Sarah Ruhl
Sarah Ruhl
Full Name and Common Aliases
Sarah Ruhl is an American playwright, poet, and librettist.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on January 4, 1974 (no death date provided as she is still alive).
Nationality and Profession(s)
American playwright, poet, and librettist.
Early Life and Background
Sarah Ruhl was born in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in a family of artists and writers, which likely influenced her creative pursuits from an early age. Her childhood experiences and observations have been cited as sources of inspiration for her writing.
Ruhl's education began at the University of Michigan, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Later, she received her Master of Fine Arts degree in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. These academic pursuits set the stage for her future success in the literary world.
Major Accomplishments
Throughout her career, Ruhl has achieved numerous accolades and accomplishments that have solidified her position as a leading playwright. Some notable achievements include:
Pulitzer Prize for Drama: In 2003, Ruhl received this prestigious award for her play "The Clean House".
MacArthur Fellowship: She was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship in 2002, which recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional creativity and innovation.
NEA Fellowships: Ruhl has been a recipient of several National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) fellowships, further establishing her reputation as a talented playwright.Notable Works or Actions
Ruhl's body of work includes numerous plays, poems, and librettos that showcase her versatility and skill. Some notable works include:
"The Clean House": A Pulitzer Prize-winning play that explores the lives of two women from different cultural backgrounds.
"Eurydice": A retelling of the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, which has been widely performed and praised for its innovative approach to storytelling.
"Dead Man's Cell Phone": A play that examines the complexities of human relationships through a narrative about a woman who inherits a mysterious phone.
Impact and Legacy
Sarah Ruhl's impact on the literary world is undeniable. Her unique voice, style, and perspectives have captivated audiences and inspired countless other writers. Some aspects of her legacy include:
Influence on Playwriting: Ruhl's innovative approach to storytelling has influenced a generation of playwrights.
Increased Representation: Her plays often feature diverse characters and explore complex themes related to identity, culture, and human relationships.
* Collaborations and Community Building: Ruhl is known for her collaborations with other artists and writers, which have led to the creation of new works and strengthened connections within the literary community.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Sarah Ruhl's quotes are often sought after due to their depth, nuance, and insight into the human experience. Her perspectives on creativity, relationships, and personal growth have resonated with readers worldwide.
Quotes by Sarah Ruhl
Sarah Ruhl's insights on:
In America I think it’s much more full of disruption culturally; it’s much more mysterious how we inherit culture here. We grab it where we can find it – we’re insatiable – and there can be a sense here that it’s not available to you as readily as it is in other cultures.
Play itself is a primary process, not a luxury, not a hobby, but something all children must do to survive into adulthood.
Do you not think, Mrs. Givings, that snow is always kind? Because it has to fall slowly, to meet the ground slowly, or the eyelash slowly – And things that meet each other slowly are kind.
And then we jumped off Mount Olympus and flew through the clouds and you held your knee to your chest because you skinned it on a sharp cloud and then we fell into a salty lake. Then I woke up and the window frightened me and I thought: Eurydice is dead. Then I thought – who is Eurydice? Then the whole room started to float and I thought: what are people? Then my bed clothes smiled at me with a crooked green mouth and I thought: who am I? It scares me, Eurydice. Please come back.
Small, forthright words, used in the service of condensing experience, might have an idea buried in them as large as the most expansive work that wears its intellectualism on its sleeve. The unshed tears of the deeply felt are akin to the unused large words in the service of a thought.
The word quirky is so much more loathed than the word whimsy that it does not bear the time it would require to dissect its horrors. The choice to have a perceptible aesthetic at all is often called a quirk. The word quirky suggests that in a homogenized culture, difference has to be immediately defined, sequestered, and formally quarantined while being gently patted on the head.
I do think there’s a relationship between a book and a reader that’s more intimate, in many ways, than the relationship between an audience member and a play – just by the nature of it being an object that you can have in bed with you and that you can keep and page through.
Every day as I wave to my children when I drop them off at school, or let one of them have a new experience – like crossing the street without holding my hand – I experience the struggle between love and non-attachment. It is hard to bear – the extreme love of one’s child and the thought that ultimately the child belongs to the world. There is this horrible design flaw – children are supposed to grow up and away from you; and one of you will die first.
Plays are architecture, and you can make them stand in many ways that are hard to describe. And, I think, in our limited ability to describe them, we’ve substituted our inarticulateness for saying that there’s one and only one structure.