Oct. 25, 2016
Who knew that the discharge petition—signed by members of the House of Representatives to bring a bill from committee to the floor—could be good material for a Tony Award-winning play and HBO feature film? In this episode, Professors Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang interview Robert Schenkkan whose play “All the Way” about Lyndon B. Johnson has been brought from the stage to the screen. “All the Way” is a play and film depicting LBJ’s efforts to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and his re-election victory against Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. Schenkkan is an American screenwriter, actor and playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1992 for his play “The Kentucky Cycle” and his play “All the Way” earned the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play. He has three Emmy nominations and one Writers Guild of America Award. The conversation explores how artists encourage us to think about politics beyond the scope of the media or academia and, in unique ways, teach Americans how politics work. Through plays such as “All the Way,” Zelizer and Wang discuss with Schenkkan how the arts have opened up conversations about politics and play an important role in an era when many Americans seem distrustful.
