7059 S South Shore Drive

8 - 9 PM

Friday, November 10

Reza Aslan

Francis W. Parker School (Diane and David B Heller Auditorium)

2233 N Clark St

6 - 7 PM

Faye Driscoll's Play

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Edlis Neeson Theater)

220 E Chicago Ave

7:30 - 8:45 PM

Joe Swanberg

Francis W. Parker School (Diane and David B Heller Auditorium)

2233 N Clark St

8 - 9 PM

Saturday, November 11

Tony Kushner and Jeremy McCarter

Art Institute of Chicago (Rubloff Auditorium)

230 S Columbus Dr

11 AM - 12 PM

Matthew Desmond in conversation with Bruce Dold

Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Non-Fiction

First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple

77 W Washington St

11 AM - 12 PM

Jane Kamensky

Venue SIX10 (Feinberg Theater)

600 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL

11 AM - 12 PM

Donald Lopez

Art Institute of Chicago (Fullerton Hall)

111 S Michigan Ave

1 - 2 PM


Vote Sponsor


Videos