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Aug. 21--The Chicago Humanities Festival will surrender this fall to an occupying force of authors, scholars, journalists, filmmakers and other artists -- all here to bring order to the theme of "Peace and War."
Among the several hundred presenters scheduled to appear at the 17th annual festival are authors Frank McCourt, Grace Paley, Francine Prose and Philip Caputo; U.S. Army Gen. (ret.) Wesley Clark; musicians Joan Baez and Pamela Z; filmmakers Errol Morris and Walter Murch; cartoonist Garry Trudeau and comics artist Art Spiegelman; scholars Paul Krugman, Patricia Nelson Limerick, Paul Fussell and John Lewis Gaddis; financier Felix Rohatyn; and journalists Philip Gourevitch, Nicholas Lemann and Anthony Shadid.
The festival's programs for children will run Oct. 28 to Nov. 12 and those for adults, Nov. 1 to 12, at venues around Chicago.
Peter Kuntz, managing director for programs and production, said the theme of peace and war had been "on the shelf for several years. Two years ago, we decided we would do it in 2006, not knowing it would have so much resonance today."
He added, "The challenge was to come up with programs that addressed peace as something other than the absence of war."
He noted that the programs will explore the concept of "waging peace," of reconciliation in the aftermath of conflict, whether disputes be ancient or new or between nations or lovers.
"We hope festival-goers will come away with some hope for the future," Kuntz said.
Scheduled performances include concert versions of Irving Berlin's musical "This is the Army" from 1942 and of Harold Rome's "Call Me Mister" from 1946. There will be a piece based on British poet Christopher Logue's adaptation of Homer's "Iliad," and presentations by such local troupes as Steppenwolf Theatre Company and ShawChicago.
New this fall is "Wonder Cabinet," programs on scientific phenomena or curiosities that relate to the humanities. The cafe at the Chicago Cultural Center has been designated as an informal meeting place for festival-goers and presenters.
Regular attendees will be familiar with most program venues. New sites include the Peace Museum in Garfield Park, Biograph Theater in Lincoln Park, the Gene Siskel Film Center in the Loop and the Merit School of Music in the South Loop.
This festival marks Lawrence Weschler's debut as artistic director. He was hired early this year and continues to reside in New York, where he runs a humanities institute.
A festival schedule is expected to be posted Friday at chfestival.org. For more information, call 312-661-1028.
cstorch@tribune.com
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Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune
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