Wallace Shawn talks life with students at Royce Hall in UCLA Live series
Actor and playwright Wallace Shawn will lecture Saturday at Royce Hall.
Courtesy of JARED RODRIGUEZ
Lecture by Wallace Shawn
Wallace Shawn, the playwright and actor, will speak Saturday at Royce Hall. Shawn will also read an excerpt from his play “Grasses of a Thousand Colors” and from his essay compilation “Tea Time.”
His lecture will focus on three themes: real life ““ his interaction with the real world, fake life ““ his experience as an actor and dream life ““ his life as a writer.
Shawn is well-known for his role as Vizzini, the head villain in the movie “The Princess Bride.” This will help draw both students and an older public audience to the lecture, said UCLA Live spokeswoman Jessica Wolf.
“There’s an emotional correlation for young audiences who know him from his older movies,” Wolf said. “(But) he’s also very revered in theater circles.”
Alexis Arnold, a second-year environmental studies student, is attending the lecture to fulfill a requirement for her Arts and Architecture 10 class. The class focuses on modern art and artists, and requires students to attend four events throughout the quarter.
“We’re encouraged to see contemporary art in all its forms,” Arnold said. “I’d like to see how his personality comes through, how he feels his plays are meant to be read.”
Second-year biology student Monica Manrique is in the same arts and architecture class and is attending the event both as part of the assignment and to see an actor she recognizes from the television show “Gossip Girl” and from one of her favorite films.
“When people say “˜Inconceivable!’ everybody knows it’s Wallace Shawn from “˜The Princess Bride,'” Manrique said. “I’m not really sure what to expect from (the lecture), but it would be cool to hear him talk.”
Shawn’s visit is part of the UCLA Live Spoken Word series. The series was broken into two packages this year. One focuses on intellectual and artistically established guests, such as Shawn and Maya Angelou. The other invited personalities include David Eggers and the Yes Men, who are known for more biting humor and dry social commentary.
Student tickets are $15 and regular tickets are $28-48. With reports by Sonali Kohli, Bruin senior staff.
