A Child of the Century at Newberry Library

A Child of the Century, Ben Hecht’s autobiographical memoir, was first published in 1954 to great critical acclaim. In it, Hecht offers philosophical meditations on the nature of God and the self, as well as keen firsthand portraits of big-city newsrooms, postwar Germany, 1920s New York intellectuals and artists, and golden-age Hollywood.

Join us for a theatrical reading of this new play put on in partnership with the Shakespeare Project of Chicago, adapted by the late writer and film producer, Scott Jacobs and directed by J. R. Sullivan, illustrated with images drawn from the Newberry’s collection of Ben Hecht’s papers.

Featuring: Joe Dempsey, Emily Fury Daly, William Dick, Jodi Gage, Kevin Peter Garino, Gudahl, Torrey Hanson, James Konicek, Paul Sandburg, Charles Stransky, Daniel Patrick Sullivan, Demetrios Troy, Netta Walker, H.B. Ward. Stage manager: Barbara Zahora. Accompanist: Shawn Wallace. Visual Design: Steven Rosofsky.

This program is generously supported by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.