FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 1998
MEDIA CONTACT:Sue Chopin
(202) 994-3087


"DRIVING MISS DAISY" PLAYWRIGHT ALFRED UHRY AND NOTED AUTHOR ELI EVANS TO PRESENT "SOUTHERN EXPOSURE" AT GW FEB. 23

Washington Jewish Week and GW co-sponsor forum celebrating the Southern Jewish experience

EVENT: "Southern Exposure," a forum celebrating the Southern Jewish experience with Alfred Uhry, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," and Eli Evans, author of the landmark history of Southern Jewry, "The Provincials." Uhry and Evans will discuss growing up Jewish in the South, the history of the region, and its ongoing hold on them.

WHEN: Monday, February 23, 1998
7:00 p.m.


WHERE: The George Washington University
Lisner Auditorium
730 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC


COST: Free and open to the public. Reservations strongly recommended.

Background:

Alfred Uhry is the only playwright ever to win the triple crown -- an Oscar, a Tony, and a Pulitzer Prize. He began his career as a lyric writer and made his Broadway debut in 1968 with "Here's Where I Belong." He then wrote the book and lyrics for "The Robber Bridegroom" and was nominated for a Tony Award. In 1987, his first play, "Driving Miss Daisy," opened at Playwrights Horizons Theatre in New York. The play earned many awards, including the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. For the film version, Uhry won an Academy Award, and the film itself was voted Best Picture of the Year. Uhry's second play, "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," was commissioned by the Cultural Olymipiad for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and was chosen Best Play by the American Theatre Critics Association, The Outer Critics Circle, and The Drama League. It also won a 1997 Tony Award.

Eli Evans was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Yale Law School. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked as an aide and speechwriter in the Lyndon B. Johnson White House. Since the original edition of "The Provincials" appeared in 1973, and went on to become an enduring classic, Evans has written two other highly acclaimed works, "Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate," and "The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner." He is currently president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation in New York City.

Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the nation's capital. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, law, engineering, education, business/public management and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of 19,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 120 countries.

Due to strong interest in this program and limited seating, you are urged to respond quickly by phone or fax to reserve a seat. Please call the Office of University Special Events at (202) 994-0779 or fax a note with names and phone numbers of attendees to (202) 994-3622.

Journalists can now access faculty experts via the GW Online Media Guide at http://www.media.gwu.edu.


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Last updated August 5, 1999