Lisa Kron has been writing and performing award-winning theatre since the mid-1980s. Most recently, Lisa wrote the lyrics and book to the musical "Fun Home," based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Lisa, and composer Jeanine Tesori, were the first writing team of women to win a Tony for Best Original Score. Fun Home also took home Tony awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Musical, Best Direction and Best Actor. Lisa's other plays include The Ver**zon Play, In The Wake, Well, 2.5 Minute Ride, 101 Humiliating Stories, which have all received recognition and awards nationally and internationally. She is a founding member of the legendary OBIE and Bessie Award-winning collaborative theater company The Five Lesbian Brothers.
In this episode, Lisa talks about the role of theatre as an artform, the challenges of adapting a graphic novel into a musical, how to make live performance resonate with audiences, the representation of women--and lesbians--in theatre, and the morals of personal storytelling.
“You can tell a story in which everybody in the world is the same and everything in the world is just like everything else. Or you can tell a story about how things are not the same, and yet equally human. ”
Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori take us behind the music of their Tony-nominated musical FUN HOME.
"FUN HOME" songs featured in this episode:
- Helen's Etude
- Raincoat of Love
- This Is What I Have of You...
- Come to the Fun Home
- Maps
- Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue
- Days and Days
- It All Comes Back (Opening)
- Changing My Major
- Telephone Wire
- Ring of Keys
- Flying Away (Finale)
Clips used in this show: