March 10, 2008 (Vol. 7, No. 4)

Award-Winning Director to Appear on 'Conversations' March 18

Francesca Zambello, an award-winning director of opera and theatre, will visit with Professor William M. Hoffman on the College's "Conversations" television series Tuesday, March 18, from 2 to 3 p.m. The discussion, which will be taped and broadcast on Bronxnet and CUNY-TV (Channel 75), will take place in Carman Hall, Room C-14, and is free and open to the entire campus.

Nine productions directed by Zambello are scheduled to open this year worldwide. She is currently developing Little House on the Prairie, a musical adapted from the Laura Ingalls Wilder novels and scheduled to open at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, as well as a musical adaptation of The First Wives Club, based on the Oscar-winning film. In addition, she is directing Disney's The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and Disney's 'Alladin' – A Musical Spectacular at the Hyperion Theater in Disney's California Adventure theme park.

Her recent musicals have included Showboat at the Royal Albert Hall in London and Rebecca, adapted from the novel, at the Raimund Theater in Vienna. Recent operas have included Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Wagner's Die Walküre, both at the Washington National Opera, and the world premiere of An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera.

Among Zambello's many honors are the French Government's Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres for her contribution to French culture; the Russian Federation's medal for Service to Culture; and three Laurence Olivier Awards, the most prestigious honor in London theatre. A native New Yorker, Zambello attended Moscow University in 1976 and graduated cum laude from Colgate University in 1978. She lives in New York and London.

Produced by Lehman's Department of Journalism, Communication, and Theatre, in conjunction with BronxNet and the College's Information Technology Resources Department, "Conversations" features discussions with theatre and music professionals about their experiences. Previous guests have included Pulitzer Prize-winners Edward Albee, John Corigliano, and Lanford Wilson, world-renowned singers Marilyn Horne, Regina Resnick, and Barbara Cook, Broadway director Marshall W. Mason, Tony Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz, and opera composer Mark Adamo.

For more information about the series, call 718-960-8217.

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