Improbable’s unique Open Space “technology” is one of the key methodologies in the company’s creative development process. You’re invited to experience the Open Space format first-hand, in this conversation with members of the NYU Skirball community, on the state of the arts today.
Philip Glass and Phelim McDermott bring their individual creativity to an epic collaboration, decades in the making, for an exploration of life, loss and a single question: Where does true inspiration come from?
Get Into It
Get Thee to the LIbrary
Recommended readings to get you in gear for the show.
William Duckworth, Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Five Generations of American Experimental Composers. Shirmer, 1995.
Philip Glass, Words Without Music: A Memoir. W.W. Norton& Company, 2015.
John Richardson, Singing Archaeology: Philip Glass’s “Akhnaten.” University Press of New England, 1999.
Lee Simpson & Phelim McDermott, Theatre of Blood. Oberon Books, 2005.
Robert Waters, The Stage Works of Philip Glass. Cambridge University Press, 2022.
Read All About It
Get the inside scoop on this epic collaboration between Philip Glass and Phelim McDermott – including a hot-of-the-presses piece from the New York Times.
The New York Times | 2023
An ‘Obsession’ With Philip Glass Inspires a Director’s Memory Play
“Tao of Glass” … is a loving tribute to his long relationship — what, in an interview, he called “my obsession” — with Glass’s seemingly repetitive yet constantly transforming music.
The Guardian | 2019
Philip Glass: from Einstein on the Beach to a superfan in Manchester
Tao of Glass owes its origins to the children’s author Maurice Sendak.
The Guardian | 2019
"Tao of Glass" review
Every so often your eyes will fill with tears, for there is only so much that the human heart can hold within it.
Glass 101
Listen to some Glass while you read about his life and career.
The Atlantic | 2018
How Philip Glass Went From Driving Taxis to Composing
At age 12, Philip Glass started working in a Baltimore record store.
Interview | 2014
Philip Glass By Bryce Dessner
The word minimal is often used to describe the sound that Glass developed, but economical is probably more accurate—every note, every movement, every gesture with purpose.
Extra Credit
Every semester, we pick book(s) to complement the shows in our season – it’s a cross-genre take on comparative literature. Whether or not you have a chance to see this season’s shows at NYU Skirball, you can pick up the book and join us via Zoom for an informal discussion.
This spring, we’re focusing on one text: Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven.