MAKE ART WORK [MAW] WITH NILO CRUZ… Creating Worlds at New World School of the Arts
Miami-- Playwright and educator Nilo Cruz spoke to New World School of the Arts students as part of the Make Art Work (MAW) lecture series. Cruz delivered an inspirational talk, urging students to take advantage of their educational opportunities and providing a framework for success. While he cautioned against the expectation of fame or wealth when pursuing a career in playwriting, Cruz spoke of compensation that he described as of greater and longer lasting value – the power to connect with the audience and “help them see the world in a different light.” Cruz then performed a scene from his Pulitzer award-winning play Anna and the Tropics, allowing the students the experience of entering that world. Cruz finished the event with a question and answer session that continued through the afternoon as he spoke individually with students, providing guidance and encouragement.
Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Cruz came to Miami as a child. He studied at Miami Dade College before receiving an MFA from Brown University in 1994. Cruz has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including two NEA/TCG National Theatre Artist Residency grants, a Rockefeller Foundation grant, San Francisco 's W. Alton Jones award and a Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays award. Cruz is an alumnus of New Dramatists, has taught playwriting at Brown University, the University of Iowa and at Yale University. He presently lives in New York City.
Beginning its second year, Make Art Work is designed to bring professionals in the art world together with students and the community for a dialogue on the business of art. The series will focus on providing tools, guidance and strategies for success to the next generation of artists and will expand understanding of what it takes to live as an artist in the twenty-first century. Each talk will include a question and answer session, allowing students and the public opportunities for direct communication with leaders in the art world.
