Episode Details

A celebration of the 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, discusses May’s role in the rise of improv, and the troupe Binder Full of Women shows how it’s done, live on stage. Edward Miller, professor of Film and Media Cultures and Theatre and Performance at the Graduate Center, moderates.

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