EIU Media Relations

Award-winning Playwright to Speak about her Inspirations as a Writer

An award-winning playwright will share her inspirations as a writer and advice on how others can make a career out of the arts during a lecture Thursday at Eastern Illinois University.

Elizabeth Wong writes plays filled with comedy and social satire. The Tanne Foundation recently awarded Wong with the Tanne Foundation Award for artistic achievement, and the City of Los Angeles commended her themes on human rights. Some of her plays include “Letters to a Student Revolutionary,” “China Doll” and “Kimchee & Chitlins.”

Wong said she plans to share what inspires her to sit alone in a room on a sunny day starting at a blank screen — and write.

“It’s crazy to be all day in a dark theatre wrestling with make-believe problems as if they mattered,” Wong said. “I will talk about whom and what inspires me to this lunacy, how this energy gets harnessed to write a play and maybe how to make a life in the arts.”

J. Kevin Doolen, chair of the theatre department said Wong is a fantastic artist that represents the best of the theater industry. “I am amazed by her sense of modesty, despite her accomplishments, her generosity and her incredible range of professional experiences in theater, television and film,” he said.

Doolen asked Wong to lecture at EIU because she can engage students as a working professional. “I want to encourage our students to explore the possibilities for writing and numerous avenues for a professional creative life,” Doolen said. “I’ve seen her effectively do this with her students and I want that for our students here.”

Wong completed her master in fine arts degree from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts, and she currently lives in Los Angeles, Calif.

Wong’s lecture starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall of Doudna Fine Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public. For more information about Wong, click here.