"All Hot for Truth": The Jewish Roots and Vision of Tony Kushner's “Angels in America” (Part 3)

Since its thunderous arrival on Broadway in 1993, Tony Kushner’s seven-hour epic Angels in America has received worldwide acclaim for its progressive political vision and loving-but-conflicted portrait of Jewish-American ethnic identity. This three-part class will focus on a less-discussed but equally central element of the play: Kushner’s persistent usage of Jewish religious imagery – a flaming Hebrew “Book of Life” revelation, an Angel who speaks of God’s “hidden face” and Kabbalistic attributes, characters who long to “mend” the broken shards of creation, to name a few – to structure its action and meaning. As we delve together into scenes (and watch famous clips of them in performance) where such concepts are on display, students will be invited to see Angels as a work of surprising theological heft and Kushner himself as a formidable spiritual thinker.

In the third session, we’ll look closely at Prior’s hallucination in the nurse’s office (Act III, Scene 2), Harper’s Antarctic escape (Act III, Scene 3), and the Angel’s final words, all of which Kushner inflects with inventive Jewish mystical imagery. Why does he appeal here to the Jewish realm of fantasy? What new pathways do these tropes open up for his characters, and what spiritual worldview – of hope and healing - do they ultimately allow Kushner to put forward?

Shana Komitee is a faculty member in Juilliard's Drama Division, where she teaches theater history, play analysis, and dramaturgy, and serves as dramaturg. A former New York City Urban Fellow, Komitee has also taught at Columbia University, Bard Prison Initiative, and Juilliard Extension. She received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and pursued an interdisciplinary doctorate at Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Performance Studies. While at Harvard, she was a four-time recipient of the university’s top teaching fellowship prize, and taught in multiple Boston-based adult education settings. She is the author of the Harvard Writing Project’s A Student’s Guide to Performance Studies, multiple Juilliard Global Ventures’ Angels in America episodes, and dozens of theatrical program notes and director interviews for Juilliard mainstage productions. She provides dramaturgy at theaters throughout the United States, including most recently Williamstown Theatre Festival, WP Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature Theatre, and the American Repertory Theatre.

Who are these classes for?

Our classes are for everyone—whether you’re brand new to the topic or have been engaging with it for years, we encourage participation from people of all backgrounds, identities, and experience levels. Unless otherwise noted, no prior knowledge or experience is needed. Not sure if a class is for you? Email us at Learning@Lehr.haus!

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Can I eat during class?

While we do not serve food in the study, you are welcome to order and enjoy drinks during class and join us for a meal before or after class. We highly recommend making a reservation if you know you'll be dining with us. Visit www.lehr.haus/reservation to check availability and book a table.